When the time comes to relocate your office, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. An office move is like a home move on steroids…with way more people involved. The key to a successful office relocation is lots of deep breathing, a good bit of advanced planning, and assembling a team who can make the transfer as easy and stress free as possible.
Let’s look at 8 tips for making your upcoming office relocation a success.
1. Start Planning Early
An office relocation is not something you want to throw together at the eleventh hour. Start planning well in advance of the move. Small offices may need three months of prep time, while medium to large office may require 6 – 8 months or more. Take time to come up with a moving budget—this will help you know how much you and your team need to do and how much can be left to the movers. Look over blueprints of the new office space and decide where everything will go after you’ve moved in. Making such decisions in advance will help your moving team get everything set up in your new space quickly and efficiently.
2. Inform Employees ASAP
Keeping your team in the know will go a long way in keeping morale up and reducing stress and frustration. Inform them of the move as soon as possible and keep them updated with regular emails.
You may want to reach out to your IT team to help plan for the transfer of equipment and to decide where equipment will need to go once in the new location.
3. Book Your Moving Team Sooner Than Later
This is the single-most important aspect of coordinating an office relocation—hiring the right team for the job. Do your due diligence here…trust us, it’s worth the effort. Ask for references, gather bids from several moving companies (three bids should be the bare minimum), and have them come to your office to see exactly what needs to be moved.
Hiring a team that is fully licensed and insured is non-negotiable. Ask your moving company to send you a copy of their insurance verification.
4. Contact Customers
It’s important to inform your customers and/or vendors about your impending move. Let them know if and when your availability will be limited to allow for packing, moving, and setting up at the new office. Be sure to send an update announcing your new location once you’re settled in.
5. Let Employees Pack up Their Desks
Your movers will have plenty to keep them busy, so save a little time and money by instructing employees to pack up their own desks, offices, and immediate area. Build plenty of time into the schedule for employees to pack their stuff and let them know the final deadline when everything must be ready for the move.
Ask them to clearly write their name on multiple sides of every box—this will make it easier on movers during the unloading process.
6. Update Your Business Information Everywhere
Don’t forget to update your address and phone number (if it’s changing). This includes:
- Your website
- Google and My Google Business page (start this process a month or so in advance of your move)
- Letterhead
- Business card
- Email templates
- Return address on envelopes
You’ll also want to reach out to any companies that regularly ship products or supplies to your business and make them aware of your address change.
7. Find Out About Move in Rules for New Office
Unless you or your company own the building you’re moving into, you’ll likely need to speak with building management regarding the move in process. You may be required to move in on the weekend or during hours when the building is closed. Some buildings require you to submit a request to use the freight elevator. Be sure to ask if parking permits are required for the moving van during the unloading process.
8. Leave Time to Get Settled in Your New Office
Do yourself and your employees a favor and build set up time into your moving plan and budget. There is nothing worse than trying to conduct business out of boxes because the office opened for business the day after the move.
The amount of time required will depend on the size of your office. If you have five employees, you’ll likely have everything up and running within a week. If you have a team of 60, it may take closer to four weeks to get everything set up and ready for business.
Don’t forget to take time to celebrate the new opportunities that come with doing business out of new digs. Be sure to acknowledge your staff, who endured the challenges of office relocation right alongside you.
And, if you’re planning an office relocation of your own, we hope you’ll contact us as Holloway Removals. We’d love to provide you with a custom estimate and, with more than 10 years of experience in commercial moving, you can rest assured we’ll include everything you need and nothing you don’t.
After all, it’s your move.
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