Whether you’re starting a new business and looking for your first office space or an established company moving its operations, moving offices can be hectic and stressful, but it also presents an opportunity to curate an office space that works for your specific needs. The clean slate you’ve been given with your move makes it the perfect time to start thinking about Office Planning and how your new office will fit into your business plan.
Many people struggle to move into the new office space by trying to cram everything into their cars; with this semi-trailer rental, you and your co-workers will be able to move everything in at the same time without any problems, but if you move into new offices frequently, then you should consider going to a dealership to get your business’ very own roll off trailers so you don’t have to depend on rentals for your next move. There are many reputable international moving companies who can help with your office moves at a far reasonable price compared to investing in owned trailers. If you still need assistance moving out of your old office, then contact these office moving services for help. If you still haven´t found your new office, then consider renting this office space.
From a stack of file boxes to a prized bedroom set or next season’s holiday decorations, there’s a specific space demand for everything, especially for commercial office furniture. Make a list of what you plan to store and determine how much space it will all require. When you find the perfect storage unit make sure you plan ahead and hire movers to help you with the transportation of your belongings from your home to the storage. It will make this process much smoother, and you won’t have to worry about making various trips back and forth.
The job description is reasonably straightforward, and your day will involve entering information in the preset computerized database. It might also include using some Active Directory Management Tools for the sake of organizing your tasks and your project’s tasks on the go. The type of information differs from corporation to corporation. If you work for a sales company, for example, it may be sales data or personal information on new customers; if you work for an investigation firm, it may be market investigation survey effects.
As serial entrepreneurs with experience starting and growing many companies, we know from experience what moving is like and how the decisions you make during the moving process can impact your business and its future demands. We’ve highlighted a few things to keep in mind during your move to make sure your new office is prepared to take on the needs of today and tomorrow!
Moving Offices: Deciding Where To Go
To create an office that is able to seamlessly grow with your business, you need to first sit down on your office chairs and examine the central components of your company and your long-term growth plan. Perhaps the central component of your business is your sales team and their success greatly impacts your business. Knowing and planning for this now can help you create a space that is outfitted to fit their particular needs and help encourage their growth and success.
This detailed analysis will demonstrate what your long-term needs are and help you identify ways in which your office space can accommodate these needs. From technological changes to the physical design of your space, this review will help you align your business goals with the tools you need to achieve them.
Consider Your Floor Plan
Once you’ve identified what your new office needs in order to help you achieve your business goals, you can begin designing a space that balances the needs of the people who work there with the needs of your business.
- The physical design of your workplace can dramatically impact the culture of your company, as well as its productivity.
- Do your employees value the privacy and solitude that cubicles can offer?
- Or would they benefit more from an open space where teams can nimbly meet and discuss new ideas?
Perhaps it’s a combination of both.
While there is plenty of research and debate on which floor plan is best, thinking in terms of the future can help you better weigh those pros and cons. For example, perhaps you are looking to take on more employees in your new space; open floor plans enable you to add employees without having to build out new office spaces.
Regardless of your office layout, make sure you handle the basics properly from the start. For instance, outfit your office with adequate furnishings, heavy duty shelving, and reliable office equipment. Preparing your new office with a quality foundation of furnishings and storage options will ensure your staff acclimates to the new location more easily and this also eliminates needless hassles in the future.
Furthermore, it’s important to consider access control, how your employees will move around, and how you’ll secure specific spaces like server rooms—more on that in our next tip!
Transport Your Fleet
Transporting a fleet of cars for a business involves meticulous planning and coordination to ensure timely and safe delivery. Businesses, such as car rental agencies, dealerships, and corporate companies, often need to relocate multiple vehicles across various locations. Choosing a reputable transport service with experience in handling large volumes is crucial. You can start your search by obtaining car shipping quotes from several companies.
Take New Technology Into Account
The transition to your new office makes it the perfect time to implement smart technology that can help inform your business practices for years to come. A recent study we did at Openpath found that the majority of employees believe they will be working in a smart office in the next five years.
This means the time to invest in this technology is now.
IOT in the workplace
Incorporating IoT into the workplace:
- better protects business assets,
- creates an office space that is desirable and welcoming,
- and encourages productivity.
IoT can be added to an office in a number of ways to help simplify life for employees. Even a front door can become equipped with new technology. Imagine not having to juggle your laptop and a scalding hot cup of coffee while digging around for your badge to open a door at work or unlocking the front door for a guest or package delivery without ever leaving your desk.
It’s Time to Upgrade
Chances are, your old space utilizes legacy key cards to unlock and enter your front door and other areas around your building. These systems are clunky to control and have several associated vulnerabilities that could put our building security at risk. Introducing smarter access control to your office will make it easier for your employees to use and more user-friendly for facilities to control. For example, Openpath enables employees to enter the workspace with only a smartphone. Both more secure and more dynamic than traditional access control system, Openpath uses three-way authentication (bluetooth, WiFi, and LTE), to make entering an office as convenient as walking through automatic doors at the store – without compromising security.
Integrating Smart Access Control
Smart access control also gives decision makers key analytics on how an office space is being used and when. With systems like Openpath, which operates on the cloud, HR can simply send Openpath’s welcome email to employees and have them install the app on their phone (taking only a few hours rather than days), and they’ll auto-enroll. To make things even easier, Openpath integrates with platforms like G Suite and Office 365, meaning administrators can automatically grant employees access when they are added to the company directory.
Reliable Internet and Power Services
We all take for granted that the internet is part of our everyday lives, but we shouldn’t take for granted the hard work and planning that goes into making that a reality. Ensuring your office has multiple service providers connecting you to the internet is a wise investment that gives you peace of mind and redundancy should anything happen to one of your providers.
When you operate a SmartOffice,
- online access and power availability become two incredibly important contributors to business continuity and success.
- Many companies will install backup batteries to keep their critical systems up and running – even temporarily – during power outages.
- At Openpath, we always recommend that our systems be installed along with backup batteries so that they work when the power is out.
- We make sure to store all the configurations locally on the system so that they also work when the internet is down, so make sure to test other systems you have installed in your office to be sure they also work when the internet is down.
Plan Ahead for Growth
Choose systems that will prove your ability to grow in the future. Think about enterprise systems that scale with you and enable you to be portable and flexible. Systems like
- cloud-based firewalls,
- hosted PBX phone systems,
- cloud-based CRM & billing solutions,
- cloud-based access control systems (such as Openpath)
are good choices that allow you to add new offices on different floors, in other buildings, or in other cities and leverage the same software and services for each location. No one wants to carry four different badges with them in order to get into all your different offices or worry about hiring office managers for all your satellite locations when you should be able to manage everything centrally from your headquarters. Thoughtful planning and investment at the beginning will save you lots of frustration down the line when you need to scale your business fast.
By taking these steps now, you are ensuring that your company is not just ready for the immediate move to its new office but also that years down the road, you will not have to scramble to redesign a space to fit the changing demands of your business.
Authored By:
James Segil
As the President of Openpath, James runs operations and leads the company’s marketing, public relations, and partnerships. A serial entrepreneur, James has built and sold three successful technology companies (EdgeCast Networks, KnowledgeBase, and Virtualis) over the past 17 years. While at Edgecast, James helped to build the company’s global network to carry more than seven percent of global internet traffic. Prior to Edgecast, James built KnowledgeBase into a profitable, industry-leading company that was ranked by Forrester as the Industry Leader in eService. James received the E&Y’s 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year award for the greater Los Angeles area, is an investor in and advisor to tech startups and VC/PE funds, and is active in various community and philanthropic organizations.
