Almost all businesses will either have to or desire to perform some type of renovations at some point. Renovations might seem necessary to you due to the growth of your business, or as a result of damage to your property.
And though you might be anticipate a future when you’ll have a great new space in which to run your operation, getting through the renovation stage can be difficult. To help ensure that your business will remain up and running and make it through the downtime, here are three tips for preparing to tackle business renovations.
Ask Employees to Help With the Plan
If your business consists of more than just yourself, you should have your employees help you come up with the plan for your upgrade. According to Laurel Miltner, a contributor to OfficeRenew.com, workers often have a different perspective on the layout of the space than management does.
They might open your eyes to ways that you could improve the overall functionality of the space, which could be very beneficial for day-to-day operations. Without at least soliciting their ideas, you may end up making things harder for everyone, rather than easier.
Do the Work During Convenient Time Periods
For companies that have customers or clients coming in on a regular basis, you may be justifiably worried about how construction might disrupt your ability to interface with patrons. To help keep any inconveniences to a minimum, Geoff Williams, a contributor to American Express Open Forum, suggests that you plan to have the work done during a slow time for your business.
This might mean having to do construction after hours, on the weekends, or during seasons that have been traditionally slow for you. This will make your renovations less of a nuisance for both you and your clients.
Plan How To Keep In Contact With Customers Or Clients
If your renovations are going to affect your hours of operation or your ability to run your business how as normal, it’s worthwhile to keep in regular contact with your customers regarding the changes. According to Beth Richards, a contributor to Chron Small Business, a great way to do this is to communicate periodically with customers online.
You can use your website, social media profiles, and company blog to provide your followers with updates on how the renovations are progressing and how they will affect your business. In addition, you can encourage everyone to do as much of their business with you online as possible, and offer discounts or perks to those who choose to make purchases through your website rather than at your brick-and-mortar location, at least until the renovations are over.
When you’re about to start remodeling and upgrades at your place of business, think about following the tips described above to help you get through it as best you can.