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Moving Office Guide: 9 Tips On How To Make Office Moves Easy and Hassle-Free
Relocating offices is just as complicated, if not more, than moving house but with office supplies and equipment? After all, deadlines and responsibilities aren’t just put on pause while you and your team prepare for the big move. Moreover, with your time divided between doing actual work and sorting and packing your office equipment and furniture, moving office becomes all the more challenging. Read How to Plan and Organize an Office Move here.
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Fortunately, this doesn’t always have to be the case. From implementing a fool-proof moving plan to making sure that the utilities are up and running the moment you get to your new location, there are many things you can do to make the moving process easy and hassle-free!
How To Make Moving Office Easy
Plan Ahead and Plan Your Move Thoroughly
When you are moving office, you must have enough time to develop a thorough and well-thought-out plan. Hence, it would help if you always allotted more than enough time to plan and organise all the details of your move. Among the things you should come up with at this point are:
- – The timeline
- – A budget
- – A moving checklist
It would also be best if, at this point, you and your team had an idea of how the new office is laid out so that you can include the floorplan on the list of things you should figure out. By having a floor plan, you are making it much easier to identify where all your existing items will go and which items you will need for the new office.
In an ideal situation, set aside a couple of months to plan out every bit of your office relocation, and another couple of months to prepare and make sure everything is ready to go.
Ensure Team Involvement By Giving Everyone Specific Tasks
As there will be many things that need to be done during office moves, it would be ideal for you to get everyone in your team involved. First, assign someone to be a moving manager (or appoint yourself as one). This person will stay on top of all the details regarding your move. He will also handle all the delegation of all moving-related tasks, thus making sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible
Additionally, you will want your IT team to stay on top of everything technical and the safekeeping and migration of all the data. These things must be sorted out long before the big office move so that the business may operate as smoothly as possible upon the move.
As for the rest of your team, you will want each and everyone to be responsible for their own office space. But do not forget to assign someone to handle communal office furniture and equipment.
Find The Best Removals Company Possible
Hiring a removals company is also a way to make sure your office move goes as smoothly as possible. Besides helping you transport your belongings into your new office, you may also opt for a comprehensive moving service.
They will handle the moving process from start to finish and help you pack, unpack, and arrange your office equipment. If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a quick guide on moving companies.
You may be thinking, “Why should I hire a removals company when I’ve got all the manpower I need with my staff?” Well, the answer to that is simple. A removals company will have the appropriate training, experience, and tools to get you moved into your new office space as smoothly as possible.
While having more than enough physical strength to see you through your office relocation is ideal, it would still be best to have someone who has the experience and know-how to help you out. That means you won’t have to worry about any of your items getting damaged while you move it or in transit!
Having someone you can trust to take care of your office equipment is crucial, especially when some items, like computers, glass-top tables, and speciality machines, are expensive and difficult to replace.
To choose the best one, consider the size of your company, the number of employees you have, how much equipment you have, your moving schedule, and of course, your budget for moving office. With these in mind, look for removals companies who can cater to your relocating office needs.
So, while at first, it may seem costly and unnecessary, a removals company may be able to help you save more money in the long run. After all, with a removals company, you can rest assured that your items are moved safely, quickly, and efficiently. Moreover, with someone else handling all the dirty work on moving day, you and your team can focus on other aspects of the move and keeping operations running.
Also, remember to compare three or more moving companies before deciding on which one you want to hire for your office move. You may check out movers in your area or your new location on websites like WhatStorage.
Communicate With Your Vendors and Customers
You will want to make sure to communicate with your vendors and customers that you are moving offices. With this, you can maintain your relationships with your most vital vendors and suppliers. Moreover, this is a way to make sure that you don’t lose your most loyal customers.
You may do this by issuing memorandums or including the news in your regular email campaigns or newsletters. Also, make sure to update your Google listing and post about your big move on social media long before it happens.
Declutter Your Office
Like when you are moving house, you will find many items that no longer have a purpose when moving office. As you are already making many changes, it would also be the best time for you to upgrade any essential items. Here is a list of things you may want to replace or dispose of:
- – Old telephones, computers, copiers, printers, and other electronics
- – Old office furniture
- – Outdated paperwork
- – Redundant items and office supplies
You may dispose of these items via clearance sales and donation drives. Alternatively, you may also choose to throw some things out. Meanwhile, for documents and equipment that you don’t need in your daily operations, but may end up needing in the near future, do consider keeping them in a storage unit. Here are some tips on how to choose the best business storage provider.
Come Up With A Uniform Packing and Labelling System
For everyday company items and equipment, you will want to implement a packing system to ensure that no company property is lost or misplaced. It would also be ideal for you to label your items appropriately, as this will help make the unpacking smooth and easy. Numbering or color-coding your boxes and keeping a record of which things are in which boxes may also help you make the process of packing and transporting items easier.
Meanwhile, for computers, here are some packing tips you will want to take note of:
- = Wrap and tape each piece of equipment securely. This will protect its surface from being scratched or dented.
- = Do not put your computers in boxes, as they may move around within the box and break.
- – Stacking computers on top of each other, or stacking items on top of your computer, may lead to costly damage.
- = Do not leave any detachable cables connected to your computer, as keeping them in during transport may damage your ports and pins. Instead, roll them up and put them in a separate baggy, which you may then attach to its corresponding unit.
- = You need to keep a backup of your computer data to ensure that you still have them on hand, even if something happens with your equipment.
If Possible, Slowly Move Non-Essential Items Before Moving Day
If you are already in possession of the new office space before moving day, try to set aside some time to move small, non-essential items (i.e., plants, office supplies, surplus work stations, and excess equipment) earlier. It would be best if you could set these up before the rest of the teams move in. This will not only lighten your burden on moving day but also help you save on removals company costs.
Ensure That All The Necessary Paperwork Has Been Secured and Filed
Before the big office relocation, you will want to ensure that every necessary building, moving, and business moving permit has been secured and filed. You will also want to change your address in all your legal documents and billing statements. Doing these as soon as possible saves your company from any additional fines or expenses.
Also, change your address on the company website, letterhead, business cards, and, if applicable, your Google NAP information before the big move. Doing so will save you on last-minute printing costs and lost sales.
Make Sure Your Utilities Are Up And Running Before You Move
Your office’s day-to-day operations are all dependent on electricity, and sometimes, internet service. So, you will want to make sure everything is ready to go before you and your team move into the new space, as this will ensure a smooth transition for everyone.
Also, consider hiring professional cleaners to ensure that your new office is clean and spotless. Lastly, get someone to check on your A/C and heating systems before the big move to ensure that any potential issues are addressed ASAP.
Curious about what mistakes you should not make when moving your company? Click here!