Making an office move is considerably more challenging than making a home move. Why? Very simple, the process has to be done much faster and in a more organized way, since the operation of the company depends on it. Also, an office move involves many people from different departments, so it is imperative to prepare in advance and have a clear plan of action. Here you can find ten tips to make your office move successfully.
#1. Choose the Date of the Move
Depending on the size and number of employees in your company, you can roughly estimate the time required to move your office. However, when choosing the move’s date, it is advisable to carry out the move during the months of less activity in your sector. This is because, during the move, the company’s activity will have to slow down or even stop altogether. If your office is small and does not require a lot of time, you could move the office at night or even on weekends to not lose working hours. Many companies decide to move during the summer months, although you will have to consider that some workers are on vacation. It is also advisable to keep in mind that the moving industry is very seasonal, so local, or even national, moving prices tend to be more expensive during the holiday and weekend months. For this reason, we recommend that you plan your office move to choose the most convenient date.
#2. Organization and Communication
Every employee must know what their role is and what they have to do at all times. A good idea would be to make a moving schedule by the department, in which you specify when they have to collect their belongings, clean and collect their work tables, pack the objects of the department, etc.
#3. Compare Moving Companies
Moving offices is hard and complicated work, so it is convenient to have professionals. Moving companies have previous experience in this type of move to help you do it successfully. You can contact the professionals at ThunderMove for all your office relocation needs. They can pack, dismantle, unpack and assemble your office furniture to get you back in business in no time!
#4. Visit the New Place
You must visit the new location before moving. In this way, you can start planning the layout of your new office, which objects from the old office are necessary t, establish the use of the new areas, etc. Once you plan the furniture distribution, you can even get rid of those you do not need, reducing the volume and, therefore, your move’s price.
#5. Clean up and Throw Away the Unnecessary
In an office, many documents, papers, materials, etc., that are not used tend to accumulate. Consider your office’s move as the ultimate chance to eliminate those annoying and unwanted objects or even, digitize your business documents to transport a lower volume. Remember, the less volume, the cheaper the move will be!
#6. Take an Inventory of Your Objects
Before you start packing, make a list of essential items you will need in your new office. This way, once you start unpacking all the boxes, this will help make sure you haven’t lost anything during the move. Here is a template to make an inventory with Excel, so you will save a lot of time designing your model. Of course, you can modify it and adapt it to your office.
Tip: If your company is huge, take this inventory by the department to facilitate this task.
#7. Computer Equipment
This step is essential for speeding up the return to normalcy of your company after making office moves. To do this, we recommend that you move your IT equipment first, as it usually requires a longer installation and setup process. In this way, once the rest of the objects arrive at your new office, the computers will be ready to start working when before.
Bonus tip: take a picture of the cables before unplugging your IT equipment to make sure you know how to mount them in your new office.
#8. Prepare the Boxes
One essential tip when organizing any company move is to pack the boxes by the department. Also, it is advisable to use a smart packaging system. For example, each department will have an alphanumeric code (M = marketing, C = accounting, etc.) and within the same department assign a number per box (M3 = box number 3 of the marketing department). Many office moves involve transporting delicate and valuable objects, such as computers, conference tables, corporate documents, electronic gadgets, etc.
#9. Notify Your Customers and Suppliers
Notify all your customers and suppliers in advance about the office move. This can be done quickly by sending an official email communicating the transfer of the office.
#10. Change Your Contact Details
Lastly, don’t forget to change your contact details wherever they appear. You must update your address in places such as social networks (Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram Twitter, etc.), Google My Business, business cards, website, email signatures and any other public site where your address appears.
