Relocating your business is exciting no matter if you are moving to a small downtown office or an entire corporation. You can already see yourself and all of your employees working in a shiny new perfectly organized office. Due to all of that excitement, you can forget that you have to prepare an office move and organized everything – from hiring local movers, packing, to preparing the new space for moving in.
That is where panic kicks in, and you can easily lose your nerves because you won’t be sure where to start and what you need to do. But don’t worry, we are here to help you out. We have created a list of tasks and things to consider if you want to have a simple and smooth relocation. Breath, and read this list, adopt it as much as possible to your moving situation, and add what else you need to add.
Write everything down and store all the information somewhere
The key to a successful move is having everything written down and stored somewhere. The best way to keep things organized is to have an online drive where you will store all the details related to your move, from moving quotes from local movers to all the paperwork you get from them. Also, make sure to store everything related to your business as well. Don’t forget to keep the information about your professional movers somewhere, just in case you would like to use their services again.
Organize and keep key documents
Keep everything important for your organization somewhere safe. Everything from insurance records, contracts, agreements, employees records, agreement with local movers, etc. Everything else can be retrieved, but if you lose something irreplaceable that will lead to many other issues not related to moving. Also, no matter how trusted and professional your office movers might be, you should move these on your own. This is the safest possible way for everyone. And this is the most important thing when it comes to moving.
Announce the move to your employees (and talk to them)
This is the right moment to announce the move to those who should know about it – your employees. Moving your business is stressful, but not just for you, for your employees too. Also, it will affect their lives, maybe they will have to commute longer because the new address will be way further than their home, or it won’t be easy for them to pick up their kids after school, etc.
Your employees will need some time to organize their private lives around this, so you should let them know even before hiring local movers. After all, maybe someone will have a recommendation of professional movers they have used, so the whole process will be easier for you. Don’t just send out an email to all of your employees about moving, but have an open door for them if they have some other questions or concerns, they deserve your time.
Set the moving budget
Setting a moving budget for a business move might be tricky because you will have much more expenses than hiring local movers. From finding a space for your new office to preparing it, to getting new office supplies and equipment. You should write down every detail related to your moving budget and ask your company leaders what is the limit. Don’t forget to check if you need to submit an invoice, and if so, to whom you should submit it. Try to envision the moving process, and think of all to-dos involving purchases.
Get a volunteer who will take care of everything related to your move
If you want to keep things organized, you should have a smaller circle of people who will be in charge of all tasks related to the move. Ask your employees if someone would like to be in charge of everything. If there is a volunteer, make that person a project manager of the moving project. Try to delegate the other tasks that person has to someone else. Instruct this person about things that need to be done: he or she should find a few local movers to call and gather quotes from them.
Also, this person should come up with a shopping list of everything that you will need during the process. This person should do everything related to the organization, and send everything for approval.
Hire office movers
You should start searching for the best office movers as soon as you know that you are going to move. This is important so you can be sure that you hire appropriate professional movers who can meet all of your needs. On the other hand, don’t rush with this process, but do research of local movers in your area and check their online reviews, and after you select at least five local moving companies, you should call them to learn more about the services they can offer. Make sure to prepare the list of questions for your local movers, so you can gather as much information as possible in a short period.
Those questions should be related to the services professional movers can offer and also check if there are some hidden charges that were not mentioned over the phone. Also, make sure that your local movers can fulfill all of your business needs, such as moving you after hours or on weekends so it doesn’t affect the workflow. It’s not a bad idea to write down all of your requests and wishes before calling local movers.
Oh, since business moving is unique and different from residential moving, you should prepare an inventory list, because most local movers will need it from you. Based on that, they will provide you with the moving quote. Ask your local movers to send you the quote in writing, so you can compare it to other quotes you are planning to get and present it to the board or your boss.
Start packing in time
Unless you wish to hire local movers to help you with packing, you should organize this task in a way that will ensure everything is packed and ready to go at least a day before your office movers arrive. Sometimes employees are in charge of packing their personal belongings, and the common areas are packed together. But you can organize packing in a way that is the most convenient for your business. Just start with the least used items, and leave those you are using daily to be packed at the very end.
Label the boxes
Label all the boxes properly so you can unpack easily, and also, add notes for your local movers if some boxes require special handly. This will make the whole process much easier and it will save you a lot of time when it comes to unpacking.
Check if your building managements have some requirements
Most commercial buildings have some requirements when it comes to hiring local movers, so make sure to check with yours what they need them to provide. Your professional movers will be able to provide you with a certificate of insurance, to protect your building’s property, and even they can be flexible enough to move during the hours when your building management allows.
But, no matter if your office movers can help with this or not, you need to check with them because some building management might be so strict they won’t let you move in or out unless everything is met.
Read the confirmation email from your local movers
After you lay down the deposit to your local movers, they will send you a confirmation email with all the details related to your move. Make sure to read this document, because it is like a pre-agreement that contains all the details that you should know. If something is not clear or if something is different than you have agreed over the phone, don’t hesitate to call back your local movers to clarify. Also, you should check all the personal information out there, to make sure everything is accurate.
Prepare your new office for moving in
You will have to prepare your new office for moving in, including buying new furniture, preparing a layout, performing last-minute repairs, and painting. All of this should be done before your local movers arrive there with the furniture. If not, you will make a double job for yourself, because you will have to move the furniture again, paint it, and then return it. Needless to say that you will lose precious time. Why is it important to come up with a layout for your new office?
This will save you a bunch of time! And when you have local movers who are charging hourly, this will save you money too. But time is valuable when it comes to commercial moving because you want to be back in business as soon as possible. Your business should be up and running the next day ideally, and professional office movers can make it happen, but they will need your help with this.
Change your business address
It’s time for a big announcement to the world! Change your business address online, on the website, and social media profiles, and everywhere where your clients are coming. It’s a good idea to send an email to your clients, so they could share such a piece of good news and exciting milestone for your business with you. They will appreciate that you informed them, we are sure. And it will help you build a strong and trusted community of like-minded people.
Transfer utilities
Don’t forget to transfer utilities before your local movers move all of your furniture pieces to your new space, so you can continue working as soon as you get there. You want to have everything well-planned, so call utility companies early to make sure to get the date that you wish.
Ways of payment local movers accept
Check with your professional movers what ways of payments do they accept and see if you should fill out the credit card authorization form if you are paying with the companies credit card. Also, this will help you prepare for the end of the relocation, and to make sure that you gathered all the documents from your superiors so you can pay with the debit or credit card, or that you have enough cash on you.
Celebrate!
After everything is done, it is time to celebrate with your team! Throw an event for all of your employees because you went through a big and exciting milestone for your business. And the stressful part is done. Well, not entirely if you are not unpacked yet, but the majority is done and behind you. Enjoy the new space!
Speaking of moving experts, Downtown Movers is one of the leading companies that can offer you the best movers Los Angeles can offer. Thanks to many years of experience, we can confidently say that we have so much experience with handling business relocations. Our office movers will do their best to move everything that you need in the most efficient and safest way possible. You can rely on Downtown Movers no matter how big or complex your office move might be.
Our wonderful customer support department is at your service every day of the week and it will be more than happy to make a detailed and unique moving plan that will fit your needs. You can reach out to us at any time that is convenient for you, and we will make sure to answer any questions you might have. One is guaranteed – you will get a team of trained and experienced local movers who will provide you with a safe and efficient service.
We are aware of how efficiency is important, so don’t worry about it – we know all the tricks when it comes to this. Secure your spot with the best movers Los Angeles has to offer! And be fast, we are getting booked up far in advance. We are looking forward to talking to you!