An office move doesn’t have to be a hassle. As long as you plan ahead, let your team, customers, and vendors know early, schedule the move for a quiet time, and hire a good office moving company local to Miami, FL, Orlando, FL, or Raleigh, NC, everything should go smoothly. Today, we’ll share our best tips for moving an office in a stress-free manner.
1. Plan Everything in Advance
If you start planning your move three to six months in advance, everything will go smoothly. This timeframe will allow you to find a great new space, create a comprehensive to-do list, hire the professionals you need, and get all your items sorted out. As soon as you’ve found a new space, you should start thinking about how you want it arranged. Determine where each employee’s new desk or office will be and what furniture will be placed in the space.
Allowing plenty of time to plan gives you the opportunity to make an inventory of the items you have to determine whether you want to keep them. There might be outdated pieces of equipment or furniture that are not worth bringing to the new place. If so, you can take the move as an opportunity to upgrade your office and make it more modern and practical. The items you won’t be taking can be thrown away, donated, or given away.
2. Hire a Reliable Office Moving Company
Offices are hard to move, and there might be delicate items that could be damaged if they aren’t handled correctly. To make sure everything goes well on the day, you should hire professional movers. Here at Family Movers Express, you can choose several types of service. If you select our basic option, we will simply turn up at the appointed day with our van, load your items, and deliver them to your new address.
However, if you select a more comprehensive service, we will arrive early and help you pack everything. We can provide high-quality packing materials and give you tips about how to protect each item during your move. What’s more, we can also load the vans in a smart way, for example room by room, to make unpacking easier. If you have unwanted items you can’t immediately get rid of, we offer free climate-controlled storage for the first 30 days.
3. Start Preparing Your Team at Least Three Months in Advance
Always inform your employees of upcoming changes early. This allows them to prepare for the move and, if the office is located in a different neighborhood, to determine how they will get there. What’s more, some people will need extra time to organize their departments. For example, the IT team will have to switch phone connections, internet plans, and other items to the new office, and they will have to plan the transportation of delicate IT equipment.
4. Let Everyone Know in Good Time
After you’ve spoken to your employees about your move, you should also tell your customers, suppliers, and business partners. A good first step might be to change your official business address, but this won’t be enough.
Consider writing to your list of contacts, hanging up a notice in your office or shop, and telephoning or visiting your most important customers individually. Giving people plenty of warning will help them to make arrangements and to prevent mistakes with deliveries once you’ve moved to your new place.
5. Plan the Move Wisely
If you want to reduce the hassle of moving, you have to set the moving date strategically. First, look at your company’s schedule and rule out any days with important meetings or deadlines. You don’t want to deal with a big move and a business event at the same time. If your company is seasonal, this is easy because you can schedule the move for the quiet season, but if not, you can still aim to choose a quiet week.
You should also consider when your moving company will be busiest. In the US, it is estimated that 80% of moves happen between April and September. Selecting a late autumn or winter month and scheduling your move during the week could make it cheaper for you because the movers won’t be as in-demand.
When moving an office, you should plan ahead, prepare your team, vendors, and customers for the upcoming changes, hire a reliable office moving company, and plan the move strategically. Send us a message at Family Movers Express in Orlando, FL, or Raleigh, NC to learn more about our offers for businesses or to book your move.