For a business, moving can be a disruptive experience, especially if workers are still using desktop PCs hooked into LAN connections. Even one day of interrupted connectivity can cost a business thousands of dollars, angering impatient customers and delaying payments, billing, and more for weeks.

As your office prepares for its next move, there are a few things you can do in advance to ensure the transition progresses as smoothly as possible. Whether you have IT staff or you’re trying to handle things without the experts, these steps can provide as little downtime as possible.

Contact Service Providers

Your phone, fax, LAN, and wi-fi connections will have to be set up at the new location and disconnected at the old location. While this can be one of the hardest transitions to make seamless, keeping these service providers informed of all important dates can go far. As early as possible before your move date, travel to the new location with a laptop and test network connectivity. It might also help to try a printer to ensure you’ll be able to print on move day. If wi-fi is installed in the new location, test a variety of mobile devices, as well.

Prepare Equipment

Believe it or not, one of the biggest roadblocks in getting set up is simply getting the right computer, mouse, keyboard, and monitor matched up with its corresponding workspace. By placing labels with assigned cubicle numbers on monitors and CPUs, you’ll give the movers a hand and avoid lost pieces. Invest in large, sealable plastic bags to hold all cords and small peripherals and affix a label to the bags, as well. While you’re labeling, don’t forget to add an assigned location number to each printer, copier, and fax machine.

Ask for Help

By contracting with managed IT support professionals trained in corporate moves, you can turn your move over to those who have experience in providing a smooth transition from one building to another. These professionals will ensure your software and hardware functions as well, if not better, in the new location as it did in your former location, keeping your customers happy and allowing you to resume business as usual while enjoying your new surroundings.

While a move to a new location can be both exciting and frightening, by following a few simple steps, your customers will never know a move took place.