8 Tips for Efficient, Stress-Free Office Moving
Relocating your small business’s office is a huge event in the history of your company. Whether you’re upgrading to a nicer part of Miami Beach, or upsizing to somewhere with more square footage to accommodate your growing team, packing up everything and moving your whole business is no small task.
These tips can help you plan and execute office moving that goes smoothly and efficiently.
Evaluate Your Business
Before moving, it’s a good idea to analyze each area of the office, auditing and taking inventory of everything you have. You need to decide what needs to be moved, and in what order. Critical equipment is generally “last on, first off” the moving truck. Some things, like non-essential waiting area furniture and items stored in utility closets, aren’t as high on the priority list, and can be moved sooner. Important things like work computers may need to remain operational all the way up to the day of the move.
We recommend planning your move at least four to six months in advance. This gives you time to audit things, sort through everything, and plan logistics for moving day. It also gives your employees, ample time to prepare.
Use To-Do Lists
Making to-do lists for each stage of the moving process can help you stay organized and on schedule throughout your move. You can create separate lists for each major step, from initial inventory and planning to unpacking at your new office location. This breaks the long, potentially overwhelming office moving process down into small, manageable steps.
Hire a Professional Moving Company
Hiring office movers will make your relocation a whole lot easier. As a small business, you’re always looking at your bottom line. Moving services might seem like an unnecessary expense. However, moving is more of a hassle than it looks at first glance. Professional movers have training and experience, and are not very likely to damage any of your belongings. They provide their own trucks and their own labor, so you don’t have to worry about renting a Uhaul or figuring out if any of your employees would be willing to help with the move. (Spoiler alert: they probably aren’t. Hauling furniture around isn’t part of their job description.)
If possible, look for a company that has experience with commercial and office moving. Professional movers will transport everything quickly and safely on moving day, so all you and your staff have to worry about, is packing and unpacking.
Purge What You Don’t Need
Moving is a great opportunity to “start fresh,” and you should take advantage of the chance to throw out old, broken, or useless equipment that’s been cluttering up your office.
Inform Your Customers & Vendors
You’ll want to let vendors and customers know about your move ahead of time. Leave announcements on your website and social media pages, and be sure to update your Google My Business page and other listings with your new address. You may also need updated business cards, letterhead, and other print materials.
Figure Out How You’re Moving Electronics
If you’re like most office-based businesses, electronic equipment is a critical part of your day to day operations. You will need to determine how you’re going to go about moving computers, printers, fax machines, landline phones, and other electronics. You can carefully pack and label them, then let the moving company handle it. If you have an in-house IT department, this may be a task for them to handle. Some small businesses also choose to let each employee be responsible for moving their own equipment.
Move Your Plants
Live house plants are fragile and can be messy, so most office moving companies won’t want to take them. You can designate an employee to handle moving the plants. You may also want to move fine art and other small but fragile items yourself.
Empty Your File Cabinets Before Moving Them
Leaving everything inside the file cabinet might seem easier and more efficient, but it adds quite a bit of total weight. Plus, the files can twist around when you move the cabinet, making it harder to open the drawers correctly.
Miami Beach Office Moving
Need help moving your office to a new location in Miami Beach? At Orange Movers, our commercial moving experts can help your business enjoy a streamlined, efficient, and hassle-free moving process. To find out more, contact or call us any time.