- Plan your move as soon as possible. Most office relocations are often planned six months in ahead, and large commercial moves can require up to two years of preparation.
- Hire commercial movers with the experience required for an efficient office move.
- Make sure the moving company you hire has insurance, and get them to fax you a copy of it. Most office buildings require it.
- Schedule the move with the building you are moving into as well as out of. Sometimes the move will need to be done outside of normal business hours, most buildings won’t allow moves during office hours. The best time for an office move is usually a weekend.
- Check with the buildings about any other requirements. The building may limit the amount of time you can park at the loading dock, require that floors be covered or protected, and that elevators are reserved in advance.
- Talk to your employees about the move as early in the planning stage as possible and keep them informed.
- Unless you hire full service office movers, hiring a move manager can save a lot of headaches, as he or she can coordinate with the moving team, furniture delivery, IT install team, etc. If you don’t hire a move manager or full service mover to handle the details for you, at least create a rough sketch of the floor plan at destination so that the movers know where to place the furniture.
- The week before moving you may need assistance with packing, so be sure to inquire about this with your moving company in advance.
- Let the head of each department take an inventory of all items to be moved in their department.
- Before the move, walk the new space with the building manager to ensure it’s ready for business.
- Find out whether the AC or heat will be on during the move, as some buildings turn off the HVAC by default on weekends, unless you tell them you need it on.
- Give employees some time on Friday before the move to pack their desk items and have them take all personal possessions with them.
- It is wise to have at least two managers present during the entire move, one at origin and one at destination.
- Make sure all data cabling is installed and tested before the IT team arrives to setup the network and other equipment. Inquire with your move company or move manager if you need assistance with IT disconnect and reconnect services.
- If you’re moving existing IT equipment, make sure it’s unloaded first so the IT team can immediately get to work setting up the network, phones, etc.
Apr
04
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