Are you moving to a new space for your office? A poorly managed office move can cause headaches for clients and employees, no matter if your business is located down the street or further away. Even worse, you can easily forget important details like updating your business address online when you are covered in bubble wrap and boxes. NAP inconsistencies can cause a search nightmare in Google Local Search and may send potential customers or clients to the wrong address.
These seven tips will help you avoid common moving mistakes,
Leave Your Office Relocation Stress Behind
1. Start the planning process early
Are you moving in September? Then get planning now! You should allow yourself at most three months to create a plan. You should assess what you need to move and determine what can be safely donated or eliminated. Although many charities will accept office furniture, it is not likely that they can coordinate a pick-up to match your move. Secure disposal of electronic equipment is another example. These logistics can be simplified and avoided by advanced planning. Don’t forget to inform your employees about your moving plans. Employees should be kept informed about your plans so that they can support smooth transitions and manage workflow.
2. Purge Old Data and Recycle Electronics
Do you still have any old employees’ phones or laptops? Let’s face the facts, nobody is going to open up that 2010 BlackBerry again! It is important to safely dispose of old office phones and computers to safeguard your company’s security as well as prevent environmental damage from e-waste. It’s not as easy as deleting old files to remove personal data from your devices. Don’t sell, give, or recycle your old electronics until you have completely erased them. Consumer Electronics provides detailed instructions for how to erase personal data from computers and tablets, as well as old BlackBerry phones. After data has been completely deleted, there are two options for disposal: community recycling and donation programs like Dell Reconnect or World Computer Exchange. Best Buy, Amazon, and other electronic companies offer buy-back and disposal programs.
3. Make sure you have coverage during the move
It’s not feasible for small businesses to shut down completely during a long move. You may only be able close your doors for a day or two. Customers who work remotely should be aware that it may take a little longer to answer their phones or return emails during the moving process. Consider designating one employee to be the client contact in an emergency situation if your employees are helping with moving-related tasks during the transition period. This will ensure uninterrupted client support, without any moving distractions.
4. Get rid of the non-essentials first
Do a thorough inspection of your office. Divide items into “essentials” or “non-essentials”. Moving non-essential items to your new space first will reduce downtime. To minimize the hassle of unpacking, label all boxes and bins. You should not remove equipment that is essential for daily operations until the day of your move.
5. Optimizing storage can reduce square footage
Are you considering moving to a smaller office? Choosing to store rarely used files and documents in storage, rather than occupying space in your office, will reduce your real estate footprint and cut down on overhead costs. Remember that the price of a storage unit is only one factor. Other factors to consider include the climate control, security features and whether you can access your storage unit via a password-protected entry.
6. Change Your Digital Address
You should update vendors and clients about the new address. Also, make sure to update your Google NAP information. It won’t suffice to update your Google My Business listing address information. Google pulls information almost from every source, including Yelp and Yellow Pages, City Search as well as Local.com. You will need to update your Google data and fix any data that is supplied to Google directories. Moz recommends Visiting Infogroup, Localeze, and Acxiom for checking out out-of-date data. You can also create accounts on all the major search engines to make updates to your old listings. To edit Google’s maps directly, you can also use Google Map Maker. After your edit has been approved, all Google maps searches will display the updated information
7. A professional moving company is recommended
To ensure a smooth office move, it is important to hire a moving firm. The professionals who work with moving companies are well-equipped to handle the entire process. Moving companies can provide packing and unpacking services that will ensure that your business items are safely transferred. An experienced moving company will help you identify your needs and create a moving plan that suits your business.
