If you’re currently facing a relocation, we’ve created an office move checklist to help you organize the key aspects of your move. From booking the right moving company to ensuring all your essential items arrive safely, you can trust Bekins to help at every stage of your relocation. Here are nine steps to follow:
1. Organize and Review
Start by reviewing the terms of your current lease. If you’re planning to break the lease early, there may be fees that you’ll have to factor into your move budget. Your lease may also require you to return the space to its original condition.
During this initial planning stage, you’ll also want to establish your budget. Include all applicable costs, such as:
- New equipment, supplies and furniture
- Renovations to the new space
- Repairs to the old space
- Moving services
Finally, develop a general timeline for your move. You may need to factor in time for renovations, new appliance installation or data cabling. Thinking realistically and holistically here is critical to ensuring an organized, stress-free move.
2. Find the Right Office Move Pros
You’ll want to schedule your move with a professional office moving company early in your planning process. Aim to book your movers at least 2 to 3 months in advance, though it doesn’t hurt to do so even earlier if possible.
To be sure you’re getting the best office relocation services, research multiple reputable companies:
Check the Reviews
To find the right office movers, start by reviewing past performance. Look for online reviews and, when possible, referrals from your professional network. Try to assess:
- Their level of customer service
- Their previous experience
- Their speed and responsiveness
- The protection of items (or lack thereof)
- How concerns were resolved
Get Quotes
Once you’ve narrowed your options, get quotes from each moving company to compare prices and services. This will give you a clear picture of the current rates for office moves of your size. Be wary of suspiciously low quotes, as these are common tactics scammers use to entice clients.
Confirm their Credentials
Finally, once you’ve decided on the movers that best suit your needs, you should confirm their accreditations, affiliations and licenses.
- For interstate moves, check if they’re listed in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database.
- For in-state moves, look for your state’s professional movers association for more information.
3. Communicate with Employees
Once you have established a basic timeline for your move, the next step is to inform your team members about the plan. While you don’t need to answer every question right away, you should provide them with the basics, including the move date, their packing responsibilities and the address of the new location.
4. Organize the Floor Plan for Your New Office
Provide your employees with a rough floor plan of the new office to help them plan their part of the move. Having a layout in mind will also help you make better decisions regarding what to keep, what to discard and what you still need to acquire for the new space.
5. Declutter
A month or two before your move, take a critical look at your office supplies and furniture to determine what can be donated or tossed. Set some ground rules to make the decision process easier, such as ‘eliminate things that haven’t been needed for more than a year’ or ‘keep no more than three of any single item.’
6. Evaluate IT Needs
Around the same time you tackle decluttering, you should finalize the IT plan for the move. During corporate moves, IT services need time to uninstall, re-install and bring critical systems back online in the new location. Work with your IT team to ensure they have the time and resource accommodations necessary. Or, if you’re working with a third-party vendor, schedule and confirm their services well in advance to ensure you can move on time without disruptions to work.
7. Pack and Label Boxes
Ensure everyone involved in the packing and labeling process understands the system they should use. That way, your moving company will know exactly where and how your items should be relocated. For large businesses, packing things together by department is often the most efficient strategy. For smaller businesses, it may be easier to pack and label according to the individual rooms they’ll occupy in the new layout.
8. Notify Third Parties
Give clients, vendors and other third-party collaborators at least a few weeks’ heads up about your move. They may need to adjust their plans to accommodate the changed commute or re-schedule regular meetings that will be disrupted during moving day. Ensure your notification includes the date of your move, your new address and any anticipated disruptions to normal business operations.
9. Update Address
Finally, right before you move, you’ll want to update all your corporate addresses and contact information online. That includes:
- Your business website
- Your social media accounts
- Email signatures
- Corporate listings such as Yelp and Google Business
Check “Find an Office Mover” Off your List
Now that you have our guide to planning for an office move, you can begin the process effectively and efficiently. What’s more, you can score an early win by checking something off the list right away! Bekins Van Lines is ready to move you and your business today. Our decades of commercial experience and deep knowledge of office moves will ensure you receive not only the best pricing for your business but that your move is handled with the utmost care and professionalism. Contact Bekins today to see how we can partner to manage your relocation.
