If you are a business owner considering an office relocation, you might think that you have a head start because you have also moved house recently. Your thought process could be that because you planned your house move successfully, that moving your business is going to be every bit as straightforward.
The fact is it could be, and if you did all the right things relating to your house move, such as planning everything thoroughly, hiring professional removalists, using proper packaging materials, and so on, your office move should go well. However, you also need to appreciate that there are significant differences between moving your family’s belongings to a new home and moving your business to a new location. Here are some examples.
The Amount Of Additional Planning Required Is Significant
Whilst not meaning to downplay the importance of planning a house move properly, it stands to reason that the amount of planning required for a business to move is going to be higher. It also needs to start much sooner, often 6 months in advance, and the logistics of uprooting an entire business and moving it to new premises means several people will be involved in those plans.
You Will Need Removalists Who Are Specialists In Office Moves
Some removalists specialise in house moves, and they are essential to a successful residential move. However, when it comes to moving a business from one location to another, and the complexities that come with that, it is essential that the removalists you hire for a business relocation are experts. They will have experience in lifting heavy items, computer equipment and office furniture, plus know exactly what packing materials to use.
More People Affected By An Office Relocation
Even if the business that is relocating is small, there will still be more people affected by the move than a family moving to a new home. Examples include employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, business partners, and so on.
A Lot More People Needed Be Communicated With
If a family are moving home they will advise several agencies, such as their bank, utility companies and employers, plus members of their wider family. For a business, you can multiply the list of people, businesses and organisations that need to be informed and communicated with throughout the relocation process by a factor of at least one hundred. They will even need to contact their printers for new business stationery.
The Budget Required Is Going To Be Significantly Higher
Moving home does have its costs, but they are nothing compared to what a business’s costs can potentially be. Apart from the basic costs of hiring removalists and packing materials, they also need to factor in the downtime when they are not generating revenue during the move. In addition, their new offices may require new office furniture, IT equipment, carpets and so on, which can all add up to many tens of thousands of dollars.
More Electronic And Technical Equipment Will Be Moving
Given that many businesses rely on technology, electronic equipment, and machinery, should they wish to move to a new location, the likelihood is that it is going to need to hire the services of several experts and skilled professionals. An example is an IT expert who is needed to back up all their computer data, shut the system down, reinstall it at the new location, and reactivate the system again. Compare all that to you carrying a laptop under your arm from one house to another.
