A Moving Experience

Date: August 2004

Relocating to new offices is a sign that a company is on the move in more ways than one – but few companies realise just how disruptive this milestone can be. Enterprise North East Trust (Enterprise) which provides business advice and support for new and established companies across the north east of Scotland has some tips for making moving a milestone in a company’s history - rather than a millstone.

Karen Pugh, Facilities Manager at Enterprise has supported more than 115 businesses as they moved into one of the 8 Enterprise business centres throughout Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

“Planning and communication are the keys to a successful move,” says Karen. “Drawing up a moving plan will make for a smooth transition from the old office to the new one.”

Karen’s tips include:

Draw Up A Plan           

Give yourself as much time as possible in advance of the move to draw up an all encompassing plan. It should be a top priority to keep all your staff informed about where they are moving to and when the move will take place. They’ll also welcome knowing what input they are expected to have into the move. Make sure there’s a timetable of action too – and that you stick to it.

Move At A Quiet Time

If your business is seasonal then plan for the move to take place during a quiet trading period. It may seem simple, but this will impact on when you start to ‘office’ hunt. It may take much longer than you expect to find the right place and you may be forced to move at a time when you are operationally busy. Make sure that you’ve completed the move before your next operational ‘peak’.

On the Right Side Of The Law

Find out from day one of your planned move about any legal requirements which you will need to have complied with prior to the move. Don’t plan to sign a lease on the day of the move – you will need legal advice. Also check if you need legal advice about getting out of the lease for your current offices. If you are moving your office to a distant location remember that you have to consult all your employees and trade unions reps if you have – it’s not optional!

Budget

It is vital to prepare a budget for the move – and to include all costs such as legal fees, fitting out the new office for your IT requirements, furniture, and carpeting, new stationery, new phone lines/system, signage, removals etc. Have a reserve fund too since there will be unexpected expenses.  If you are a very small business, remember that your sales may dip during the lead up to the move as you spend time managing the move – so be prepared for this and let your bank know if this impacts on borrowing.

Let The World Know

Make sure you let all utilities know about your move – and check with British Telecom in plenty time, to see if you can take your phone number with you. Organise mail redirection with Royal Mail. You’ll also need to tell your bank, credit card company, insurance company, accountant, any membership organisations, the council for your rates, any trade organisations you are a member of, Companies House, the Inland Revenue and your VAT office.

Remember to let your clients and customers know about your move in good time. You can add lines to your invoices for suppliers and mention to clients at meetings. They’ll need to know that this is a busy time for you and this will help you with managing workflow. Once you’ve moved consider issuing a press release about your expansion, new offices, new staff etc.

Stationery

You’ll need reprints of all your stationery with your new details – but don’t print anything until you have your phone numbers in place and working since your telecoms provider won’t be liable for reprint costs if your number has to change for any reason – you will. Consider having a map printed if your new location is hard to find.

Suppliers

You may have to find a new network of local suppliers – and end relationships with old ones. For example, if you have an account with the local newsagent you may have to find a new one close to the new premises. The same goes for office cleaning, waste disposal, security etc.

Hiring a Remover

Make sure you get several quotes before committing to one removal company – and compare like with like. Let them know what is being moved and discuss any access problems. Make sure they are experienced in moving computers and it will make it much easier if you find a company which will provide you with crates. If you do a DIY move check that your insurance will cover you for this.

De Clutter

It doesn’t matter how little time you have been in business – you will have accumulated clutter. Now is the perfect time to de clutter. Set aside time to spend on throwing out all the things you really don’t need. Make sure to use a shredder for any sensitive materials. If you are throwing out furniture there may be charities which would remove this for you rather than arranging for the council to dispose of it.

Team Effort

Even if you are a single person business, you can make your own team by roping in friends and family to support you. Otherwise make sure you involve everyone on your staff in the move; giving everyone a clear task to undertake on moving day. Roles can include ensuring all crates are put in the correct rooms, setting up an ‘internal help desk’ for the day for staff to note their ‘snagging issues’, cleaning the old office, handing over old office keys etc.

“Hopefully a well planned move will mean that you can keep the ‘business as usual’ sign in place during an office move,” says Karen. “It’s worth consulting other business people about their experiences of moving too. Most are willing to share what they have learned. At Enterprise we run regular networking events across the north east where you can meet other business people.”

Enterprise currently provides a home for 160 businesses in its fully serviced offices which have all inclusive leases. For more information on Business Centres and Workshops across the north east visit www.enetrust.com or call Karen Pugh on 01467 672530.

Ends

For further information contact
Beverley Tricker
Tricker PR
Office                    01224 646491                    
Mobile                    07702 363039
Email                      btricker@trickerpr.com