Office moving can be a chore. Whether you’re relocating your business to a new city or across town, planning is essential. Every detail matters, from storing your stuff to helping your employees accommodate with the new location. Use this handy checklist for a smooth office move!
The United States Postal Service processes about 38 million change-of-address requests every year, and you can bet that a lot of them are for businesses.
As your business grows and your needs change, you may look for office moving services soon too. Before your moving company comes to load the trucks, be sure you are ready for them.
Plan Office Moving Carefully
Before you pack a single box, be sure to have a plan of action in place. This will help things so more smoothly throughout the lengthy process.
The first step in planning is to make sure you have as much time as possible. From the initial idea to final move-in, relocating a large office can take up to six months.
If you’re on a tight schedule, it’s especially important to plan each part of the move carefully. Make a list of things that need to get done before you move, then set a due date for each item. As things change, be sure to add details to your schedule and be flexible.
Let Employees Know
Once you know when you will move and where your business will go, it’s essential to inform your employees. Before you start the meeting, anticipate their needs and have answers to their questions. A few problems you might face include:
- Does this mean the business is doing poorly?
- Will I still have an office?
- When is the move happening?
- What do I need to do to prepare?
- What is the new office like?
If you have positive answers to these questions, you will be in a better position to help your employees through the transition. If you want their help with parts of the moving process, be sure to communicate each person’s role clearly.
Prepare the New Space
You should learn everything you can about the new office. Measure offices and common areas to plan what furniture will fit where. You may be able to anticipate problems and solve them before it gets messy.
This part of planning may also mean learning about the surrounding area, gathering information on utilities, and reading about local laws if you change municipalities. The more knowledge you acquire, the better prepared you can be.
With the things you’ve learned, you can then plan for what kind of contractors you may need to get the new place ready for your business. Line up any construction crews you may need, like painters, HVAC specialists, plumbers, or carpenters.
Ideally, you can plan to have the construction finished before you move from one building to the other. Doing so can ensure that you minimize disruption for your employees and
Decide on Furniture
As the business moving date draws nearer, you must decide what to do with the furniture and other belongings in your current office. First, choose what you need to keep and take to the new office. You may even decide to make a list or mark these items with sticky notes.
Then, take a look at everything you have left and take note of what you want to sell, donate, and trash each of these pieces. You can sell some items on online marketplaces.
Some organizations that take donations will pick up large items, but you will probably have to schedule this in advance. Similarly, you may need to contact your city to schedule a bulk waste pickup. Ideally, you want to get all unneeded items out of the office before your move-out date.
On the other side of this coin, you may need to purchase furniture to fill your new space. Make sure to shop thoroughly and compare prices at different stores. When you have found the options that meet your budget and needs, see if you can set up delivery sometime after construction is finished but before you need to move in.
Let Everyone Else Know
Your employees won’t be the only people you need to tell about the move. Once you know your new address and office move date, you should start telling anyone else with whom you conduct business. Make a list of who you need to inform, which may include:
- Service providers
- Clients
- Prospective clients
- Vendors
- Advertising partners
- Banks
Additionally, you can start changing your address on all business communications. Switch to your new place of business on your letterhead, Google page, social media pages, business cards, website, and anywhere else you have it.
Every time you think of another place where your current business address is listed, add that to your list of things to change. When the time is right, cross off every item on that list.
Hire Great Movers
Moving a home is easy compared to business moving. If you have lots of heavy furniture to take to the new place, make sure to check out office moving companies. Check for reviews to see that you can trust the company you hire.
For instance, businesses in North Carolina and South Carolina can contact expert movers are www.4barnyard.com. Check online for movers in your area who can get the job done right.
Pack and Label
Now that you have laid all the groundwork, hired the right professionals, and told everyone who needs to know, you can start packing and labeling everything.
Have your employees pack their personal effects. You can choose to have each employee move their own personal items or label them for the movers.
You can put labels on anything else to help the movers know where to take each item. Talk to your moving company to see what they recommend.
Enjoy Your New Space
Office moving is no small job, but it can be well worth the effort. As long as you remember to prepare the new office, get your furniture in order, inform the right people, and hire the perfect movers, the whole process can be pretty seamless.
Don’t forget to take a moment after it’s all said and done to revel in your accomplishment. Then you can get back to work in your new office. Want more information on how to succeed in business? Be sure to check out today!
