OFFICE MOVE PLANNING GUIDE

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A computer network is sophisticated and sensitive - Be smart and hire an IT pro to ... failure to properly plan voice, d
OFFICE MOVE PLANNING GUIDE Checklist For Your Next Office Move Abstract How to avoid costly mistakes when moving your business

Bob Milliken [email protected]

Office Move Planning Let’s be honest - no one likes to move. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a horrific, expensive experience. If it is time for your business to move on to bigger and better things, it’s important to make sure the office moving process goes as smoothly as possible. Use our checklist to keep you in control of your office move. The No. 1 lament I hear from people who have experienced a “bad” move is “I didn’t know I needed to…” followed closely by “I completely forgot that…” In other words, it’s what you don’t do that makes the move a disaster. To make your move easy and effortless, here are the 4 most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid: Trying To Save Money By Using Your Employees To Move Your Computer Network Don’t ask your staff to disconnect, move and reconnect computers, phones and other devices just to save a few bucks. You’ll frustrate them and end up with phones ringing at the wrong extension, lost cables and PCs that get dropped. A computer network is sophisticated and sensitive - Be smart and hire an IT pro to pack and move your network. Not Hiring The RIGHT IT Firm To Move Your Network While we’re on the topic, make sure you know what to look for when outsourcing the move. Be smart and ask for references from other clients, proof of insurance, and a professional, organized approach to quoting the move. A real pro will insist on visiting your current location as well as your new location to conduct a detailed site survey. NEVER hire anyone who wants to quote moving your network over the phone. Not Giving Your Phone, Internet And Cable Vendors Enough Advance Notice 80% of unexpected communications blackouts and cost overruns on network moves are caused by failure to properly plan voice, data and electrical installation in advance. Just because the prior tenant had computers and telephones is no guarantee that the cabling is suitable for your phones and your computer network. Allow up to 6 weeks for Internet and telephone connections to be installed. Not Organizing Your Move So That You Can Keep Your Business Open While you Are Moving! No need to shut down your business just to move. Be sure to hire a qualified professional mover to organize your move, and if you leave the packing and unpacking to a firm that specializes in doing just that, your move will be a smooth operation and you’ll keep your stress levels in check. Letting a professional team take care of your move will let you do business as usual and keep your customers happy.

The Move Pro Team

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Office Move Checklist Planning The Move:  Pick the actual move date. We recommend moving on a Friday afternoon to minimize the impact of the communications blackout. You will want to allow a minimum of 12 weeks to plan your move.  Give notice in writing to your current landlord.  Have a company meeting to brainstorm everything that must be done.  Appoint a staff member to be the “move manager”.  Create a budget worksheet to plan all moving expenses.  Create a project plan to schedule all moving activities.  Notify your current vendors of your move (see list below) and send them and other competitive companies an RFP (requests for proposal) to plan, move, upgrade and install your new office equipment and furnishings. This is an excellent time to get quotes from new vendors: o Moving companies o IT firms to plan and move the network o Phone system vendors and phone service companies o Copier or large-scale printer vendor o Internet providers o Cabling companies to map out voice and data lines o Electrical contractors o Security companies o Construction companies (if construction is needed) o Office furniture companies (purchase or rent) o Janitorial services o Architect and general contractors for HVAC, electrical and floor plans  Assign employees to go through every spot in the office and get rid of un-used items: recycle old files, old marketing materials etc…  Designate space for every single item: mark on every table, book case and container – their new location , that will make it easier on the movers to know where everything land and the office will be able to function right after the move.

The Move Pro Team

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Questions You Need To Answer In Advance:  Will construction need to be done? (walls built or knocked down, etc.) If so, then you’ll need a general contractor and architect.  What do you have permission to change in the new office? (construction, knocking down walls, etc.)  Map out who will be sitting where (divvy up the offices).  Make a list of furniture needed (desks, reception area, lunch room, etc.)  Make a list of new workstations, phones, copiers, fax machines, postage meters and printers that will be needed.  Determine what storage space you will need and determine if shelves or special built-ins will be needed.

Technology And Phone Considerations:        

Where will the server room be located? Will it have sufficient ventilation? Does it have its own climate control? Where will the cable and phone lines run? Will additional electrical outlets be needed? How many and where? Can you keep your current phone numbers? Do you have proper shelving or racks for your server and network equipment? Have you allotted proper shelving space to account for future network needs such as additional servers, firewalls, or other network equipment?

Communicating To Clients:        

Change address & phone numbers on your web site Order new stationery and business cards Order new signs Change phone numbers and location information on company vehicles Change vehicle registration Revise advertising Revise yellow pages listing Send “we’re moving” postcards to clients

Notify Your Vendors:    

Post office Bank Accountant, attorney, payroll company, HR, etc. Credit card company

The Move Pro Team

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Merchant account Office equipment lease vendors Government agencies, including updating your business license, city and state officials, IRS Insurance agent (and update insurance policies if applicable) Internet service provider Janitorial service IT vendor Phone company Electric company Water, coffee or beverage delivery Exterminator Other suppliers

Other Actions To Complete Before The Move:  Take complete inventory  Document network log-ins, username and passwords to key web sites, and IT vendor names and numbers on paper, so you can reach them if/when the network is down and you can’t look them up electronically.  Perform complete backup of network  Perform complete backup of telephone system  Document telephone extension, pooling groups, etc.  Arrange for building and elevator access at new site for movers  Obtain any special moving/parking permits  Determine building restrictions for move hours  Schedule cleanup of old office including removing trash, performing a final cleaning, and removing cabling or custom installs.  Schedule a staff member to be available during the weekend of your move to help take care of any unforeseen issues.  Contact new Internet Service Provider and have new lines set up and tested BEFORE you cancel the old service.  Schedule the old Internet Service and Phone Service to be cancelled or transferred AFTER the move is complete to avoid outages.  Order any new equipment you may need like new computers, new routers, any new phones, etc.  Test new office phones, computers, printers, security cameras, Internet connection and all electrical devices the day before everyone returns to work.

The Move Pro Team

604.928.2643

Here’s What These Clients Are Saying … “Moving a large office is One Big Fat Headache, but when the new office will be an under-construction- building, it becomes One Big Fat Ugly Headache. Bob and his team at Cascadia Systems Group did an outstanding job to relocate our server farm, our desktop community, and to ensure that we were fully productive on Monday morning. Thanks Bob.” Keven Chow Director, Enterprise Applications SUGOi Performance Apparel

Thank you to The Move Team for the exceptional moving experience. Your team of professionals made it easy for us to relocate our Burnaby offices over the last weekend in February. The move team was exactly that, professional and super-efficient; the computer and phone system data cabling and computer room rebuild at the new location worked fine and everyone was able to find their “stuff” at their new workstation. The services we received were well above our expectations! We were up and running in our new location on target. I would recommend your services to anyone! Thanks again Bob, Angela and Eddy for making this move a great experience! Gerry Collings Vancouver Branch Manager IMKT Direct Solutions Corp.

I wanted to write you a letter and let you know, exactly how pleased I was with Office MovePRO. From the beginning; you were punctual, understanding and easy to talk to. Your quote was; competitive, comprehensive and clearly explained how the move would be handled, phase by phase. Whenever I had questions, you were a phone call away with a helpful answer. Being a Laboratory, we had some difficult and potentially sensitive equipment. Mark and the team of guys were; efficient, conscientious, understanding of our concerns and had solutions for every problem. We had numerous extraordinary items to deal with, they ensured care was taken and handled it Professionally. Moving a business can be a cumbersome and stressful undertaking, Office MovePRO helped easy my Burden. Though I don’t plan on moving my business, anytime soon. I would happily recommend your service to anyone. Stuart Thomson General Manager MicroDental Laboratories Vancouver

The Move Pro Team

604.928.2643

“Vancouver In The Box allowed us to work up until the night before the move. They arrived on schedule, and within a few hours had our entire clinic neatly packed into labelled crates. The next day they arrived at the new location to unpack and put everything where it belongs. The service has not only saved us from losing several days’ revenue due to packing/unpacking, she has also eliminated a stressful and exhausting job. Planning and executing a business move requires a tremendous amount of work, and I realize that we would not have opened on time if we had to do the packing ourselves. We would recommend the company to anyone planning a company move”

Jeanie Bezdan, BA, RMT. Managing Partner Burnaby Square Orthopedic & Sports Centre Inc. 604.524.4446

The Move Pro Team

604.928.2643