It’s a real dilemma for business owners when you know that your commercial premises are in desperate need of a facelift but you can’t afford the disruption to normal trading and don’t want to deter customers while the work is carried out.
There are ways to get around these issues or at least plan for them and achieve your aim of remodeling your premises without it having a detrimental impact on your business and your relationship with customers.
Here is a look at why it might be the right time to remodel and some tips on how to handle the process as smoothly as possible, including why a workable plan is so vital, how to work around the disruption, and why good communication is important.
Believe in the future
There are any number of perfectly plausible reasons why you might decide the time is right to remodel your business premises, but it is always worth emphasizing the justification for getting started on the work needed.
If you decide to commit to some construction work and get civil builders involved, it is making a statement of intent about the state of your business. The fact that you are going ahead with remodeling plans will breed confidence in the business amongst your employees and customers alike.
The fact that you are demonstrating a positive commitment to the future of your business will sit well with others and help cement a stronger bond and sense of loyalty.
A remodeling project has to do more than build confidence in your future business prospects and it does, with many business owners and employees who have been through the process already describing a feeling of rejuvenation and increased energy levels when they starting working in a brand new space.
Customers also get excited when they come in and start to appreciate the amazing space that you have created.
Planning for the inevitable disruption
Once you have decided to go ahead with the remodeling the next stage of the process needs to be the creation of a workable plan that allows you to trade as normally as possible while work is being carried out.
Your plans will be heavily influenced by the extent of the work that you are having done and whether you will have to move out into temporary premises or if you can find a way to operate around the renovations.
Take your time to evaluate the situation and work out a strategy that creates the smallest amount of disruption to your normal trading routine.
It often helps to get the input of employees on remodeling ideas and how to get through what will be a challenging period while work is going on. Even if you are making the ultimate decision on how to go about your remodeling project, employees tend to respond more positively to changes when they have at least been asked to play some part in the plans and been asked for input.
You will need to think about practical aspects that could end up dictating what you do while the work is being done. For example, if you are a food business there might be various safety and health codes that don’t allow you to continue trading from the premises while work is ongoing.
A plan that works
Your goal should be to create an action plan that allows you the optimum amount of time to run your business as normally as possible but makes allowances for the building work at the same time.
If you can work with a contractor who is flexible on timings, it might be possible to allow access to them before and after regular trading hours, although this will inevitably slow down the completion time of the project.
Your primary aim should be to figure out an action plan that allows you the opportunity to complete the renovation work in a way that is the least disruptive to workers and customers.
Advanced warning
Make sure you give employees and customers plenty of advanced warning about your building work plans.
Keeping everyone informed is a simple courtesy that everyone appreciates and when you back that up with the appropriate safety warning signage in the building it should help to ensure that the employee and customer experience is as positive as possible.
Undergoing a business facelift can be a challenging experience, but with the right approach and careful planning, there is no reason why it can’t be the start of a positive way forward for the business.
This post was written by Demi Hudson. Demi works for a renovation company in the office, manning the phones and keeping clients happy. She shares some tips for surviving renovation work whether you’re at home or at your place of work.
