5 Tips When Moving Your Business to a New Location
At some point, every business faces the prospect of moving its operations to a new space. According to Entrepreneur magazine, companies usually relocate for some mix of reasons: to have better access to labor, to be closer to new markets, to upgrade offices or equipment, to lower costs or to improve quality of life.
When the time comes, there are a myriad of things to consider. Your motivation will be an important driver in selecting a new location and making the transition. Not surprisingly, the phone system is often at the center of a successful relocation plan.
So if a move is on the horizon, consider these five questions to make sure your transition goes smoothly.
1. Is it time to upgrade your equipment?
As you evaluate your current office equipment, you may find that some of it isn’t worth putting in the truck. Maybe it’s in poor condition, or perhaps it’s simply outdated. But very often, the issue is cost: The expense of moving and reinstalling your phone system may be too high. Indeed, with traditional telephone systems the price for rewiring your new offices may cut into any savings you may gain by moving. Thus, a relocation is often the best time to consider switching to a cloud-based phone system.
2. How will you transport your business data?
If you keep all of your records and phone data on-site, transporting the systems that store them may not only cost more, but may also be risky. Once in a truck, there’s a real chance the machines can be jostled – causing critical records to disappear forever. While most businesses have redundancies in place, you’ll have fewer headaches – and greater peace of mind – if your business and phone data is stored in the cloud.
3.Will all your employees want to relocate?
Even if your top motivation for moving is access to a better labor market, you’ll probably still want to bring your best people with you. The problem, of course, is that they may not want to move. Fortunately, there’s a solution that may fit both of you. With a cloud-based phone system, you can cultivate a remote workforce, keeping the best workers in home offices while taking advantage of your new location’s high-potential talent.
4. How can you achieve even greater cost savings?
If lower costs are a key objective, you can find ways to save beyond affordable office space. Reducing complexity in your phone system also eliminates cost. By moving your phone system to the cloud, you’ll reduce the burden on your IT team, since cloud phone vendors typically manage servers, software and other IT support issues. That reduces reliance on your staff and helps you save resources.
5. How can you avoid downtime on moving day?
Finally, moving day can be highly disruptive, but no company can afford to have its business grind to a halt during an office relocation. So consider upgrading to a cloud phone system before the move. Your employees will have uninterrupted access to calling features and business data, and your customers won’t hear an angry busy signal when they try to reach you. On the day of the move, simply send your employees home to work remotely. Your customers will never know that anything has changed.
When planning a move, it’s critical to remember that as a core function of your business, communications, will be integral to your relocation plan. By giving ample consideration to these questions, you’re likely to recognize greater savings and enjoy a seamless transition to your new space.
