The Secret to Avoiding Major Office Moving Mishaps

Moving is a challenge, regardless of the scope of a move. But office moving can be an especially large and stressful undertaking. The logistics involved in coordinating a successful office move can overwhelm even the most capable business owner or office manager.

Business have to move for many reasons. Often, a business move signifies a growing team and expanded business. Regardless of the motivation for your office move, moving into a space that works for your business is necessary. Learning to navigate the move effectively can save you a lot of aggravation and allow you to get back to business as usual as soon as possible.

If you are considering an office move this year, there are strategies you can use to make you move as efficient and cost-effective as possible!

Don't Try to Do It All Yourself

Large businesses know that they need the support of professional office movers to execute their move. However, some owners of very small businesses contemplate whether they should try to execute their move independently to save money.

Professional office movers have the equipment necessary to safely and securely move heavy office furniture, such as desks, storage units and filing cabinets. They also have the experience necessary to complete the move without causing costly damage to your furniture, equipment or the walls, stairwells, entryways and floors of your old or new office.

Professional office movers work efficiently so that you are up and running again as quickly as possible. An inefficient move isn’t just a lot of work, it results in delays in getting back to work which can be costly.

Hire Experienced Office Movers

Some people make the assumption that it doesn’t make a difference whether the move is residential or commercial, because professional moving companies are equipped for any moving job. This simply isn’t the case. Moving your business is very different than carrying out a household move. To ensure the move runs smoothly, it's important that you hire an experienced office moving company that has proper techniques and equipment necessary to conduct a commercial move. Many moving companies only do commercial and office moves occasionally.

All Jersey Movers and Storage has expertise in this specialized type of moving. Our moving teams have access to the resources and special training required to get the job done, and do it right, whether we're moving boxes, technological equipment or systems furniture. We have the proper masonite, corrugated wrap, and door jamb protectors that keep your goods safe throughout the move. When you select a reputable moving company, you can rest assured that your furniture and other valuable items are in good hands. What's more, you can save yourself and your staff from sustaining less-than-pleasant back and knee injuries that often arise with inexperienced movers.

Another important reason to choose a reputable moving company is that, in the event that an item is damaged during the move, the company is insured. This protects you and gives you much-needed peace of mind.

As excited as you might be to move into your new office space, business moving can be frustrating if you experience service delays. That's why it's important that you choose an office moving team that will arrive on time and work efficiently so you can get your business back up and running with as little disruption as possible.

Secure Your Preferred Office Movers

Once you have narrowed down your list of top professional office movers, received detailed moving estimates and made a decision, it’s important to take action and sign a contract to secure your moving date with your first-choice movers.

There are a number of reasons it’s important to book your preferred office moving company in advance. One of the chief reasons is if your preferred moving company is highly recommended, they may not have availability on your moving date of choice, especially if you are moving during a peak season like the summertime. This poses several problems. If you want your preferred office movers but they aren’t available on your date of choice, you may have to be flexible about your moving dates which may not be ideal for your company’s schedule or may not work with your lease terms. If you don’t have flexibility regarding your moving date, you may have to choose your second-choice mover, third choice move or worse – an inexperienced or rogue mover with a poor track record and scary online reviews.

Moving with an inexperienced or poorly rated office movers can be extremely costly. They generally lack the skill, training, expertise and proper equipment necessary to execute a safe and efficient office move. This increases the risk of damage to your furniture, equipment and other belongings not to mention your halls, floors, walls and stairwells. If your mover isn’t insured, you are also left with little recourse if something is damaged, broken or lost. Worse still, if you wind up with a rogue mover, you could end up being hit with hidden fees and paying through the roof for terrible service. 

To avoid moving mayhem, be sure to book your moving company at least a month in advance – or even earlier if you are moving during peak moving season.

At All Jersey Moving & Storage, try to accommodate last minute moving requests and weekend moving requests whenever possible. However, we strongly recommend that our clients contact us as soon as possible to ensure we can meet their needs on a moving date that fits their schedule – especially if they want to move during peak moving seasons. Booking in advance is particularly important for commercial moves, which are often larger in scope.

Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead!

You wouldn't put on a business conference without preparing for months in advance. So too, you shouldn't start preparing for your office move two weeks before you have to be out of the office and into your new space. If you can plan ahead, try to give yourself at least eight weeks (although 12 is even more ideal!) You need time to hire a mover, decide whether you want to keep your systems furniture, organize a packing schedule, clear out the clutter, and more. Last minute residential moves may be stressful, but last-minute office moves are often next to impossible. Don’t put yourself – or your staff – in an unnecessarily stressful and difficult situation.

Assign Clear Roles and Responsibilities

Office moves can feel overwhelming. If you're a business owner with multiple departments, you might feel like you're running a circus where the juggling act has spun out of control. The key to allowing professional business movers to do their job effectively is making sure that your team members are clear on what their roles and responsibilities are leading up to and during the move.

When it comes to packing, all employees should be responsible for their personal packing before the move. Provide your staff with tips on how to pack and unpack their supplies safely and securely. On moving day, all preliminary packing should be complete. Equally important to note is that only personnel involved with the move should be at the office. This way, your office movers have the space to move your boxes and furniture safely and on schedule.

Prepare for the Big Move

Even in the best prepared moves, the month prior to your big move is going to be busy and involve adjustments and additional responsibilities. However, with a seasoned professional office moving company and a well-thought, organized moving plan, you can be prepared for moving day, eliminating chaos and minimizing the disruption to business as usual.

If possible, start planning your move 4-6 months before you actually move. This way, you can attend to all the tasks on your moving to-do list without becoming overwhelmed.

A Minimum of Month Before the Big Business Move

• Purchase the packing supplies and moving boxes you'll need for your move
• Clean out closets, filing cabinets, meeting rooms and storage areas that are infrequently used
• Sell items and furniture that you don't need or donate them to charity
• Send change of address cards to clients, vendors, and other relevant organizations
• Update your contact info on your printed and online marketing materials (i.e. website, business cards, stationary, brochures, newsletters, etc.)
• Get rid of unused old office files and shred all unnecessary papers (don’t bring them with you!)
• Create a floor plan of your old office and new office so you can determine your furniture and equipment needs
• Make your new floorplan available to employees and movers so that everyone knows the plan in advance

One to Two Weeks Before the Big Business Move

• Start labelling your boxes according to employee or the items contained within
• Cancel services at your old location or arrange for them to resume in your new location i.e. cleaning help, security, parking lot snow removal, newspaper subscriptions, etc.
• Donate any furniture or equipment you don’t want or need but were not able to sell
• Consider arranging to place expensive equipment and furniture you want to sell but haven’t been able to sell yet into containerized storage, so you aren’t rushed to sell them at unacceptably low prices

The Week of the Business Move

• Remind employees to clean out and pack their personal spaces
• Unplug electronic machines and make sure wires are properly packaged and labelled so nothing gets misplaced or damaged in the move
• Hold a meeting to inform managers and employees about their moving day responsibilities

The Day of the Business Move

• Whenever possible, limit the involvement of employees on moving day (the concept of "too many cooks in the kitchen" rings true)

All Jersey Moving & Storage – New Jersey’s Office Moving Specialists

All Jersey Moving & Storage is a top-rated New Jersey moving company that can help make sure your office move is smooth and bump-free. We have been moving local companies large and small for many years and have the experience and know-how to handle all your moving needs, whether it's a corporate relocation, small business, or a one-room office.

Dedicated to delivering a smooth relocation, we provide exceptional customer service every step of the way, from the initial contact until the last piece of furniture or equipment is unloaded into your new office. We are also committed to doing all that we can to meet our clients’ office moving needs. This means that we do our utmost to accommodate requests for after hours or weekend office moves to help minimize any damage.

Some of our commercial clients include American Express, Aramark, Citi-Finances, Crump of NY East Coast Power, East Coast Power, E.P.A., Sprint, Lockhead Martin, L’Oréal, Robert Wood Jonson and Salomon Smith Barney.

Contact All Jersey Moving & Storage to discuss your upcoming office move and arrange a free on-site estimate.