Moving office is not just a case of picking everything up, moving to a new location and expecting it to all work. It takes a lot of planning to ensure a successful office move.
Here are a few tips that we think will help:
Location:
Is the space a right fit for your brand, employees, and customer base? Take in to account access to parking and public transport. It may also be worth checking whether there is any development slated for the area – as this may improve or detract from the suitability of the building.
Size:
Determine the amount of space required per person, including allocations for common breakout areas. This will allow you to compare spaces on a cost per square metre basis. Don’t forget the meeting and breakout ares that can add 25% to the required space.
Growth:
Is the proposed space flexible enough for your current needs, while facilitating room for projected growth? Involve your department heads to advise forecasted growth.
Fitout + Design:
Will the space need to be refitted to suit your business and brand? Factor in opportunities for refit and tech upgrade incentives, as these often aren’t advertised upfront.
Lease length:
What is the length and type of lease being offered? Do these terms align with your projected business growth?
Lease clauses:
Ensure a commercial leasing lawyer reviews the lease for any complex clauses
ICT infrastructure:
Does the premises have the communications and IT infrastructure to support your business? Arranging this at a later date can be expensive or cost prohibitive. If you have a choice of locations then this may be the deciding factor. Please consult your phone and data provider early to check what services are available before signing a lease. If it is an existing premise check if there is sufficient structured cabling to the communications room.
Move date:
Does the lead time on this property align with the end of your existing lease, with enough time to refit the space? Remember that if you choose to move over a weekend then the price will increase for various services such as your phone system installer. Ensure adequate overlap between leases to undertake cleaning and make good of the old premises before handover.
Engage project team:
This is a good time to begin lining up your internal project team. Remember to engage a high-level executive sponsor who has the authority to make decisions, or get decisions signed off.
Connectivity
This is the time to start placing applications for Phone and Internet services at the new location.
Internet:
Contact your current trusted advisor to advise them of your scheduled move and requirements. They will be able to place orders on your behalf and keep a track of them to ensure they do not stall due to some issue. Service providers have a nasty habit of cancelling orders with missing or conflicting information and not telling you. Some providers will need at least three months notice (minimum) ahead of a relocation especially if fibre or wireless infrastructure is required. Ensure there is an overlap in services, in case of delays.
Telephone:
Fortunately with VoIP lines, it is usually possible to relocate these and get them working quickly – even over a 4G connection if necessary. Again, contact your provider early to minimise downtime.
Data and Power cabling:
Assess what cabling will be required for PCs, phones, printers, services, Wireless Access Points, digital signage and Smart TVs. Two data sockets per desk is the bare minimum. Some have believe they can get away with a single outlet per desk for phone and data but this leaves no flexibility and you end up with lots of intermediate data switches that make future fault finding a lot more difficult. We usually recommend 3 sockets – phone data and something else like a printer. The number of power points can add up quickly too. Ensure the switchboard will handle your power requirements. If power points have to be added then it may be worth considering those that have built-in USB ports.
As you can see there are so many things to consider when moving office – not just the colour of the walls.
If you are considering moving your office then please contact us to determine what services are available in your location and what the internal cabling is like if it exists.
