10 Tips for Stress-Free Business Moving

It’s hard to believe, but the business relocation industry is a $25 billion a year industry. Some companies shell out millions in business moving expenses just to end relocate their offices across town.

With that kind of budget hanging over your head, you want to eliminate stress wherever you can.

You’ve got equipment, products, and infrastructure to get to your new location. On top of how this could affect your staffing and their overall happiness, you’re going have to manage a lot of people experiencing this hectic process.

In order to keep stress and disruption to a minimum, follow these 10 tips for a calmer business moving experience.

1. Figure Out What You Can Get Rid Of

You can save a whole lot of money by not moving things you don’t need in your next office. Likely, you might have a room full of old printers, ancient PCs, and furniture of questionable age.

Along with that old office equipment, you’re likely to have old accessories, cables, ink, and accouterments that go along with that old stuff. Have your IT and office management staff go through and mark things that are essential. Then get the employees involved in your business moving.

Have a big giveaway day where you have a lottery for old equipment. Remind staff to come in with batteries and their old technology. Everything can be given away.

Whatever’s left can be donated to a non-profit or a women’s shelter.

2. Start Packing Early

Depending on how big your operation is, you should start packing even a couple of months in advance of your big move. Get everyone in the mindset that they shouldn’t hang onto things they don’t need.

Put together a schedule so that you know what sections of your office can be packed first and which ones have to wait until the last days. If you receive regular shipments, have them sent to your new location rather than clutter your packing area.

If you need to store some things during the moving period, find a storage service ASAP.

3. Give Lead Time To Your Movers

If you’re working with a moving company, start calling them a couple of months in advance if possible. This will give you time to compare quotes and get their insurance information. You want to be covered in the case of any damages or accidents.

If they’re going to be doing the packing for you, make sure you prep everything before you get your business moving started. They don’t choose what will go and what will be trashed. If you leave a crate of old trash lying around, your moving company will bring that to your new location.

4. Properly Label Your Boxes

Make sure your boxes are marked clearly. If you make it clear to your moving company where boxes should go, they can keep your office organized.

Marking your boxes with what floor they belong on will expedite the move-in process and get your team back to work. Having important supplies or files in the hardest to find boxes can impact your bottom line.

This is also important for accountability. Telling your moving company that you expect 60 boxes coming for your HR department and finding only 59 will let you know ASAP there’s something wrong.

It can be difficult to backtrack and hold a business moving company accountable once you’ve already sent them a check.

5. All those Computer Cables

This is one place where you’ve got to stay organized. Remove all of the cables at once, use rubber bands to keep them together and place them in zip-locked bags. Tape those bags to each machine so you know where they belong.

Keeping cables attached to machines will lead to damage to the cable, or worse, the ports where they plug in. To save money on repairs and time setting up stations, keep everything together, separately.

6. Packing Computers and Monitors

Back up all of your computers before you pack them up. Just in case anything is damaged or moving trucks drive past a giant magnet speeding down the road, you want to protect your data.

Computers and monitors will bang around no matter how well they’re packed. Be sure you’re prepared for the worst.

Make sure you have an adequate amount of bubble wrap and thick moving blankets. Thankfully newer monitors are easier to move than those old CRT type screens but they still need to be handled with care.

Pack any external or removable drives as carefully as you would a box of wine glasses. Keep them safe from moisture or be squished by heavier items.

7. Moving the Rest of Your Electronics

Packing your electronics and appliances is more complicated than just piling things in boxes. Printers are still one of the most fragile office appliances around. Take out cartridges, tape down all the covers and lids before packing them up.

If you still use fax machines or have bigger copiers around, do the same with them. As you’ve probably experienced, even a slightly open drawer can cause a headache. Protect every latch and door by placing tape on them.

For added protection, find a thin layer of bubble wrap to place over printer/scanner screens.

8. Protect Yourself With Insurance

Make sure you’ve got insurance for any trucks you hire. Double check the plan that your moving company provides.

If you’re handling most of the move on your own, see what the truck company covers.

When hiring anyone, be sure their company also ensures their workers. Otherwise, you could get stuck with a bill if they drop a computer on their foot. Companies who hire “contractors” may not cover workers on their own plan.

Be as thorough as you can.

9. Update Your Contacts

Well before your move, send out an email to all of your contacts telling them of the move. Make sure staff has new business cards.

Be sure to update your website, google business account, and any social media you use. This is the first way people find out about you so you don’t want to lose new customers.

Go through all of your business contacts and whoever you advertise with just to make sure you don’t forget anyone.

10. Make a List and Be Easy On Yourself

You are sure to forget someone or something. It happens to everyone. Just make sure you’ve got a good list, take input from staff and coworkers and try to stick to it.

Business will hit a bump during the course of the move but don’t let that slow you down. Stay focused and you’ll be fine.

Don’t Handle Business Moving Alone

You should feel comfortable giving staff members a role in this process. The more they can help to prepare, the less will be on your shoulders. That will also equal less time they have to interrupt you with complaints.

If you’re still trying to figure out if you can afford to move your office, feel free to contact us for a quote. We can help make this move as stress-free as possible.