In business, growing up is a measure of success. The more successful your company is, the faster it grows. But in practice, growing also means moving. The dynamics of modern business and the rate of success require almost every single business entity to relocate its office or production location once in a while. There may be several different reasons and factors that lead to this event: labor and workforce issues, the desire to explore new markets, the need to upgrade their working environment, achieving higher quality of life and, may be the most vital one, the need to lower costs and increase cash flows. Basically every business related move is driven by a combination of these issues but no argue that behind every business decision there is a strong cost-related reason.
Office relocation itself is a complicated, time-consuming and expensive adventure. Knowing the process well is a good way of effectively managing it and accomplishing it smoothly and cost-effectively. This is what this article is meant for.
Office Relocation Costs Management
Many companies move their business in order to optimize their expenses. If in Arkansas, for example, the cost of living is 15% lower than the national average while at the same time it is more than twice higher in NYC then a move from The Big Apple to Little Rock makes sense and could yield significant savings. In the same line of thoughts, the first thing to consider in an office relocation task is the expenses. Naturally, the cost of office relocation is significantly higher than home moving costs. It mostly depends on the weight of the transported items and the distance of shipment, but it also include various components, such as packaging materials, moving insurance, the time needed to prepare and complete the move and many more. Some tips on how to minimize the office relocation expenses are underlined below:
- Get your team involved in the relocation. Spread the spirit and get everybody in the office excited about the idea of helping with the move. Office relocation could turn into a good opportunity for valuable team-building activities. One of the trusted members of the office staff can be appointed as a move coordinator in charge with the moving operations. This can make moving more organized and effective and develop strong team spirit and sense of belongingness amongst the employees as well. Tasks that could be included in these activities are making inventories of the equipment to be moved, packing, arranging and labeling the boxes and so on.
Engage your office team in the move – this can save you money, make the move more organized and develop strong team spirit.
- Consider an upgrade of the office equipment. Some of the office equipment, in particular computers, electronics and peripheral devices get outdated pretty fast. Perhaps the moving is a good opportunity for an upgrade. Decide on which of the devices you can get rid of and sell out for a good quote and upgrade in the new location. Replacement and upgrading the old means fewer items to move and less expensive the relocation would be.
- Get organized, get quotes. Time is money so one of the best ways to save and be efficient is to make a day-by-day moving plan, or guide with basic tasks to complete. Spread the list to each of your staff members and assign them individual tasks with deadlines. This way you can closely monitor and manage your side of the relocation process. This will also allow you to have enough time and collect as many free moving quotes as necessary to get precise cost estimate for the move.
Plan your business move
Once the moving company is selected, work with them to create detailed moving plan. It is important to know how long the move will last for your business decision making. Knowing the moving start and end dates will allow you to arrange your old renting contract termination and the start date of the new renting contact. The larger the move is, the earlier you should start with the relocation. For practical reasons and from our experience, try to begin your business relocation at least 6-9 months before expiration of your lease contract.
Find the right office removals
File all moving-related paperwork and store it until the relocation is completed. Every single document may come in handy in case of a claim.
Still the best way to save on office relocation and complete the task within the desired deadline is to engage the right moving professionals. Office relocation is more complex, stressful and time-consuming than moving home. Professional office movers have the expertise and routine in office moving and thus do the job more efficiently, in less time and therefore – even less costly. They can guide you through the moving process and prevent you from making any critical mistakes. The best way to decide on moving company is to make an online research based on customer reviews. Review listings on the internet are particularly helpful because they contain ratings and contact of many removal firms. Or, alternatively, you may check company’s credibility on some specialized government web-sites.
Read all legal moving paperwork carefully
The bigger scale of the office relocation is related to an increased volume of paperwork, binding your interrelations with many various entities. Make sure you are well organized – make a file and store all the moving documentation until the relocation is over. The archived documentation may be particularly useful if something eventually goes wrong during the move and need to be settled. Read carefully every sheet of paper before signing it and make sure you have clear understanding of every single clause.
These are only some of the major aspects of the office relocation process that may help you accomplish it more smoothly and cost-effectively. As a complex and time-consuming process, involving many resources, experts and entities it requires meticulous planning and strict management. It is always best to get help from professional business movers that can provide reliable services and in-depth view for the successful office shifting.
