Tips On Preparing For An Office Move

Whether you are moving your office across town or across the country, being prepared is essential. The more organized you are during the move, the easier it will be for you to get up and running in your new location. To ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, follow the tips below on preparing for an office move:

1. Come Up With A Detailed Schedule

During any move, there are a lot of details that need to be taken care of. From notifying your customers and employees to packing up all of your supplies and equipment, it is important to know when all of these tasks need to be completed.

Coming up with a detailed schedule for your move ahead of time will make it easier for you to stay on target. You may want to invest in a calendar or daily planner that you can use solely for tracking your move.

Once you have your calendar, start by setting a specific date for the move. This is the day that you need to be out of your current office space and set up at your new location. From there, begin working backward. Make a list of all of the key tasks that need to be completed before your move. Then, write each of those tasks on the calendar on the day that they need to be completed.

During the moving process, refer to this schedule frequently to ensure that you are staying on task. Doing this ahead of time will help keep you from falling behind or overlooking any key details.

2. Notify Your Employees About The Move

Once you have a schedule in place, the next task is to get your employees on board. Explain why the company is moving and how it will impact their jobs. This is especially important if your business is moving to a new city or state. The move could have a significant impact on your employees’ livelihoods, which is why it is important to notify them as soon as possible.

Provide each employee with a copy of the moving schedule so that everyone is on the same page in terms of what needs to get done. Depending on the size and nature of your business, you may even want to create a group of employees specifically tasked with managing the move. Having a moving team makes handling all of the details a lot easier than trying to do it on your own.

3. Hire A Moving Company

Moving a business is a complex process. Instead of trying to figure out how to get all of your supplies and equipment to your new location on your own, you always have the option to hire a professional moving company that has experience handling business relocations.

Working with a moving company takes a lot of the stress out of the equation. Thanks to their past experience, companies like these understand how to move fragile furniture and equipment without causing damage in the process. Even if damage does occur, they are fully insured, which means that the cost of any repairs or replacement could be covered.

Professional movers can also save you a lot of time. By allowing them to handle the physical moving process, you can focus on other aspects of the move such as keeping your clients happy.

Look for a moving company that has handled business relocations in the past. Commercial moves are a lot different than residential moves, which is why it is important to look for an experienced office relocation company. Choose a business that has a lot of positive reviews and an excellent reputation in your community. Verify that they are licensed, bonded, and insured before working with them, as well, to ensure that your belongings are protected.

4. Plan Out Your New Space

Moving is the perfect time to get organized. It gives you a chance to reevaluate the layout of your space so that you can make changes that will improve productivity.

Grab a sheet of graph paper and begin experimenting with different layouts. Draw an outline of your new office space, using the squares on the graph paper to ensure that it is drawn to scale.

Place the paper in a clear plastic sheet protector. Then, use a whiteboard marker to experiment with different layouts, drawing pieces of furniture in different locations to see how moving items around affects the flow of the space. Once you come up with a final plan, draw it directly on the paper. This will make it easier to get all of your furniture and equipment set up in your new space.

5. Inform Your Clients And Vendors

Once you have notified your employees and have planned out the details of your move, you can then let your clients and vendors know that you are moving to a new location. If you are moving long-distance to another city or state, you may need to find new vendors or suppliers. Take care of these tasks ahead of time so that you don’t have any downtime once you get settled into your new space.

Throughout the process, keep your clients or customers informed about what is happening. The more transparent you are with your move, the less likely they are to panic and switch to one of your competitors.

Preparing for an office move takes a lot of planning. The time that you spend on the planning phase, however, will pay off in the long run by saving you both time and money during your actual move.