In one of our earlier blogs, we discussed the various considerations you can’t afford to overlook when planning an office relocation for your business. From floorplanning to IT to the logistics of getting everything from one location to another and setting up with a minimum of fuss or disruption, we know first-hand that there is a lot that needs to be done and we hope our advice has come in handy.
But what do you do when the big day arrives? What do you need to consider and tick off your checklist to get everything up and running as if nothing had ever happened and to make sure you can return to a state of ‘business as usual’ as quickly as possible? Here, we take a look.
Firstly, make sure to have a complete audit of your assets so that you know exactly what you have before leaving the old office that isn’t doing the business, and should have when you get to the new one.
Label everything, and be clear about where they should be placed in the new premises, then prioritise what needs to be set up first.
To make things easier for everybody, ask all staff members to bundle up what they need from their workstation into one box - monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc - so that they can quickly be reunited with their computer once they set foot in the new office.
Make sure the entire team knows what they need to do to get things up and running as soon as possible and without problems, clearly outlining when they need to log off at one location and when they are required to log back in at the new office. Also, with new premises come new access considerations, ranging from internal factors such as WiFi, to external ones such as simply getting into the building. Inform all staff of any new accessibility requirements such as passwords, keys, etc.
You will probably have already checked that the logistics team tasked with bringing your IT equipment is suitable for its transportation, but check again, and ask a member of your own IT team to verify all is in order. You will have enough to worry about on your own without having to worry about the team bringing your equipment from A to B.
Keeping the business running is still the number one requirement at this stage, so ensure your customer service team are fully aware of progress so they can manage any potential calls or queries about disruption to services, and your marketing team have updated all necessary information on your website or social media.
It is also vital to have IT support by your side throughout the process on what can be a nerve-wracking day. IT issues can spring up unexpectedly, so having the necessary support, whether that’s in-house or outsourced through a virtual CIO, will keep you not only on track, but sane.
Once things are set up at the new location, check the floor plan to make sure everything is where it should be. If all is in order, it’s time to give everything a dummy run to make sure it all works. All staff should be asked to check individual phone lines, computers, devices, emails, etc, and you should get IT to crank up the servers and test the network, and importantly, to check that all data has safely come with you.
Fingers crossed, everything will be just as it was in the old office, only better, and you can continue to run the office and get back to the business in hand.
It’s a lot to take in, so we have put together a handy checklist of everything you need to do for that office move, from preparation to implementation, which you can download here.
