Moving your office across the country – tips and hints

Almost every company faces the need to move to a new office at least once. The reasons for changing the occupied premises can be very different. It can be the expansion, the search for more comfortable working conditions and image improvement. It can also be the acquisition of one’s own office or vice versa, the search for a more economical option due to financial difficulties. If you are moving your office across the country, your priority should be hiring Best Cross Country Movers. How to properly prepare and organize this significant event?

At first glance, the task is not easy, especially if it is the first time. But if you approach it in detail and without fuss, the process of moving can be quick, neat and pass without any losses. So, after you choose the best office space, what is your next step?

What should you do first?

The manager must appoint a coordinator, who will be responsible for moving your office across the country. His first task will be the preparation of a complete and precise plan for the move. It has to be implemented with minimal damage to the production process.

After the director signs the contract with the landlord and appoints the day of moving to a new location, it is necessary to announce to the employees of the company about the upcoming event. You can do this during a general organizational meeting, or orally, going through the departments. It will be good to use the means of communication adopted in your company – e-mail or internal messenger.

Before the move, it will be useful to have a tour for employees to a new location. That will help to plan the placement of workplaces and arrangement of furniture more efficiently. Also, workers will be able to think in advance how they will get to work.

Do not forget that changing addresses brings certain inconveniences both for the company itself and for business partners. To make this discomfort minimal, notify partners and customers about a new location. And, if possible, send out a map of the route to the new office.

Optimum deadlines and time for moving your office across the country

Depending on the type of activity of the company, its status and the number of employees, the time for preparing a move may be from 1 to 1.5 months. But it often happens that the circumstances “tighten it up” and you need to prepare the move in 1-2 weeks. In such an extreme situation, the step-by-step schedule of the move will be especially useful. With its help, you will organize your actions better.

The optimal time for the move is two days. It is advisable to appoint it on weekends. Do not take the move as a natural disaster. Even here you can find decisive moments. For example, you can conduct an extensive audit and declutter the office of unnecessary things that have been stored for years and occupied an extra place. And the active participation of all employees will help to unite the collective and raise the corporate spirit.

What should you look for when choosing a moving company?

Many companies on the market offer a wide range of services for the office move. It usually includes:

• disassembly-assembly
• packing
• removal and transportation of furniture to a new office
• property insurance
• provision of transport services with loaders
• furniture placement
• garbage disposal

There are some things you need to think about when picking commercial movers. You should pay particular attention when choosing a company should to its experience in this area. Be sure to review the feedback of customers who used its services, ask for discounts and their trucks.

As a rule, in case of cooperation with a reliable moving company, the representative of the company works with you. He goes to the place of the call, where he estimates the amount of work. He counts the pieces of furniture, equipment, other material, and technical values. In the end, he presents a detailed invoice for the services provided. The advantage of working with a specialized company is that it takes care of all the moving work. Plus, all furniture and equipment will be insured, in case of damage when moving. The insured amount is determined by the customer and is entered into the contract.

The representative of the mover also offers the customer the choice of packaging material: polyethylene film, adhesive tape, cardboard boxes, bags, cardboard. To save money, you can buy packaging materials yourself. You can find them in construction stores, and it is not expensive. If there are “native” boxes from office equipment, consisting of a warranty, this will simplify the work and also cut costs.

Disadvantages of hiring a moving company

The main drawback – comfort costs money. Therefore, movers can give you a hefty bill. To at least somehow reduce it, monitor the price policy of various companies and do not be afraid to negotiate a discount. Pay attention also to the detailed list of services provided, as the cost of individual items can be unreasonably high. In this case, it is more expedient to abandon them or to attract other specialists.

How to prepare your office for moving

1. Do an audit, get rid of unnecessary employees and old things.
2. Create a group, to which you will entrust the organization of moving your office across the country. Hence, for each participant, there will be a specific job.
3. First, collect small items. Empty the drawers and cabinets. Then pack office supplies and other things in packages.
4. Collect money and documents separately and keep them with you.
5. Prepare furniture and equipment. If possible, disassemble items, remove the accessories in a separate package. Pull out drawers and shelves if there is no possibility to dismantle than fix the sliding objects with scotch tape.
6. For packing technology use cardboard boxes, preferably it’s own. If the box is not preserved, sign the top and bottom of the object on the container.
7. For packing furniture use bubble wrap and scotch tape. Also, consider alternative packing materials.
8. Make sure to transport large-sized furniture first.
9. Do not forget to label the boxes. Consequently, this will simplify the process of unpacking and arranging.

Prepare that all your office personnel will whine that they do not get paid for it, the boxes are dirty, it’s heavy to load and everything else. Do not worry, promise them a day off after moving your office across the country; this will calm them down.