Businesses move for a number of different reasons. Sometimes, they need to expand; sometimes, they are scaling down; and sometimes, the premises that were rented out of necessity are simply no longer suitable and need to be left behind. One thing all of these situations have in common is that they cause huge disruptions in the business operations and often bring productivity to a grinding halt.
These side effects are unavoidable, regardless of the scale of the company. However, the silver lining in this whole situation is that productivity drops in question can be avoided to a large extent or at least mitigated. Here, we are going to take a quick look at a couple of ways you can use to meet these goals.
Schedule the move to your advantage
Or, to put it more precisely, during the periods you already experience weaker results and performance drops. Of course, in most situations, we have very little influence over the time we have to perform the relocation. But, the small windows of opportunity we do have should be used to the greatest extent possible. For instance, if you are running a retail business
and experience higher volumes of sales near the end of the month, moving your store to another location at the start of the next one seems like the most viable approach.
Create a detailed moving plan
This plan should outline everything from basics like precise dates and deadlines to responsible persons, priority items and equipment, changes to the office etiquette during the transitional period, revenue projections, expected expenses, hired labor, etc. Here, your goal is to be as meticulous as possible – the more details you cover, the fewer things you will leave to chance. You’ll also get more reference points to measure efficiency. Start a month in advance so you have enough time to make necessary edits and give employees enough time to familiarize themselves with the activities.
Allocate a part of the workforce to their home
Although it features some inherent problems, telecommuting has been with us long enough to let us learn about the ways we can preserve productivity even when working from home. So, try relegating a part of the staff (positions that don’t require on-site presence) to work from home some time prior to the relocation. Give them enough time to settle and attain the optimal level of productivity. Start making actual moves only when these departments are in full swing and able to work at 100% efficiency uninterrupted by the moving activities.
Inspect the layout of the new location
Moving can hardly be described as a uniform process where one solution works for everyone. On the contrary – the success of a relocation is largely impacted by a number of subjective factors. The layout of the new premises is arguably the biggest of them. Therefore, while you are making your moving plan, be sure to thoroughly inspect the new location, see how your existing items fit into the new environment, what is the best way to move them in without creating bottlenecks, and what pieces of equipment need to be replaced.
Schedule the vehicles and hired labor in advance
The truck rental industry is a world that plays by its own rules and much like any other market, this one also experiences slower periods but also intervals of higher demand. This can prove to be a huge obstacle if you are planning on moving interstate seeing as how booking the rentals at the last minute can cost you more and leave you with subpar vehicles. That is why you should get in touch with vendors at least a month before moving. The same goes for hired labor and other associated services.
Ramp up your online game
No matter how hard you try, the relocation will inevitably take a bite out of your on-site revenue. This is an excellent opportunity for your online sales channels to step up and take a part of this burden onto their shoulders. Of course, the established clients that are already used to visiting your premises and groups that are not overly tech-savvy won’t simply transition to online platforms during this period. That is why you should encourage the clients to shift their focus to your website with various discounts, calls-to-action, and other similar incentives.
Send a vanguard
Waiting for your new location to fully settle can take too much time – in some cases, entire weeks. You can’t allow yourself that much time without being operational. One of the solutions to this problem lies in sending out a small but fully operational vanguard team to start taking over the work obligations from the new location while the majority of the staff is still occupying the old premises. These tactics should allow you to ease your customers into visiting your new address. But, you also drag out the whole process so there’s that.
Nail the social media game
All of your customers need to be informed that you are moving and the social media platforms should be the pillar of these marketing actions. What social media channels offer in comparison to other online marketing channels is a unique opportunity to give your efforts a personal touch and get people involved in the whole affair. Showing off your hard work, talking face-to-face with people about the necessities of the move, and just having a great time with your customer base should persuade a part of the reluctant bunch to follow you to the new location.
Start looking for replacements early
One of the unfortunate realities of moving your business to a new location is that some relationships need to be left behind. This is especially true in the case of long-distance interstate relocations we have mentioned above. Some employees simply won’t be able to move with you. Working with some vendors will not be profitable anymore. All these long-standing relationships need to be ended on the best possible terms. At the same time, replacements should be quickly brought up to date so they can fill in their roles without any major slowdowns.
Try to make the process as stress-free as possible
Relocations in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic can prove to be very stressful and downright dangerous. Some of us experienced that on our own skins. But, on a more positive note, these experiences from personal stress-free relocations can be successfully emulated in the business playing field. Do your best to keep things positive, pack smart, and make sure everyone’s safe. Distributing masks, protective visors, and hand sanitizers will keep everyone safe and prevent eventual turmoil after settling down once again.
We hope these few suggestions gave you some general idea about the ways how you can keep your company productive while moving to a new address. Even when they are beneficial for the business, relocations always take a hit at productivity. The best thing we can do is try to keep the damage under control. Now, you know how and where to start.
Related questions
When is relocation beneficial for the company? Although we tend to look at them as a necessity, in some cases, relocations can prove to be more than beneficial for companies in question. Companies may consider this move when the local economy is declining, a new location offers a lower cost of doing business, a company needs to upgrade the facilities, or another city simply offers a better quality of life.
What factors impact relocation costs? The list here is pretty extensive since no relocation factors are actually excluded from this list. But, some of the biggest contributors are as follows – item quantity, moving distance, moving timeline, the size of new offices, labor, and rental costs. Keep them in close focus when budgeting the relocation.
About the author:
Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced freelance writer. He’s a regular contributor to numerous online publications, where he writes about business, finance, technology, and management.
