Smaller businesses (often referred to as Small
and Medium Enterprises, or SMEs) represent 99% of all enterprises
in the EU, provide around
65 million jobs and make a huge contribution to entrepreneurship
and innovation. As clients, you’re pretty special to us too,
and represent a significant element of our day-to-day
business.
We’ve been providing business change services to
SMEs for over twenty years. It all began with office relocation. Today,
it’s so
much more than that…
The main thing is to start talking to someone…
Do I really need to employ a relocation company? That
depends on the size and complexity of your business. If you’re
a micro company (under 10 staff) who's moving office, perhaps not. But if you’re
a micro, small or medium-sized organisation that can answer yes
to any of the following, then it’s certainly worth considering
using Harrow Green’s services:
This is too big an office relocation for my staff
to undertake on their own and our business output would be affected
as a result.
I have lots of technical equipment and/or work in
a specialised environment.
I have heavy equipment (e.g. safes,
printing presses, laboratory equipment)
I have a large amount
of sequential filing.
I could do with storing equipment, documents
or electronic media off site.
I want to plan my new space to convey
the right image and create the best working environment for my staff and clients.
I need to refurbish and fit out my new office with modern furniture.
Some
of my staff need to move home as result of us moving office.
What
will it cost?
It depends on the size of your company and the range of services
you decide to use. A conventional business that's moving filing, furniture,
IT and personal effects within the same county can reckon on £100
per head as a very rough estimate. More services means more cost,
but you can save money by allowing us to co-ordinate several services
on one project (we call this ‘integrated services’ and you can read more about it here).
Do
I get a project manager?
Yes, for every size and type of move you will have a dedicated
project manager who will be your central point of contact and expertise.
How does my business benefit from using Harrow Green?
There is one over-riding benefit of using a professional service
provider: business continuity. You carry on taking care of business
while we take care of the business change project. In short, you
can stop work on a Friday night and return to work at the new location
on the Monday morning ready to pick up where you left
off. Other benefits include the professional protection of your
equipment,
IT services that protect your data and ensure day-one productivity,
and access to a wide range of services that deliver total business
change without inflicting business downtime.
We work weekends too.
Many businesses do, and lots of organisations are also 24/7 or
operate shifts. The key to achieving these relocations is timing
and priorities.
Certain staff members can be detailed as ‘time dependent’ which
means they are the last to move and the first to be set up at the
new location. We can also align the move with your shift patterns
so that we only move those who are off duty. The trick is to utilise
the natural downtimes of your business.
And we have essential equipment
and files to which we need continuous access.
Work you need to get to can be made available throughout the project.
That means it won’t be buried at the bottom of a stack of
crates inside a 4-tonne truck heading up the motorway. Technical
equipment,
like servers, can be moved swiftly and expertly by our technology
people, and we can also set up ‘mirror’ servers that
carry on working while we move your own equipment. Large equipment
(like printing presses) have to be decommissioned and will be out
of service unless you have multiple machines (in which case, we
phase their movement so that service can continue). However, our
heavy
engineering teams are particularly adept at moving the biggest
beasties from A to B quickly and safely.
We have very important
people who need to carry on working
throughout the move.
Executives will often judge a business change project by their
own ability to carry on keeping the wheels of commerce and industry
turning.
We can take care of seniors with a range of options, including
detailing them as a ‘load last, move first’ priority
and even setting them up at a temporary location prior to project
start.
In 1983 we were a small business too. We got lots of
help from organisations whose job it is to help smaller enterprises
grow
and achieve the
greatness they deserve.
Check out these links:
Business Link
Good quality practical advice for SMEs provided by the DTI. Includes
local Business Links close to where your organisation is located. www.businesslink.gov.uk
smallbusiness.co.uk
Lots
of good content, but lots of ads too. Sponsored by Lloyds TSB,
this comprehensive site has been researched, written and compiled
by the team behind the highly-acclaimed Lloyds TSB Small Business
Guide. www.smallbusiness.co.uk
Federation of Small Businesses
The UK’s leading lobbying and benefits group for small businesses,
with specific regional policies for supporting small businesses
throughout the UK. www.fsb.org.uk
DTI
Government website for UK businesses of all size. Big and helpful,
with specific content for SMEs. www.dti.gov.uk (select ‘For
Business’ from the DTI
Quicklinks)
Microsoft bCentral
Microsoft’s bCentral is a free comprehensive online destination
for the UK’s small businesses. Packed with well-written content
which, surprisingly, doesn’t always lead to a recommendation
to buy a Microsoft product. www.bcentral.co.uk
Times
Online
Business section of The Times online features a dedicated section
for SMEs, providing news, features and advice. www.business.timesonline.co.uk
SUGGEST A LINK
We want to build the links section of the Harrow Green small
business pages to help better support the growth and success
of SMEs. If
you know of a link that should feature on this listing please
email: webteam@harrowgreen.com.
