Just like with pulling off a seamless house move, office moving is so much easier and less stressful with some early planning and preparation. A smooth process for commercial moving is even more critical than for residential moving, as you need to minimize disruptions to your company’s operations.
Here are some practical tips to help you and your team stay calm and productive throughout the moving process.
Why Planning Ahead Matters for Office Moves
There are several factors in play when moving offices, so the earlier you start your preparations, the better. The key to successfully moving an office is to create a detailed plan that includes key dates and assigned responsibilities so that everyone is on the same page from start to finish.
Planning ahead also helps you to make a clear vision of what you want and need from your new space. There’s a reason that you’re leaving your old office, right? Creating goals for the new office and mapping it out can help you get the most out of your new space and maximize what you’re working with right from the jump.
Creating a Business Moving Timeline
Creating a timeline that you can share with the entire team helps everyone stay organized throughout the process. Setting strict dates and putting them on a calendar helps everyone involved visualize the process, step by step.
Give yourself a year to six months to plan out the different parts of the move, including:
Reviewing the terms of your current lease.
Assigning roles, like naming who will pack, decorate, and unpack certain office items.
Setting a budget for the entire process.
Getting quotes from at least three office moving companies to compare.
Selecting a commercial moving company and choosing the right coverage.
Creating a to-do list for each department or employee.
Communicating the Move with Employees and Clients
Once you’ve started thinking through the logistics, hold a company-wide meeting to discuss the move. This can be either in-person or online, depending on your team, but holding a meeting, rather than just communicating by email, allows everyone to jump in and ask questions or give feedback in real time.
Involving everyone from the beginning also helps the whole team feel included, which can get people excited and feeling positive about the move.
You should also notify any clients or vendors you work with as soon as possible that you will be changing offices in the near future. Sharing the new address early, along with the planned move date, can prevent confusion or disappointment among external stakeholders.
How to Reduce Downtime During Relocation
Creating a plan well in advance is the first step to reducing downtime, but the second step is to create a backup plan. While your team and office moving services will do their best to make sure that everything follows your vision, avoid losing time when things don’t go as planned by having some backup ideas in place. You might look into local co-working spaces that essential team members can visit for emergency internet access, if needed.
It’s also good to coordinate with your IT team to make sure that things like servers, networks, and security systems, as well as all equipment, can be up and running as soon as possible after the move. This could mean bringing in an outside specialist to help with all the details if the coordination seems too overwhelming for your IT team to handle alone.
Along the same lines, make sure you contact your new internet provider as soon as possible so your team can be online and running as soon as your commercial moving services are done unpacking.
Tips for Moving Office Furniture and Equipment
When prepping for an office move, you should:
Start decluttering early (don’t be shy about donating items you no longer use).
Use bubble wrap to protect electronics and fragile items.
Label moving boxes clearly.
Ensure all hardware is clearly labeled so you have all the pieces when reassembling furniture.
Have plenty of cleaning supplies on hand.
Know your physical limits. If items are too heavy or bulky, wait for your moving team to make sure you and your equipment stay safe.
MASH Are Your Trusted Commercial Movers in Austin, TX
If you’re planning on moving offices in Austin, MASH has you covered. We’re your friendly neighborhood furniture-carriers and valuable-haulers who can get the job done right with a smile every time.
No move is too big or too small, so drop us a line for your free quote today. We’d love to hear from you!