Which Tech to Choose for Office Relocation Decisions

Embarking on an office relocation can be daunting. But, there are lots of tools that can help. Here is a list of some tech suppliers to consider when starting the process of analysis for office relocation.

Planning

When planning an office move there are lots of things to consider. You need to determine:

• The best location for your new office
• The administrative and financial implications of the move
• The effect the move will have on your employees

Coordinating teams and managing information can be stressful. There are some tools to help you make sure you are aware of and have planned for all risks and benefits associated with your move.

Asanais a project management platform that will allow you to coordinate your team on the all the factors of the move.

Features include:

• A dashboard to have an overview of the relocation project
• Folders to manage workflows for different aspects of the move, such as location analysis, budget and logistics.
• The ability to assign tasks to individuals and involve key members of staff in decisions about the move.
• Colour coding by priority to make it clear where which tasks are urgent for the move.
• A calendar to create deadlines to schedule aspects of the office relocation, such as staff consultations, meetings with vendors and the move day itself
• The ability to integrate information from other platforms, such as Slack. Slack can allow you to instant message yo discuss aspects of the move.
• Reporting function to update stakeholders on the progress of the move, including timelines and the finances associated with the move

Communal office

Not every business needs its own dedicated office. In fact, some companies thrive in shared environments where they can socialise and collaborate with a diverse set of businesses. There are multiple companies that offer shared workspaces, such as WeWork, Hubble and CBRE.

These spaces can foster collaboration and can also offer a range of amenities, including:

• Internet
• Tea and coffee facilities
• Front desk services
• Office supplies
• Gym facilities
• break -out rooms
• Daily cleaning
• 24/7 building access

Shared office environments can work for startups in larger businesses and freelancers.

Neighbourhood

Assessing potential neighbourhoods is a big part of the analysis for office relocation. You need to consider:

• Proximity to competitors
• Proximity to potential clients or partners
• The environment, such as noise and air pollution
• Proximity to local amenities, such as cafes and gyms
• Crime rates

Property detectiveis an online tool that allows you to research an area by entering the postcode of a property. Property detective then returns a report on the area.

The full report includes statistics on:

• Education - primary, secondary schools, private schools and childcare
• Neighbourhood - who lives in the area, crime rates and family friendliness
• Transport - travel connections
• Nuisances - planes, trains & roads, smells and noise pollution
• Amenities - food shopping and utilities
• Things to do - days out, nights out, health & fitness

Transport links

When considering locations to move your office to, you need to make sure that the transport links are adequate. This is especially true if you are considering an office relocation to a suburban area, where public transport options may be limited. Considering parking could be vital to retaining staff and maintaining productivity and morale.  

ArcGIS, powered by Esri is a mapping platform that allows you to plot car parking facilities onto a map.

A map of parking facilities in downtown Louisville, Kentucky

You can then analyse these facilities in relation to your potential office locations. ArcGIS also allows you to map amenities, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions.

A map of amenities in downtown Louisville, Kentucky

Employees

Retaining staff can be a challenge during an office relocation. Taking your employees needs into consideration is vital. This is especially true when it comes to changes in commute times and costs. The amount of time people spend travelling can be an incentive or deterrent.

The TravelTimeallows you to assess the effect your office relocation will have on existing staff. Features include:

Staff postcode visualisation

You can make a map your employee’s postcodes to view them in relation to a potential office location

Staff travel time heat mapping

You can then create a heat map showing where staff can travel to within a certain travel time limit.

Change the mode of transport

You can change the mode of transport to reflect how each staff member gets to work.

Narrow down the area within which to search for the new premises.

You can view the information using a program like Google Earth. This allows you to filter out the unreachable areas on the heat map and narrow your search.

Create a staff commute time matrix

You can get a matrix of the difference between commute times to each potential office, for each employee.

Staff commute cost analysis

If your staff travel by public transport you can calculate the cost of a weekly, monthly or annual season ticket cost using a location analysis tool.

To learn more about staff travel time analysis for office relocation, visit the office relocation resource page.

Project budgeting

It’s vital that when conducting an analysis for office relocation, you keep a close eye on the financial implications of the move.

Centageis a budgeting software provider that offers tools for budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting.

Features include:

• Budgeting and planning for elements of the move, such as construction costs, office lease costs
• Forecasts to predict how much the move will cost in the short and long term.
• Financial dashboard and reporting on the progress of the move and the associated costs
• The ability to integrate with other software to assess how the move affects other aspects of the business

To help with your relocation, download the supplier analysis for office moves checklist here. For more office relocation resources check out the relocation page.