Moving is always one of the most stressful situations we deal with in life. Moving your offices adds a lot more pressures, not only affecting your life, but those of all your fellow employees, your career, and your future. No wonder everyone is so stressed in a office relocation. When you consider the extra stress associated with a move, along with studies that show over 2/3 of everyone task with managing a relocation project either quit, are fired, or take a stress related leave of absence within 6 months of the relocation.
If moving your office sounds to stressful, it doesn't have to be if you plan carefully and attend to details, or turn the entire process over to a moving consultant, as the experts recommend. Many firms rely on us and firms similar to ours to handle the entire relocation project for them, reducing the stress and letting you focus on your business related task
Last-minute surprises can waylay even the best-laid plans, so moving companies recommend you start the moving process well in advance. The larger the firm, the more time it takes to handle the myriad details, from ordering new furniture to hiring a computer-moving specialist to printing new letterhead.
Every office move is difficult at best. So many items must be coordinated that something is bound to go wrong. With proper planning, though, you can significantly minimize mistakes and hassles.
You need to start with some basic steps, develop the team and take these first steps:
Assemble Project Team within your organization.
Coordinate project meeting within your organization.
Contact all necessary sub-contractors for quotes on the project.
After quotes are accepted, contact each sub-contractor for project meeting.
During project meeting, coordinate time-tables for each sub-contractor's duties.
Moving Computers and Network Equipment
A smooth transition of your computer systems and local area network (LAN) between facilities will ensure continuity and prevent any data loss, as well as minimize your company's downtime.
Many companies use their move as an opportunity to upgrade or replace systems with new technology. In these cases, the existing equipment can be operated up to the time the new system has been installed and debugged, and is fully operational.
The greater challenge occurs when a company is planning to move a system from the existing facility to the new one. Under this scenario, your company will need to identify when to make the
transition from one facility to the next. It's ideal for this to occur during a weekend or overnight.
Qualify your technology mover
Depending on the sophistication of your network, your vendor or consultant
may be comfortable with your mover relocating the equipment. In these cases, verify
that your mover has experience in handling computer equipment and devices.
More often, computers and peripherals should be moved by the vendor or consultant who will be restoring and debugging the system after the move.
Enlist your systems expert
Your in-house systems consultant, responsible for maintaining the computer
and LAN systems, can be a big ally during your move. This person should be an integral
part of the relocation and on-site or on call during the actual move. To prevent
costly mistakes, bring this person into the process early, and keep them involved
every step of the way.
Back up your data
The single most important aspect of moving a computer/LAN is to stabilize
the system and back up all data before system shutdown. To be thorough, it is a
good idea to minimize system input or changes for a short period of time before
backing up. Also, have all employees with PCs back up their own data.
If your company uses its computer system for order taking and cannot afford to shut down the system during business hours, plan to take orders manually. Then, input them later when the system is back in operation at the new facility. Before moving day, hold a brief training session with employees regarding the order taking process.
Lastly, consider developing a disaster plan or "worst case scenario." Although it is unlikely the plan will ever be used, your disaster plan, if needed, could mean the difference between a minimal loss of productivity and a major disaster.
Moving Your Telecommunications System
For most businesses, the seamless transfer of telecommunications is the single most critical aspect of their move. The smooth transition of telephone and network connections during the move will minimize productivity loss.
The location you select for your new office can affect your communications cost, both in installation fees and monthly charges. Your new location could also affect the areas you can call without toll charges. The size of your metropolitan area and which numbers are frequently dialed could have a tremendous impact on your phone bill.
Some landlords use what is commonly known as a "shared telecommunications service." This is a pooling of the usage requirements for tenants of the building or development for "volume discounts" that are sometimes passed on to the tenants. If this type of service is available, it is usually less expensive for a small business.
Your cabling strategy should consider faxes, modems, LAN connections, and telephones. Most devices can use the lesser expensive Category 3 cable. But LAN connections should be Category 5 in the cable, jacks, and patch panels. Your building landlord may require the use of plenum-rated cable to comply with fire code regulations. Make sure you have planned adequately for your current and future cabling requirements. It is less expensive to have an adequate amount of cable and outlets installed before you move than to make changes afterward.
If you will be purchasing a new phone system, give yourself enough time to select from vendors and place an order at least 60 days before your move. If your telecommunication needs exceed 100 telephones, add lead time to this estimate. (Consult with vendors regarding their required lead time for system delivery.) If possible, build in at least five years of growth capability into the new phone system. Our Telecommunications RFP's are designed to provided you with state of the art, cost effective communications systems designed to provide service for years to come.
If your phone number changes, be sure to get an "operator intercept" that will notify callers of your new number or forward the calls directly. This is normally offered at no change for a set period of time, which will vary depending on your local service provider. You may be able to extend this period by paying a fee.
The location of the new facility may affect your ability to maintain your current phone numbers. If keeping your current numbers is important, check with your local service provider to determine your geographic limitations.
Consider your Internet connections and modem/ISDN requirements. If you have multiple users with individual connections, switching to a network Internet connection using a router and an ISDN phone line may make sense.
Contact your local phone directory publisher to determine their listing and advertising deadlines. If your move takes place after the deadline, consider finalizing your lease and having your phone lines installed earlier, so that your new numbers are included in the upcoming white and yellow pages.
Have your telephone system vendor prepare a "cheat sheet" that summarizes the basic operation of the telephones, and have them provide one with each phone at the new location.