5 critical things to do before your office relocation

If you thought that moving a home was hard work, wait until you see what is in store for you with an office move! Not only do you have lots of valuable equipment and sensitive electronics to pack up, but you’ve also got to do everything in a streamlined process to minimize downtime. With so much to do, it is easy to overlook some small yet important steps. Here are some critical things to do before your office relocation which you might have forgotten.


1. Order new stationary
Don’t wait until you’ve moved to get new stationary. You will want to order it as soon as you know your new address.


2. Talk to the phone company
Setting up a business phone system can take a while and you don’t want to end up without a working phone line during the office relocation! See what can be done to keep your existing phone number (if moving to the same area or state), but without downtime. If you must change your phone number, then make sure it is updated on all new stationary and across web listings.


3. Put someone in charge of web listings
Your business is probably listed across dozens of websites on the net. It is important that your listing is updated across every single one of these. Put someone in charge of this. That person needs to make a list of all sites where your business addresses, phone numbers are listed so they can be updated immediately after the move.


4. Turn the move into a marketing event
Even if you are moving for a negative reason, you should still use it as an opportunity to market your business. Use email, social media, and in-store flyers to tell customers and clients about the move. Make the announcement in a way which highlights the positive aspects of the move and how the move will allow you to serve your customers better (bigger facility, more central location, etc.).


5. Backup computers and important documents
Your business relies on information in your computers and maybe also many important paper documents. The last thing you need to worry about is a catastrophe destroying all of this vital info. Take the time to make digital copies of any paper documents and back up your computers. Remember that the backups should always travel separately from the originals!