Office Relocation Guide

An office relocation has many purposes like a better office site, more amenities, growing clientele, better business opportunities, and most importantly, less expenses. A successful office move depends on detailed planning and management.

The most important thing to get a relocation experience without any hiccups is preparing a list of “To Do Things.” A to-do list is essential to ensure your move will go with the flow without any flaws. So, in this article, we have compiled a list of things to remember while relocating your office.

Set your budget

Office relocation can be expensive and the moving cost involves costs before and after moving. Moving costs for an office can be huge if you shift the office to a bigger place or if the amount is overspent. Setting up a budget can help you manage your finances and make it cost-efficient in many ways.

While preparing the office relocation budget you must consider a few points including:

• Cost of rent of the new office site
• Costs associated with the move-out process
• Cancelling services and utilities at current address- Wi-Fi, power, and networks
• Setting up services and utilities at the new office
• Types of moving services required to handle electronic devices, equipment, and office furniture
• Budget to manage unexpected events
• Cost of hiring a project manager
• Cost of logistics involved in office moving

Plan in advance

As mentioned earlier, for a successful office relocation it is important to have a detailed diversified plan. Once you decide to move, you should inform your staff about the location change. There might be some employees who might have trouble commuting and similar issues should be taken care of. The next thing is to hire a professional office moving company and prepare a plan for IT peripherals. Don’t wait until the last minute to inform your staff, instead involve them in the moving process.

Assign a project manager

Office moving is complex and requires more work. Planning an office relocation can affect business operations. So, it is better to hire a project manager who will manage the entire relocation process. He will be responsible for checking the progress and making decisions related to the move. While he will manage the move, you can focus on your business and other related operations.

To ensure everything goes well, connect with your project manager to check the progress. Here we have listed the major tasks that a project manager for the office move will manage:

• He will set up an office moving budget
• Collect multiple moving estimates from different office moving companies
• Prepare an inventory for moving the office
• Keep track of important dates like the lease date for the current address and new address
• Notifying suppliers, vendors, government organizations, service providers, and more
• Decluttering office records and files you no longer need
• Updating marketing materials
• Keeping an eye on moving activities like packing, moving, and more

Create an inventory

As discussed in one of our previous articles, creating an inventory is a crucial step towards a risk-free and hassle-free move. The next task is to create an inventory with all the items you will transport to the new office. This will help you track the belongings when they are in transition and you can keep an eye on the expensive items. A full-fledged inventory ensures that nothing goes wrong or is left behind.

Inform your IT department

When relocating IT and other electrical equipment, you need to find a mover that will handle such items. Some office moving companies near you will have special types of trucks to carry delicate appliances.

Inform your IT department in advance so they can prepare a backup of all the data and start setting up devices for the move. Some equipment like servers and leased equipment can only be removed after approval from the vendor as it may affect the warranty. In such cases, the vendor will relocate the device on their own.

The IT department should know about the office relocation so they can get everything ready and will reduce the risk of business loss. On-time relocation and setting up of IT servers and equipment will not cause any delay in operations.

Announce your office move to clients

As soon as your move is finalized you should inform your clients about the move. There should be proper communication between the customer and the business. While announcing the move, you should tell your client about the address change. There are many ways to announce your move, and sending emails or promoting moving-out messages on social media are common approaches. While sharing the news of the office move, share the address of the new office, contact number (if changing), and contact details of the project manager.

Get rid of clutter

Decluttering is the first step in packing and moving your office. Once you sort the items before relocating your office, you will have a huge pile of waste papers, furniture, and old equipment. These should be removed from the property before you move out or on the day of moving. Junk removal companies can take care of different types of clutter accumulated. You can also drop some of the waste at recycling units if they fall in that category. Also, some companies organize auctions or sales to get rid of clutter and make some money.

Buy moving insurance

Moving insurance is one of the crucial components that anyone who is relocating must buy. This insurance ensures that your belongings are safe during the move, depending on the parameters mentioned in the insurance policy. There are various types of moving insurance that you can consider while relocating an office. Office equipment and supplies are expensive and need protection during the move. Any mishandling or breakage can burn holes in your pocket but moving insurance during the office move can save you.

Consider employees' convenience

Most businesses decide to move, but they fail to understand the trouble that employees will face. So, once the decision about the move is made, inform your employees about the change in the location and try to understand how they will feel. For some employees, the office relocation can be difficult as they have to commute long distances, travel hours can increase, the cost of transportation will be affected, and they might find it difficult to fit into the new office.

Designing the new office

Relocating an office to a new location gives you a chance to decorate it according to your choice. You can save a portion of your moving budget for the design and interiors of the new office. While decorating the space, you can arrange the furniture to maximize workspace movement. You can decorate the place with paintings and posters with encouraging and happy quotes. Sometimes the work environment can be challenging, so decorate it with art and arrange comfortable furniture.

Simplify Office Relocation - Hire Professional Movers

One of the best ways to make your office move easy and efficient is by hiring a professional mover. Van Lines Move offers full-service office moving at affordable prices. We can help you find solutions for different types of office relocation needs. Connect with us and let us help you move.