Your office moving guide
If you are moving your office, it can be a lot of work and may feel a bit overwhelming. However, if you know a few business moving tips ahead of time, you can ensure that your office relocation goes much more smoothly and with minimal stress. You want to start planning your move as soon as you know you will be relocating to a new office.
As soon as you can, start shopping around for a new office space. Once your lease is finalized, you can set a move-in date. You should also develop a course of action and delegate jobs out to people if needed.
It can be helpful to have a checklist that you can add to and check often so that everything that needs to get done is completed within the desired timeframe and so nothing is overlooked. You may also want to send out an office email to remind everyone to get ready for the move and when the moving date will be. Moving an entire business is a big job, and you need everyone on board.
Your office move planning guide should include a budget so that you don’t overspend. You should also arrange to have a cleaning company come and clean the old office once the last few items have been moved over to the new business location. You should also book your moving company as soon as you can to ensure that they will be available on the date that you need them.
About two months prior to your moving date, you should create an inventory of all the office equipment and furniture. Having an inventory to refer to will ensure there is little room for error during the move and helps to keep tabs on where everything is.
You should also do a walk-thru of the new business and even create a floor plan that will help you decide exactly what you need to bring. It is better to find out beforehand that you have too many desks rather than after you have already moved everything over just to find that it doesn’t fit.
Only packing what you need will also save money since there will be less to move, and you won’t have to get as big of a moving truck. You may also find that you need extra furniture or office equipment, so you will want to order it beforehand, so you have it in time for when you need it.
When you have about four weeks left, you will need to change the business address, notify clients, and have your computer information backed up so that it doesn’t get lost or corrupted during the move.
Office relocation tips for your commercial moving guide
Utilities should already be hooked up at the new location, including security systems, internet, and phone lines. You don’t want to have any delays that will prevent your business from picking up where you left off prior to the move.
Employees should pack up their workspaces the day before the moving date and makes sure that everything gets labeled. Organization is key to a smooth and streamlined move. Employees should even label their chairs and desks to ensure that they don’t get mixed up in the move. Once everything has been moved out, you should have it professionally cleaned.
You may also want to complete a final walkthrough and even take pictures of the office space to prove that it was clean and undamaged. This is extra insurance in case there are any issues down the road with the lease.
It is much easier to keep a level head during an office move when you have everything under control and organized. It also prevents many problems during the move and will likely save you money since there won’t be any or at least very few mistakes to correct.