Relocating Your Business? – 7 Tips To Avoid Chaos

Moving a company can be tough, frustrating, and costly. Or it can be a breeze. Which one would you choose?

If you’ve decided to relocate your business, you have to start planning. Remember, moving isn’t just simply packing and transporting stuff to another location. It involves numerous nuances, which, if overlooked, could lead to a disaster.

So if you don’t want the move to turn into chaos, we recommend taking a quick look at our tips. They can help you go through the process in stride and avoid time and money losses.

1. Understand What You Really Want to Move

One of the biggest mistakes made by companies is moving around things they don’t really need. You have to take a walk through the building or delegate the responsibility to team leaders to figure out what should be left behind.

People tend to collect useless things in their offices and facilities. Be sure you don’t waste money on moving them to another location. You may want to use a decluttering technique, having employees clean out their workspace to ensure nothing extra is moved.

Then you have to consider furniture and equipment. Maybe it’s time to replace some of it? The relocation is an excellent opportunity to clean up and purchase new items. You can leave old things behind and get the new equipment delivered to your new location.

2. Choose a Move Manager

You shouldn’t try to manage the move on your own. No matter how small your office is, you can appoint a person, who will be in charge of it. If your company is large, there should be a person like that in each department.

All your employees should be on the same page about the move. You have to warn them beforehand to ensure the least downtime. If you are planning to move on a weekend, you have to allow people to change plans.

For a large office, only the move managers should be available during the relocation. Having entire teams come to the move is likely to cause chaos. While you need all the help you can get when decluttering or packing from some professional decluttering services, the majority of the move itself should be done by professional movers.

3. Find a Moving Company

It may take some time to find a respectable moving company, so plan ahead. To make sure you are working with professionals, you should do the following:

·         Ask for recommendations from friends, family, coworkers, partners, competitors.

·         Visit the movers’ website to make sure it’s in order and lists all the necessary details.

·         Negotiate the price and check the contract for fine print and hidden fees.

·         Check if the company has all the necessary certifications.

·         Find out if the movers have sufficient equipment.

·         Figure out if they are available for the date of the move.

·         Ask if they can help with packing (if necessary).

According to Toronto movers at Torex Moving, if you are planning to move on a weekend or during holidays, it’s highly important to book the movers at least a month in advance. Otherwise, you may need to change your plans.

4. Create a Moving Schedule and Timeline

To make things easier both on yourself and your staff, you should come up with a moving schedule. To do that, you need to figure out the following:

·         How much time you have left at the old location

·         How many days you need both locations to function to avoid downtime

·         How much time you need for packing

·         How much time you need for a move.

An office or facility move can take more than one day. To figure out how many hours the process is likely to last, ask the moving company. Ideally, movers should come to your office before signing the contract to evaluate the size of the move.

5. Pack in Advance

If you have any items that can be packed in advance, start doing it as soon as possible. This can save you plenty of time and effort on the day of the move. To pack properly, you’ll need the following packing supplies:

·         Packing paper or bubble wrap

·         Boxes of all sizes, especially for equipment

·         Packing tape

·         Labels and pens

·         Furniture movers and sliders

Most likely, the movers you have chosen can provide all the necessary supplies. They can also assist with packing. Packing services cost extra so pay attention to the pricing when signing a contract. If your budget allows, it’s better to leave packing delicate equipment up to professionals.

6. Notify Your Clients

Even if the move is expected to take less than a day, you are likely to need some time to set everything up at the new location. During that time, your clients may not have access to their services. If such is the case, you must notify everyone well in advance. You may need to put up signs and send change-of-address cards.

Some business owners prefer to have both old and new locations running until the move is over to avoid downtime. Think about this possibility to avoid problems with clients and customers.

7. Sign New Service Contracts

Make sure you sign new contracts with communication service providers in the new location in advance. To ensure a smooth transition, you’ll need phones and the internet to be up and running the day of the move.

With the right planning, you can avoid confusion, wasted time, and extra expenses. The above tips can turn your move into a smooth process.