You’ve decided to move your business to a new location. Congrats! You’re about to embark on an exciting and very important journey that will have many significant impacts on your company’s future success.
We want you to be prepared for what comes next, so we put together this list of 6 crucial things you should do before moving. Listed below are some helpful tips that will help ensure you don’t miss anything important when it comes time for the big day.
Find a new location
The most important thing in any move would be the new location. Find a location that you feel comfortable at. A place with a strong and stable internet connection, where the power does not go out all the time, and with enough ceiling space for your setup. It needs to be fireproof (obviously), and if possible, close to an electronics shop.
The second thing is to start moving equipment and appliances. This can be hard, but it’s the most important part of moving anywhere. If you cannot move things by yourself don’t worry. Most of us have enough friends or family that would gladly help out for a night. If not, there are always different companies that will move almost anything.
If you have never hired a moving company before, you should take some time to go through their website and check what services they offer. On top of that, you may also want to use an approximate moving cost calculator, to help you get a clearer picture of the costs you can expect to incur. Also, sometimes hiring a company can be much cheaper than doing it yourself.
When you have changed locations, go ahead and start getting rid of old files and data that you don’t need anymore at the old location and transfer to the new. Don’t forget to clean all the cabinets, because they might have important stuff in there as well. Carry this important stuff to your new location. Change all locks if you want to keep the new location under wraps.
Contact utility companies
Now that you are not in your old space, you need to have the lights, water, and all other services turned off and get them connected at your new place.
It is best to contact these people before you move in because they will take a long time to turn on all your services again. Some of them are company-specific (like the lights), so call your current provider and ask if it’s possible to transfer these services over. If not, just go ahead and make new contracts with the new service providers.
If possible, try to test the water at the location you are moving to. You need to analyze your water because it’s important for your production processes and your employees’ health. If the water in your area is hard, it can even affect your machinery when the calcium deposits begin to build up.
Keep your current customers happy
You are moving to the new, but you still need to keep up with the old. Please don’t leave your customers behind. If possible, find a way to take them with you. At least, try to inform them of the change. They mustn’t get lost in the process. This will keep you happy and your customers as well.
Post the new address on all of your social media channels and your website. This is one of the easiest ways to let customers know that you’ve changed locations. Placing a few ads in more traditional media may be helpful as well in avoiding customers turning up at your old location to realize that you are gone. Don’t neglect this. It’s surprisingly easy to lose customers this way.
Contact all your suppliers and tell them where to deliver products
What’s worse than sending out an order and not getting it? Not getting the delivery because you didn’t tell your supplier about your change, right? Let all affected companies know where to deliver products from now on.
Transfer employees’ information
This is an important thing, but most people forget about it. If you are moving to a new location that has different working conditions, you need to change or add some information to your employees’ files.
You will be forced to read them out when they arrive, so it’s best that the information is accurate and all employees are aware of it.
You need to do some paperwork for your employees as well. You will need to add the new location in their employment contracts. If possible you can make a smart contract with them that is bound by law. It’s best that both parties are aware of the change and also it makes everything easier for you.
Create an easy transition plan for the staff
Don’t stress staff out unnecessarily by moving without having a plan for them. Try to get as much information about the place, like which floor you are going to be on and what is around (eatables mainly). Be ready with an overview of your new setup. It will help employees find their way around easily.
Make sure all employees are on board with the move and have been informed about how it will affect them.
Sometimes employees have their own lives, and you can’t always assume that they will be willing to change. They might not want to give up their old job or maybe just don’t want to move because of all the hassle involved in relocating. Be aware of these things and make sure everyone is acting like a team player instead of an individual.
By taking the time to do these things before moving, you will be able to skip a lot of stress and hassle. Creating a checklist of each milestone in the moving process can definitely make the transition for you and your employees much easier. The last thing anyone wants is more headaches when they have already taken on enough work with the relocation. We hope we were able to offer some helpful tips in our blog post today and that your next business location change goes perfectly.