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Moving your office is a large undertaking and complex project that must be managed properly from start to finish to ensure a smooth completion. A seemingly small mistake can prove very costly for SMEs and a poorly managed office move can significantly impact on bottom line sales.  Like with any large and complicated project, it is important to break down into sections the various tasks involved in moving offices, working through each step logically and conscientiously planning every minute detail.

If you have been assigned the role of project manager for an upcoming office relocation, take a deep breath and follow our top tips on how to manage and execute a successful office move.

Map It Out

As a rough guide, you will require at least three months to prepare for a small move and for a medium to large office, at least six to eight months.  The key is to start preparations as early as possible.  Creating a timeline detailing all of the necessary stages of the move will reduce the risk of key details being overlooked. It is important to make a note of essential information in your plan such as the budget, where you are moving to, the moving date etc. Ensure your manager signs this off in writing so that the goals of the project are clear and you always have these details as a reference point.

Ask for a floor plan of your new office so that you can determine the new office layout and seating plan. It is a good idea to have a general plan of your existing office space too so that you can compare the two. This will enable you to identify any areas that are not working in your current office space so that you can resolve the problem in your future office.

Call in the Calvary…Early

A move of this magnitude will require a professional removals company that has experience in handling office moves.  “Research and contact three moving companies that are at least accredited and approved by the British Association of Movers,” advises John Watson, Managing Director UK Services at Abels, a moving company specialising in domestic and international removals.  “Visit their premises unannounced as this will give you a feeling as to how they will manage your move. Tatty trucks and warehouse will often transpire to tatty work practices,” he adds.  Schedule this into your timeframe as early as possible. Taking time to hire a good moving company will ensure you have access to sound professional advice and support throughout your move and minimises the risk of errors.

Rally the Troops

Some people are naturally resistant to change so it can be challenging to get everyone in the team on-side for the big move. It is really important to have the team in a positive mind-set about the move and it is your job as project manager to lead by example and create excitement around the event. Keeping the team informed of the moving plans through team meetings and giving them a chance to ask questions is a good way to abate any anxiety they may be feeling towards the move. Take the time to really emphasise how the move will benefit them directly as individuals. It will help keep morale high and importantly ensure that they are 100% clear with what is expected of them before and during the moving process.

Make a Contact List

Even the most organised project manager can get so caught up in various tasks involved with moving that they can forget to create a contact list. It is a good idea to assign this task to another member of the team, asking them to make sure everyone you do business with as a company, both suppliers and clients, know that you are moving. Suppliers and clients will appreciate the gesture and warning if there are any disruptions to their services on your moving day.

The post Moving Offices? How To Project Manage A Successful Office Relocation appeared first on Project-Management.com.

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An IT Company needs to be up and running 24×7 if it needs to earn more revenue and profits. But it isn’t always possible to have a 100% operational up-time, and hence the best way to handle this situation is by using Help Desk Software. Such a Software helps IT Companies organize and automate information and eliminates many manual processes. With the implementation of a Help Desk Software, an IT support specialist will no longer have to laboriously solve issues manually, dig through unorganized emails or let Customer Requests slip through the cracks. Before we further discuss the benefits of implementing a Help Desk Software, let’s first know what exactly a Help Desk Software is.

What Is A Help Desk Software And How To Implement It?

It is a highly resourceful software designed for IT Organizations and IT Professionals to be used whenever they or their clients/customers face any kind of IT-related issues. Help Desk Software lays down a multi-tiered approach towards trouble shooting as many personnel well-versed with extensive technical knowledge are available to tackle the issues. Implementation of this support system varies widely within different companies. In one company it maybe a single person handling it through his cell phone whereas in another company it may be a multitude of people executing all levels of support.

The Advantages of a Help Desk Software for an IT Company:

Help Desk Software are used in IT Companies to provide quick and effective solutions to customers/clients/prospects facing technical problems related to computer systems, network connections, entertainment systems, passwords, etc. Here are some major advantages that a Help Desk Software can provide to an IT Company:

Quality Improvement

Help Desk Software helps in improving the quality of an IT company’s products & services. IT Companies can use this software to track reports of any customer query – right from Query Registration to Query Resolution. The Developers or Designers can then review these reports and implement the required improvements. If many customers complain of the same problem, the software automatically sends ‘Alerts’ to the Quality Control Team or the Senior Management so that the problem gets fixed quickly.

Process Efficiency

When there is a central Help Desk Software in an IT Company, the staff members are able to improve their skills in several technical areas, leading to faster problem resolution. Process efficiency is improved tenfold due to the Help Desk Software. The customer’s concerns are addressed promptly. A help desk software makes sure that issues are handled in chronological order by employing the method of ticket generation.

History Logs

The help desk software can create a complete log documentation of all the different problems and queries directed by the customers/prospects. This documentation can be used as a reference if a similar issue pops up again. These logs can also be used if an employee himself faces a problem and needs to contact the IT department many times in order to settle it.

Proactive Prevention

The help desk software can use the information they get on a daily basis to run performance reports. These can help them find out the systems that are consistently going through bottleneck issues. The IT Company can then be proactive about rectifying or replacing them.

Performance Surveys

It can be a difficult and time-consuming task to accurately judge job performance of the employees when it comes to customer satisfaction. But a help desk software will send out automatic surveys after an issue is concluded and if the IT staff took too long to resolve an issue or behaved unprofessionally, the survey will reflect that too, on the basis of which the top management can take the required steps.

Apart from the above-explained IT Industry-specific advantages, there are some general advantages too. They are as follows:

• Efficient in handling pre- and post-sale issues, both offline and online
• Enables a business to grow by helping all the customers to communicate and get their problems resolved smoothly
• With a Help Desk Software, a business need not expand its phone call management system because it can easily utilize less employees more effectively
• Ensures 24×7 Customer Support and effectively handles Time Management of the employees
• Analysis and Formulates business plans, automates maintenance of database, stock records, marketing trends, etc.
• Plays a vital role in Information Management Systems
• Efficiently handles the Audit Trail of a Business Organization

Here are two ways through which you can maximize the benefits of a Help Desk Software:

1) Open A Dialogue

Add a “Community Discussion” section to your website so that your customers can post questions and answer each other while your Support Agents help them out by being the moderator.

2) Contact Form

When customers can’t find their answers in your support center, they should be able to find you easily through a contact form. Addition of a contact form can help them communicate with you quicker and better.

The Bottom Line: Help Desk Software Improves The Revenue, Profit Margins, And Overall Growth Of An IT Company!

A good Customer Service creates more customer interest, subsequently leading to more orders. The ultimate objective is to sell more products and services to existing customers and bring-in new ones, thereby to increase the revenue.

But revenue can’t be increased unless customers are happy with the product or service offerings. Operating costs can’t be reduced unless the company makes sure that cost reductions don’t have a negative impact on the ability of the organization to serve its customers. Every change and investment that goes on in the company is linked to customer service, customer satisfaction and ultimately revenue.

If the needs of your prospects are satisfied, they will become customers leading to improvement in revenue. Similarly, if the needs of your existing customers are satisfied, they will continue to buy your products and services, and help in sustaining your revenues. In the end if you continue to operate efficiently, the revenues being generated will be greater than the cost of doing business.

Customers have the power to give your business and they also have the power to take away or reduce your business. This is where a Help Desk Software becomes handy. Installing a help desk software helps an IT Company to reduce the cost of service operations by decreasing overheads, and brings in significant savings. Also, by streamlining and coordinating key activities, this software can reduce inefficiencies and provide higher profits. By saving money in one area, resources can be diverted to other areas to improve the company’s competitiveness.

Moreover, task automation with the help of a help desk software can be used to chart out workflows for common processes. Once the staff productivity is optimized, the employer can recognize and appreciate well-performing employees. This in turn can be a great way to increase the overall productivity and thereby the revenue and the profit margins recognize hard work.

Furthermore, a Help Desk Software can help your business identify trends and problems. Asset management is another useful function of this software. By monitoring your assets and devices, it can help your company decrease costs, produce better services and implement automatic action wherever appropriate.

Thus, there many ways a help desk software can make your life easier and your IT business more productive. The primary barrier that some businesses face while implementing a help desk system is the cost of software. However, in the long run, a help desk software will surely help companies operate more efficiently, save money and time and thereby increase the profits.

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