One of the questions removalists get asked a lot by businesses whenever they are hired for an office relocation is, “How do we minimize downtime?”. This is an understandable concern for a company given that its entire office staff and facilities will be moving, and whilst that is occurring, its operations will inevitably be disrupted.
The answers given by removalists will differ depending on the type of business involved, the specifics of the move, the distance between locations, and the types of equipment being moved. However, some general principles should be followed and from them, here are seven ways businesses can minimize downtime when moving their office’s location.
Start Planning As Soon As Possible
To minimize downtime, you should start planning for your office relocation immediately after the decision to move has been made, even if you have not yet chosen the new location. The earlier you start planning and making contingencies, the greater the chance there is a smooth and uneventful move that will go a long way to reducing downtime.
Employ Professional Removalists
After the new location has been agreed upon, start looking for removalists as early as possible. Checking their credentials, such as reviews, will point you in the right direction towards a professional, reliable office removalist company. Once you hire them, they can offer much advice to make the move easier. Downtime is minimized by choosing the optimal time and date and having the removalist pack as much as possible rather than staff.
Plan And Coordinate A Downtime Mitigation Strategy
This additional planning will be beneficial as it focuses specifically on how you can reduce and mitigate any downtime. Start by discussing this with your removalists, plus you should also confer with those who work within your business for their ideas and suggestions. Any outside agencies affecting the downtime should also be consulted as part of this planning.
Ensure Proper Communication Throughout
Whether you communicate via phone, email, chat services, or even good old-fashioned letters through the mail, all of it must help the move proceed efficiently, which will help reduce downtime. Communication with your removalists is apparent, with others, including your landlords and suppliers. You should also be communicating with those within your business to keep them informed.
Properly Label And Organize The Items Which Are Moving
This might seem simple, but you would be amazed how many businesses get this wrong. The result is items ending up in the wrong rooms at the new offices, which means delays in getting set up with the inevitable increased downtime that follows. The solution is to have a clear and straightforward labelling system everyone knows.
Keep Staff Focussed And Motivated
Occasionally, the reason for downtime is not so much the act of moving but a slowdown in staff output. This can occur due to concerns about the move, whereby their minds are on matters other than their daily tasks. Help avoid this by keeping staff well-informed and doing all you can to help them see the positives of the move so that their morale and, thus, productivity remains high.
Coordinate Necessary Utilities At The New Location
Our final tip applies to both the current offices and the new offices. At both locations, you will have service companies responsible for water, electricity, and, most importantly, your internet connection. You can reduce downtime if you communicate with all these companies to ensure they know which dates you are moving, where you are moving to, and that all arrangements are in place to have essential services live when you arrive.
