Setting up an office for your business is a bit daunting. It’s almost a rite of passage but once you’re through it, then it’s onwards and upwards from there.
Here are the 5 steps to setting up your first office.
- Find the Best Location
It’s important to locate the office in a place that employees can reach easily. Otherwise, anyone who’s currently freelancing but will go permanent once the office opens will find it hard to battle the rush hour and arrive on time.
Transportation links are critical here. Don’t rely on everyone owning a car as that’s heavily skewed to the medium to the higher end of the income spectrum.
Also, consider the need for social distancing within the office. Offices won’t currently fit as many people in them comfortably as they did in the past. So, don’t go too small.
- Get the Right Phone System
Business phone systems may be physical phone systems or rely on transiting all calls over the internet. Whether you’re looking for a traditional phone system or a dedicated VoIP solution, is up to you.
Certainly, traditional business phone systems have been upgraded to be fully digitised, with the added features that you’d expert like call holding, music while on hold, voicemail, access when outside the office, and a detailed breakdown of costs. The NextGen phone systems are designed to deliver exactly what new small businesses are looking for and at an affordable cost.Â
- Ensure Your Internet Connection Is Reliable
The internet connection is a necessary part of planning for a new office. Sometimes, connections can require some time to get installed, so plan for that.
Expect to need more bandwidth and faster speeds than you’d imagine. It depends on the business and the tasks involved as to what will be needed, but less is not more here.
Also, consider a backup internet solution to stay connected. If you think this isn’t necessary, imagine losing the internet for a week and then ask whether your business could keep rolling forward or not?
- Get Organized About Supplies, Social Distancing, and Meetings
Everything from the office furniture to the paperclips is needed to prepare the office.
You’ll need dividers or screens between desks for social distancing to reduce sound waves travelling inside the office and keep employees safer.Â
Also, prepare a meeting room and private offices for managers. With the busy hum of employees getting tasks completed, it’ll get noisy. Don’t think you can have an impromptu meeting in an open-plan area as that’s not viable and the meeting may need to be confidential too.
- Troubleshoot Any Last-Minute Matters
While you can certainly figure out the floor plan for the office and get organised in other ways, there will still be surprises. And you may even forget something important. So, be prepared to respond to the unexpected on moving in day and beyond that too.
Also, prepare secondary options in case a supplier lets your business down. Because you may need to act quickly to resolve the problem.
Setting up your first office is both exciting and scary. But when you plan properly, it’s possible to get through it successfully.
