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Six Things You Should Consider Ahead of the Move

+ Bonus Moving Checklist

Are you planning to move to a new office and are unsure where to start? We can help you prepare with this short moving checklist and with our IT & phone system & web services, you will be quickly moved in and carrying out business as usual.

Moving to a new office can be an exciting and stressful time. Some new offices are not equipped with enough data and electricity points or can only get a certain NBN type so it is important to consult your IT and Phone company as early as possible to ensure a smooth move.

Below are some things to consider as you plan and schedule the various details of your move.

Check if your new office network is VoIP ready.

When you move to a new location, one of the first things that will need attention is getting connectivity set up and verified. Your IT contractor should take care of this for you by making sure all labels on sockets match what’s been installed in order before testing each cable from end to end as well as ensuring there are ports available for desk phones to operate properly along with printers or other IP devices such intercoms which may also be needed during setup time. Ensure that core switching and routing hardware are properly configured.

If your business is very phone-centric or your staff make a lot of video calls, a typical business bandwidth should easily support your VoIP phone system. If you’d like to be sure, our team can test your current VoIP network load.

Keep the phone lines active during the move.

Cloud phone systems have been around for a long time and are proven to be convenient and provide a great user experience. They allow businesses to have multiple extensions on any IP-connected device of choice. You will be able to take calls and not worry about being unreachable. The advantages of cloud phone systems continue when we look into the functions of a virtual receptionist!

If you have an on-premises phone system, however, you won’t be able to take calls while your phone system is packed up and in transit on the truck. You must notify your phone company or SIP provider to keep your number active and ask them to temporarily forward your number to a mobile number or a voicemail box until your phone system is set up in the new location.

Packing and moving your IT equipment.

Even if there’s not much gear to move, it can save time and headaches if you hire professionals to pack, ship, install and configure your networked equipment, including your phone system. If moves are local, they are typically scheduled during a weekend to minimise business disruption.

If your servers contain sensitive data that is subject to security regulations, you may need to hire special services to transport and secure the servers during the move.

Test voice quality and extensions at the new location.

You should back up any data stored on your system before moving, such as voicemail messages or recordings. After the move is complete have all employees test their phones immediately when reconnected to make sure there are no issues with connectivity and functionality in the new location.

It is important to include instructions in an email so they know to test things like inbound/outbound calling, leaving voicemails, and internal extensions and conference bridges. By testing early, problems can be dealt with sooner rather than later.

When you’re moving, it’s important to consider the different ways your employees can stay connected to one another and your customers. If you have a cloud phone system, you could introduce your team to a softphone application. They will be able to stay online during the move and be able to receive calls to their extensions while away from their desks. Softphone applications can also function as a backup phone if your office is ever snowed in, out of power, flooded or otherwise unreachable.

Update announcements, greetings, and contact information

Don’t forget to update quickly:

• Voicemail greetings & announcements
• Email signatures
• Social media profiles
• Website & Directory listings
• Paid advertisements
• Business cards & Stationery

Dispose of unused or outdated hardware properly

If you replace any of your hardware, there are several ways to properly dispose of the old hardware. If your PBX phone system is in good condition, you can call any local and national vendors and they will purchase your used telecom equipment. You can also donate it to a local non-profit organisation or charity. There are also IT recycling services that can take your outdated or retired computers, servers and equipment.

Please note: It is good to practise, particularly in a regulated industry such as healthcare and finance, to ensure that any old company and customer data is irretrievable on hard drives and devices before disposing or donating the items.

The move of your business can be stressful, but it’s also an opportunity to get rid of unnecessary equipment and outsource tasks that are better performed by cloud service providers. By consulting and planning your move with your telecom service, your move will go smoothly with no disruption to your supplier or customer communications and no unpleasant surprises.