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The decision to relocate means a lot of homework and a stressful upheaval for businesses large and small. For SME’s in particular, there are many issues that need to be considered before taking the plunge to relocate. With this in mind, here are 10 steps to successful moving for the SME market:

1. Ask yourself why your company wants to move: will it really help push your
business forward or is it an excuse to ignore problems that you could solve and
stay where you are?

2. Where do you want to move to? Base your decision on sound business reasons.

3. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis: is all the effort really worth it and over what
time frame?

4. Do you know enough about Britain’s regions, property, staff availability and legal
issues to do all or part of the process yourself? If you have relocated before, can
learn from the experience? If not you need outside help from the Association of
Relocation Professionals.

5. Make sure that you, or some of your team, check out potential sites and properties
rather than basing your decision on ‘paper based’ credentials. Decide if you
will lease, rent or buy and factor in these costs.

6. Familiarise yourself with the potential labour market. Can you recruit people at
the right salary and will you need to train people?

7. Of your staff, who will stay and who will go? Do you (and your company) understand the legal issues?

8. Dealing with the 3 ‘Rs’ can be tough: keep an eye on redundancies, recruitment
(at the new office) and retention (of some staff until the old office closes).

9. Don’t forget the PR: bad press is bad for your image

10. Don’t underestimate how long this process will take: less than 6 months is a
miracle (or a costly mess).

Additionally, many businesses find that relocation is the ideal time to re-evaluate their telecoms and several decide to invest in a non-geographic telephone number, like an 0845 number. 0845 numbers, like all non-geographic numbers, work in tandem with existing landlines. This means that when a business relocates, its number can instantly be pointed at the landline number of the new premises – enabling the company to have one telephone number for life. This will also help save them money on reprinting stationery, marketing and advertising materials, which is crucial in the often expensive process of relocation.

0845 numbers can also be hand-picked by a company, so that it’s memorable and some businesses even choose a number to reflect the product or service that they offer. E.g. a company that manufactures fireworks could opt for 08451 321 321 (with ‘321′ mimicking the countdown to a rocket launch). Call management systems, like online call re-routing (particularly useful when a company’s landline fails) can also be easily attached to 0845 numbers without the need for costly and bulky equipment

0845 numbers are now also free to call for BT’s residential customers (as of 16th January 2008). This means that businesses with 0845 numbers will receive more enquiries/sales. In all, there are many considerations for SME’s looking to relocate. However, if the above points are taken into account, the decision will be a sound one and the actual process will be smoother and less stressful.