There’s no question that corporate moves can be challenging on multiple levels. After all, the longer a business move takes, the more of a financial impact it is likely to have on the company in question. For this reason, it’s important to approach a corporate move with the proper planning and strategy.
As the marketing coordinator at Hughes Relocation Services, Inc., a full service moving and storage business that has been proudly serving the Philadelphia area since 1973, Bobby Hughes understands that the idea of coordinating a company move can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming. He therefore offers the following tips on how to orchestrate a smooth corporate move:
Keep your employees in the loop
If you’re in charge of your company’s move, then you’re probably going to look to your employees for their assistance and support throughout the process. Therefore, it’s a good idea to let your employees know about the moving plans in question as soon as they become definite. Additionally, if you expect your employees to help with the packing process or work overtime to make up for an unavoidable lapse in productivity while the move is in progress, then make them aware of such facts sooner rather than later. The more time your employees have to adjust to the notion of a new office, the more cooperative they are likely to be.
Have your employees pitch in
While you might have no choice but to oversee the process of moving and unloading company files and equipment, there’s no reason why your employees can’t help along the way. Therefore, you might want to provide your employees with boxes so that they can pack up their desk contents and personal belongings.
Label things properly
The easier you make it on your movers to know where to put things, the quicker the unpacking process will be. For this reason, it’s a good idea to give color-coded labels to each of your departments. This way, your movers will know that anything green goes into the accounting area, anything red belongs to the marketing department, and so forth.
Give clients and outside associates advance notice
As a business owner or person in charge of operations, the last thing you’ll want is for a company move to interfere heavily with general client relations. Therefore, it’s a good idea to inform clients and outside associates in advance of any potential downtime that your company might encounter over the course of your business move. Remember, even if your actual move takes place at night or over a weekend, it is still going to take some time for your employees to sort through their belongings and get their computers up and running. To keep your company’s reputation intact, alert clients to the fact that you’ll be moving and send a reminder a day or two before the actual moving date.
Plan your corporate move wisely
In order to ensure that your corporate move doesn’t negatively impact business, schedule it at a time that is least likely to be detrimental. Ideally, you should schedule your move during your company’s “off-peak” months. Along these lines, it’s generally a bad idea to schedule a corporate move at a time that is known to be your industry’s busy season. If you own a travel agency, then don’t move at a time when most people are planning their winter and spring breaks; and if you work for an accounting firm, then avoid scheduling a move during tax season. By being smart about the timing of your corporate move, you can help your business avoid any unnecessary losses.
Managing a corporate move is by no means easy, and it takes a fair amount of effort and coordination to pull one off without a hitch. By following these expert suggestions, you can do your part to make your upcoming corporate move an overall success.
