Moving offices can often be an exciting time for a business but it can also prove to be a ... Don't forget about your Te
Moving Offices White Paper Moving offices can often be an exciting time for a business but it can also prove to be a stressful and expensive one too. In order to take some of the pain out of the process we have compiled the ultimate Telecoms checklist to help you: The Rules: Plan in advance – Migrating data services and telecoms lines carry standard lead times. For instance, moving a single line can take up to 10 working days, migrating ISDN can take up to 6 weeks and EFM takes 40 days! Check capacity – Confirm there is sufficient telephone capacity at your new premise to provide the lines you will need. If this is not the case there is a high chance there will be delays in migrating your lines as Openreach won’t give guaranteed install date until there is enough line capacity at the building for your order. Don’t forget about your Telephone Number – Many businesses underestimate the cost of switching their telephone number. If your move is to another BT local exchange you may lose your local 01/02 number which can often prove costly if it is printed on all your documentation! If you have a non-geographic number you will need to repoint this to your new 01/02 number, and your provider should be able to plan this for the date of your move. Forwarding – If you have to change your telephone number you will need to provision call forwarding or caller redirect to minimise dropped calls. Consider a change – Moving office can provide an opportunity to assess whether your current set up still supports the business you have developed into. For example, it may be time to consider SIP if you haven’t already done so, as these numbers move with you seamlessly. It may even be a good time to evaluate your existing phone system and consider switching to a hosted system. Remember switching systems does not always mean switching handsets so if you have recently invested in new phones check if they are SIP compatible, and if they are you can use them with your new hosted solution. Your data circuit – Check availability of services in your new area before you commit to the move. There are still some areas where fibre broadband is unavailable. Your service provider will be able to help with this. In most circumstances you can move leased lines but this is also something you should check and always allow at least 65 days for the migration. Ideally plan the installation of your data circuit in advance so that you have time to set up
Moving Offices White Paper your internal IT network and your IT team can map out the correct schematic for your new office layout. Back up planning – If your business absolutely relies on its data connection, (and quite frankly whose business doesn’t?) always have a failover in case the timings of the move don’t 100% correlate with the provision. Ideally keep your original site operable until such time as the connectivity and phone lines are working in the new one. You don’t want to move your staff only to find out they can’t actually get to work. Plan the new office layout in advance – Ensure you have enough power sockets and cables to connect up all the necessary devices at each workstation Check Wi-Fi – You may need boosters as not all offices provide favourable environments for Wi-Fi. This can often be solved with boosters but if you plan on connecting desktops this way then ensure you buy these in advance. In summary, plan in advance so you can assess your options, liaise regularly with your IT and Telecoms Provider to ensure that the office move covers all eventualities and ensure you have all the basics in place before committing to the move date.
To find out how Townley can help manage your move contact us on 0370 777 7970
