A lot of businesses change their location now and then. Oftentimes, the main reasons are either better lease deals or relocation as part of a business Productivity strategy. Nevertheless, simply moving to another location may sound simple enough but it’s anything but in reality.
This is especially true for small businesses that are doing their best to compete against better-funded and well-developed competitors. Therefore, imagine what happens to the business’s productivity while putting the majority of business operations on hold for a couple of days until you relocate everything. It’s safe to say that no one can afford to do so.
However, relocating a business doesn’t have to be a stressful situation nor does it have to mean a guaranteed productivity loss. The fact of the matter is that you need to plan it well so that everything can go as smoothly as possible. With that in mind, here are a few tips on how to not lose productivity while relocating your small business.
Create a relocation plan
Losing productivity while relocating businesses is quite common but you want to avoid it at all costs. That’s why it’s important to create a business relocation plan. In addition, you must start planning as early as possible to ensure you’re not disrupting your business operations in any way. For instance, a new location must be included in your plan, provided you already found one.
Now, consider what needs to be moved to a new location and how. While you’re at it, assess your inventory and determine what you should keep, throw out, or replace altogether. Lastly, inform employees about the relocation and give them time to prepare accordingly. On a side note, consider the financial aspect of the relocation and try to create a budget that will cover the expenses of the relocation.
Ensure a seamless transport
Once your relocation plan is in motion, you’ll have to ensure that everything can be moved from your current location to the next one. In addition, you want to guarantee that the equipment and inventory arrive undamaged. This is especially true for any vital technology that’s costly to replace on short notice.
That said, research some of the local transportation service providers and find the right type of vehicle for your move. For instance, you should easily be able to find a Budget truck rental option that can fit your needs. For maximum efficiency, make sure you label all of your boxes properly and even pay attention to how you load them. The boxes that should be unpacked first should be loaded last so that they’re front and center once you arrive at the new location. This way, not only will you significantly reduce the chances of anything going wrong with the move but you’ll also ensure fast and seamless transportation so that you don’t lose any productivity over it.
Team up with your employees
When you look at business productivity, it’s the employees who do the majority of the work in your company. They’re the ones who carry productivity with them. That said, if your business relocation plan doesn’t include employees as an important factor, you’re most likely to disturb them and throw them off balance.
As mentioned before, you must inform your employees and also involve them in the relocation process. Let them share their opinions with you so that you can develop a truly effective moving schedule. For instance, you can choose to move a single department at a time so that others can take on their work for the time being and avoid losing productivity in the process. Coordinating and teaming up with employees will ensure a much more efficient business relocation.
Make sure your customers know
A lot of business owners get so preoccupied with business relocation that they simply forget about clients or customers. This can have major negative consequences though. Just imagine the outrage of a customer or a client calling for customer support and no one is answering because they’re currently relocating. That’s why it’s important to inform everyone that you’re in the process of switching locations and that some services may become unavailable for a short period.
That way, you can avoid any unpleasant circumstances and inconveniences that may result in the loss of clients or customers, and ultimately, business productivity. As an example, you can post messages on your website, and social media pages and even send out an email newsletter informing everyone individually about the relocation. This shows that you’re both professional and organized, as well as that you still care about your consumer’s best interests.
Relocating a business may not seem like a challenging task but it’s, in fact, a major challenge. This is especially true when you’re trying to avoid losing productivity while you’re at it. That’s why it’s very important to plan and ensure everything goes seamlessly so that you can resume operations like nothing ever happened.
