Moving out of an old office is not exactly anyone’s idea of a fun activity. It can be tedious and time-consuming, but necessary. Business phone systems expert Pivotel Networks has come up with a moving out checklist to minimize the chaos and the operational disruptions caused by the move.
Planning the Physical Move
Any move should be planned for at least three months. Appoint a move manager who will oversee the entire process and make sure that the move is progressing as planned.
- Come up with a working budget and timeline for the move.
- Get a copy of the floor plans of your current and new offices.
- Create a proposed office layout for approval.
- Get quotes on required build-outs at the new location.
- Identify the location of the telephone/server/data equipment room on the floor plan.
- Identify jack locations for each computer and phone.
- Identify the network cabling if modular furniture is being used.
- Bid out business phone systems and IT work separately; it’s best to work with teams who are specialists in their respective fields.
- Get quotes from at least three moving companies.
- Compile all move-related costs for budget considerations.
- Check the new location’s moving in rules. This will determine your logistics for the day.
- Assign each new space an identification number.
- Make sure to document all move details.
- Advise all clients and suppliers of the move.
Team Assignments
- Create teams for the different segments of your business: computers, business phone systems, office furniture, network wiring, and logistics management.
- Assign backup team members.
- Brief team leads on all layout plans and jack locations for all equipment.
- Set regular check-in meetings to monitor each team’s progress.
Labeling
- Label phone data jacks as POE and computer data lines as ETH.
- All wiring should be labeled with the room ID to which it belongs and its location in that room.
- All computer equipment, boxes, and binders should be labeled with the identification number assigned to the new space.
- Color-code labels of items belonging to network rooms or other common areas. The designated colors should correspond to a specific area in the new location and should be highly visible.
- Mark each color on the floor plan of the new office.
- Make sure all team members and movers are familiar with the color-coding system.
Connectivity
One of the biggest challenges of moving to a new office is disconnecting and reconnecting all of your technology. This includes computers, servers, and phones, as well as your data and internet plans. It is a major task that can’t be outsourced to the movers.
- Determine the type and speed of the internet services available at the new location at least two months in advance.
- Note that it takes at least 6 -10 weeks to install and test most data circuits.
- Identify the telephone/server/data equipment room at the new location and label it on the floor plan.
- Centralize the new server room to save on time and money.
- Check if the server room meets the minimum requirements in terms of electrical load, cooling systems, security, among others.
- Schedule office cabling weeks in advance.
- Test all network connections as soon as possible so that potential issues can be addressed immediately.
- Refer to the desk layout to estimate cable size requirements.
- Plan for future configurations and request additional cabling where needed.
- Test all backup batteries for phone switches and servers and take inventory of all sites. Replace as needed.
- Contact vendors for 800 numbers and schedule cutover date. Test the new phone lines several days before the move.
- Disconnect all paid lines at the old office location.
- Check if the programming and routing on the voice mail system are working as they should.
- Update your website of any changes made (such as a new ISP provider) as needed.
Serving Knoxville, Tennessee, business phone systems expert Pivotel Networks strives to be your advocate and ally in an ever-changing world of telecommunications and technology. Call (615) 499-7900 for more information.
