Moving your business to a new location is always a complex process that requires careful planning, the right choice of assistants, and a little luck. While some business owners prefer to move the business on their own, others choose professional moving services.
Whether you are planning to DIY a company move or want to hire local experts, you are in for some serious work. Knowing how to approach a business move can take the stress out of the process and help you achieve faster and more efficient results.
Let’s take a closer look at professional tips that can make your business move easier.
1. Choose the Right Moving Partner
No matter how small your move is, you may still want professional assistance. Relying solely on your employees may seem like a way to save money. In reality, you could be facing more expenses than you expect.
Since your employees aren’t trained to move office equipment or furniture, they may break or hit something in the process. Meanwhile, they could sustain injuries when trying to relocate heavy items. This, in turn, could result in a workplace injury lawsuit and workers’ compensation claims.
While your employees can still help do some of the moving, it may be a wise choice to find a moving company. A reliable moving partner can:
- Help with packing
- Provide moving insurance
- Disassemble and assemble furniture
- Provide tips on faster and better moving
When you work with the experts, the process is usually faster than with DIY efforts. If downtime is an issue for your business, you may want to consider hiring movers.
To choose a reliable moving partner, you would need to check:
- Reviews and recommendations – many local moving companies have reviews on Google, Yelp, and Yellowpages. Use them to make up your mind about the company.
- Licenses and insurance – you would need to make sure that the company has appropriate licenses and liability insurance. You should also ask about moving insurance.
- Team size – is the team big enough to handle your move? Find out how many workers and trucks the company works with.
- Availability – many reliable movers are busy at all times. If you schedule a move for a specific date, the first thing to ask the company is if they are available.
- Extra services – if you want the company to help with packing or moving specific items (pianos, computers), find out if movers have experience with these tasks.
Consider choosing a local moving company. It’s much easier to work with a local business since local movers know community needs and specific moving nuances.
2. Save Time on Your Move
Downtime during a move could pose a serious problem for many companies. That’s why business owners prefer to move fast. To do that, you can take advantage of these time-saving tips:
- Move on a weekday – while it may seem that weekends are a nicer option, moving in the middle of a weekday reduces your chances of facing traffic and ensures that all of your employees are available to help.
- Replace old furniture – if it has been a while since you’ve replaced all furniture and equipment, now could be a great time. After you complete the inventory of your office, you could find that many items are outdated. Throwing them out (donating, selling) and having new ones delivered to your new location is an excellent time-saving opportunity.
- Pack in advance – you can start packing some of the items several days before the move. This can save you significant time on the move day and reduce the cost of moving your business..
- Rely on employees – while you can hire professional movers to handle the majority of the move, employees should participate as well. Ask them to pack and move their personal items in advance.
Take the time to measure the space you are moving into. You may find that something doesn’t fit. In this case, you may need to arrange for storage. Some moving companies offer storage opportunities for their clients. By booking it in advance, you can save time and money.
3. Declutter
When your company remains in one location for a long time, you tend to accumulate a variety of items. This is especially true for businesses that have storage spaces and warehouses. Relocating warehouses can be complicated unless you do extensive decluttering.
Most likely, you don’t need all the items you keep in your office or building. Your employees are keeping it there simply because they never have any time to go through it. Moving to another building is an excellent opportunity to get rid of things you no longer need.
Start decluttering your building in advance. You can go room by room or office by office. Involve employees in the process. Figure out which items can be sold, thrown out, or donated.
If you decide to get rid of any equipment or appliances, find out if it can be recycled. Some websites, such as FreeCycle can help you find people or companies looking for used items.
Many stores have trade-in programs for electronics. By taking advantage of them, you solve the problem of recycling old office equipment and gain an opportunity to save money.
4. Let Everyone Know
Moving a business can take up a substantial amount of your time. The hassle associated with packing and moving everything on time could make you forget important details, such as business moving announcements.
Even if you’ve already notified clients, partners, affiliates, and vendors about the upcoming move, it could be a good idea to send them reminders right before the moving date. Depending on the size of your move, the relocation process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days. You need to figure out how you can communicate with relevant parties during this period.
If you are moving an office, it’s imperative to set up all communications in the new location before the move. Your IT team should be working on relocating the network before you start moving any furniture. By doing this, some employees can start working out of the new office while the rest are participating in the move.
In case you can’t avoid downtime, it’s imperative to let your clients know about it in advance. This way you can fulfill important contract obligations before the move. Meanwhile, your employees can be available to assist you with the move instead of executing urgent business-related tasks.
Don’t forget to notify the IRS and USPS about your new address.
5. Start Packing in Advance
Packing is an essential part of the move, which is often underestimated by business owners. If you think that you can pack an entire building on the day of the move, you could be delaying the process. Even if you decide to hire a professional moving company to do the packing, it can take a while.
To speed up the moving process, consider packing in advance. As soon as you know the date of the move, you can start. There are several ways to pack an office. Here are a few steps to consider.
- Start by sorting all the important documents and getting rid of anything outdated.
- Leave sensitive documents in the office and transport them on your own
- Unplug and organize your electronics. Consider moving some of them to the new location first.
- Pack all the fragile items and decorations in advance.
- Review your office and figure out which items you can move before the relocation date.
Many items in your building, warehouse, or office can be relocated before the move begins. Consider asking your employees to do it after work, bit by bit.
6. Take Inventory
Business moves can be sizable and chaotic. Trying to relocate a large number of items with dozens of people involved often ends with some broken equipment, lost documents, and other problems. To make sure you end up with the same items you started with, take inventory.
After you finish decluttering, start writing down all the items you have office by office or space by space. You can do it while packing and labeling boxes. When you arrive at the new location, this inventory can help you make sure that everything is in place.
A great option is to take pictures of all of your items in the building. This can help you arrange everything at the new location without trying to remember what goes where. You will also need photos and inventory in case something happens to your items during the move, and you need to file an insurance claim.
The Takeaway
Moving a business to a new location doesn’t have to be frustrating, complicated, and time-consuming. If you handle all preparations properly, follow your business moving checklist, and hire a reliable moving company, you can achieve perfection without feeling overwhelmed.
Keep in mind that while professional movers can help you with all the aspects of your move, you can still ask employees for help to save time.