Make the right moves

Management - Features

Thursday, 21 December 2006

John Higginson looks at the realities of relocation for small businesses and offers advice on how to minimise disruption during a move as well as the alternatives to moving that may not have been considered.

Many small businesses shy away from moving to a new location, viewing it as an unnecessary upheaval and problematic for staff and customers. The associated downtime poses a concern, disrupting systems and the service levels offered to important customers. However, for many companies, the realities of not relocating can be more detrimental than the disturbance of moving. Expensive overheads and inappropriate location may be the difference between success and failure and cannot be underestimated during the critical start-up phase of any business.

Most importantly:

Examine all of the options - is there an alternative to relocating?
Plan ahead - detailed and accurate plans are the cornerstone of any successful relocation;
Keep downtime to a minimum - this should be a key concern for all businesses;
Know the common pitfalls - and avoid them;
Finally, be realistic about what your team can achieve - involve an expert early on to offer advice and help manage the process.

No matter the size of the business, relocation is a massive undertaking and should not be entered into lightly. Before committing to the enormity of moving your business, it is important to have considered all possibilities and exhausted the alternatives. Extensive planning and the involvement of a professional at the outset will help ensure that the best solution is found. This may be as simple as rearranging an office to make optimal use of space or as complex as relocating abroad.

Examine all the options

Often the most obvious solution is the most difficult to see. Inviting a specialist to examine your situation, offer advice and ask the right questions will help ensure that your company makes the right move.

For example, what is the objective of the relocation? Is relocation really necessary? Could a more efficient use of existing space combined with remote storage solve the problem? A professional moving company can help advise on these issues and offer solutions that fit the business objectives.

If space is tight, changing what you already have, rearranging furniture or looking at storage options could be cheaper and less demanding than relocation. Take advantage of professional space-planning services, which can help you make the most of your existing facilities and avoid unnecessary expense.

One way to free up room is to consider reducing the amount of space taken up with archived storage of files and data. A records management service is an option that allows you to store records off-site and retrieve data effortlessly. This can be done either by having the physical documents returned when needed or by having the information delivered electronically.

If you choose this as an option it is imperative that you select a company capable of ensuring the security of your data as well as offering secure destruction once the documents are no longer needed. Selecting a company that can tailor its management of your documents to suit your needs also has its merits - providing cataloguing solutions and even instant remote access if needed.

You may be able to free up space by using the environment more efficiently and using smaller furniture. Most moving experts will be able to provide advice on this and even help source more appropriate furniture for your needs. Your mover should also be able to provide storage solutions for unwanted furniture or disposal services for items you are sure you longer need.

Planning ahead

Having examined the alternatives, relocation may be the best option for your business. Most relocations are governed by finance, either the need to grow and expand, the need to cut back and reduce overheads, or a need to be nearer to suppliers or customers.

Whatever your reason for moving, it is important to get the planning right.

You need to be clear on all elements such as the move plan, work schedule, IT and operational planning, insurance and health and safety issues to name just a few.

Many companies assign PAs or HR departments with the task of arranging the relocation, often without realising the complexities and demands of the process. These departments are usually made up of people who already have existing jobs and roles that need to be fulfilled. Adding to these can be an unfair burden that often results in plans being left too late or neglected altogether.

Using a specialist

In an ideal world, it is advisable to have specialists manage the bulk of the work, from planning through to setting up the office at the other end. Relocations are complex at the best of times and, if handled badly, can be expensive and disruptive to business. Remember, experts do this every day and have a strong network in place to eliminate hiccups.

If you have an expert on board they can manage the whole process and at the very least to offer advice well ahead of the move. If your budget is very tight, ask for a full breakdown of activity that needs to be completed, from packing through to unpacking. This way you will be able to get a feel for the tasks that need to be considered and identify those you can realistically do yourself.

If you choose not to outsource your relocation, make detailed plans for all the activity, from what packing materials you will need and how many boxes you will require, through to looking at who you hire, if anyone, to move your furniture. Who will manage your IT and communications take down and set up? Ask yourself about vehicles for the physical move. What about communicating with staff. How will this be done in order to avoid concern? What about sensitive documents? How will you ensure that business downtime is kept to a minimum?

The main thing is to ensure that you start planning early, at least three months prior to the move, and book whatever support you need well in advance. Also, make sure you have contingency plans in place and know where your problem areas lie so you can keep a close check on them throughout the process.

Avoiding downtime

Downtime is every company's bugbear and needs to be managed closely at all times - even more so when you are making major changes to the business. For small businesses, this can become even more critical as each customer is vital to the success of the business, meaning downtime or lack of service can be highly detrimental. It is essential to ensure that downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.

Again, by using the skills of a relocation expert, businesses are able to concentrate on what they actually do as opposed to worrying about the details of moving. Additionally, using an expert will mean the move will happen more quickly and smoothly, limiting disruption to the working day and reducing the chances of customers being affected by the move. Many relocation and removal companies will even work with you to move the business overnight or during a weekend so the working day is not affected.

Make a site plan

Clear plans of how the new site should be laid out, identifying easy access points ahead of schedule, will help eliminate

confusion and delays during the move. Once at the new site, the importance of good packing and labelling becomes clear. The more planning and time you put in at the old site, the more time you can save in setting up the new one. Colour codes and clear labels will help the people unpacking and setting up the new office operate more efficiently.

IT and telecommunications

When it comes to server and data storage moves, it is imperative that the person managing the process has the proper resources to handle this critical part of the operation. The possibility of losing vital data if it is not done correctly or if it is not properly backed up is very real and can be costly. Ensuring that the team involved has the technical capabilities and expertise required cannot be stressed strongly enough. Having an expert team on-site to disconnect and reconnect workstations, network servers and communications systems will also speed up the moving process and help get your business up and running again. Such disconnections and reconnections can be phased in order to limit the downtime of vital departments and can be further staggered in-line with departmental needs.

Common problems and pitfalls

Many companies that don't enlist the services of an expert run into problems that could easily be avoided with careful planning. Ensuring that you prepare for your relocation well in advance and book all contractors ahead of schedule will help guarantee that they can all be secured for the same day. Leaving this too late means you run the risk of factors such as crate hire, van hire and other services becoming out of sync and delaying the moving process. By working with a specialist company, all of these services can be provided and the need for individual contractors is eliminated.

Another common oversight is not considering parking for the lorries used to move the office contents. If your office is on a busy street or in a town centre, you may need to apply for a permit allowing the lorry to park for a long enough period, or to stop outside the building at all.

Insurance is another area that causes confusion. Consider the following questions. Will your own insurance cover equipment once it is in the lorry and no longer within the building, or do you need additional insurance during transit? Will your insurance switch to your new premises on time? When any of these things go wrong, you invite major problems that can result in increased business downtime or a delayed move, both of which cost money and add to the stress of moving.

Bringing in an expert will not only reduce the risk to your company, its staff and its belongings, it will also take away the stress of having to plan and check everything yourself. Additionally, if you work with a large professional company, they should have an established network of services, offices, vehicles and specialists in place capable of resolving any issues should they arise and able to offer advice when needed. At the very least, it is advisable to consult such specialist before embarking on any relocation.