Office Moving Guide Part II: How to Successfully Relocate Your Business
From getting the entire team on board to making a new floor plan that meets the needs of every department, moving your office to another location can be a logistical nightmare. Careful planning is vital in order to prevent unnecessary problems and resume operations at your new location with minimal hassle.
In the first part of this guide, we gave you some pointers on when to book office moving services in San Diego and how to plan the early stages of your move. Now we’ll list everything you should do during the month leading up to the move. Read on to learn more.
How do you prepare for an office move?
Relocating a business can be an exceedingly complex and stressful undertaking. Luckily, with some proper planning and the right moving company on your side, you can greatly streamline the entire process.
Here’s how to organize the final steps of your office move:
A Month before the move
- Cancel utilities at your current office and transfer them to the new location.
- Inventory everything (supplies, equipment, furniture, etc.) to avoid losing anything during the move.
- Prepare moving supplies such as packing tape, cardboard boxes, labeling materials, and anything else your employees will need if they’re packing up their own desks.
- Send out emails or snail mail to notify your customers and clients that you’re changing locations.
- Update address listings at your business accounts, banks and other financial institutions, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, review site listings, company website, social media accounts, and so on.
2 Weeks before the move
- Prepare a detailed itinerary with your moving company.
- Back-up your files. Backing up your essential data and documents will make sure nothing is lost in case one of the computers gets damaged in transit.
- Order access cards and keys for the new office to make sure they’re ready to hand out as soon as you move in.
- Get rid of old office furniture and other inventory that’s on its last legs and not worth taking with you.
A week before the move
- Visit your new office and thoroughly inspect it to ensure it’s ready to admit your business. Double-check that all the lights and utilities are working. If anything has been left out, now’s the time to deal with it.
- Give your moving day schedule a once-over. Verify when the movers will show up, who will be onsite to greet them, which supplies have to be ready when they arrive, and so on. Make sure you have enough packing materials.
- Employees should pack personal items. However, you may want to have monitors, computers, and other IT items handled by your IT department or your moving company.
- Check your old office for any damages, missing items, or other problems that you’ll have to report to your ex-landlord.
After the move
- Verify that everything is working. Wi-Fi, IT systems, cable connections, phones, computers, and other systems should all be checked to ensure they’ve been properly installed and set up.
- Unpack. Involve your employees in the unpacking effort and remember to remove tags from furniture and equipment. Get some supply cabinets if you haven’t already and restock basic supplies (eg., paper, printer toner, soap, toilet paper, etc.).
- Double-check that your old lease has been terminated, that all the addresses have been changed, and that your clients, investors, partners, affiliates, and so on have all been properly notified of your relocation.
Where can I book dependable office moving services in San Diego?
Are you planning to relocate your business from Rancho Penasquitos to another part of San Diego? Or perhaps you’ve decided to leave the city entirely and move to a different state, country, or even continent?
Whatever your moving needs may be, having a reputable moving company like Move Central in your corner can make the entire process much easier and ensure your company’s belongings safely reach their new home. Give us a call if you’d like to ask further questions, or use our website to request your free quote today.