While looking for a new office location, you have to consider several factors. In today’s customer-centric business environment, importance of choosing the right location for your office can’t be stressed enough. With customers using smartphones and different apps to locate businesses, you can no longer take location for granted. Here are some useful tips to find the right place for your business.
Stay Close to Your Customers
Whether you run a salon or a printing business, your customers should be able to reach you easily. No matter how much we depend on mails and phone calls, customers still want to work with businesses that can be reached in minutes. So identify the location of your customers and try to stay closer to them.
Evaluate Competition in the New Location
Before moving to the new place, you need to evaluate your competitors. For example if you own a pizza parlor, moving to a neighborhood with several pizza chains will be detrimental to your business. You should rather look for places where you can do well and competition is not too stiff to affect your numbers.
Go For an Easy to Locate Option
Are you zeroing in on a location that can be difficult to locate for your customers? If you are, think again. Nothing annoys customers more than wasting time on understanding complicated directions. In most cases, they will lose interest and settle for your competitor who can be reached more conveniently. So look for places that are close to popular sites and buildings.
Talk to the Previous Tenant
A place might look perfect for your business at first glance. But once you relocate, you might find several challenges to deal with. To avoid such a situation, you can talk to the previous tenant and understand the pros and cons of moving to the new location. Specifically, you should ask about the landlord, parking facilities and the neighborhood in general.
Consider Staff Convenience
Happy employees mean good business. Therefore, if your employees are told that they have to waste several hours in traffic, your business will suffer. So look for centralized locations that are not too far for most of your employees. The place should be easily accessible.
Think About Future Requirements
While your options, you should also think about future business requirements. What if you need to hire more people and attend to more customers? Is the new place big enough to comfortably accommodate more employees? You must think all this through before signing the papers.
Check Crime Rates
You should avoid moving to places with high crime rate. Not only will employees face hassles but your customers will also avoid traveling to your office.
It is not easy to find a business ready place at reasonable rates. Most places call for substantial investments before you can relocate. Some of the hidden expenses include renovation costs and IT system upgrades. So while negotiating with the landlord, make sure you discuss every aspect that can impact your finances.
Keep Brand Image in Mind
Your office location may influence how your customers perceive your business. If you are dealing with wealthy clients, will it be viable to move to a downtown address? Make sure your new address doesn’t send out the wrong message to your customers.
With these office relocation tips, you can save time and money and find the best place for your business.
