Moving your office to a new location requires a lot of planning and research. If your office is anything like most corporate offices, then you likely have expensive furniture and delicate equipment that needs to be handled with extreme care. You may also have items that you don’t need in your new office and may need to be disposed of correctly. You will then have to find the right moving company and get an estimate for your corporate move. So the first thing to do when moving your office is to make a comprehensive checklist taking into account everything. Here is our ultimate office move checklist to help you do that.
- Prepare a moving schedule: Start planning as far as possible in advance and prepare a moving schedule and timeframe. Do this even if you have to move urgently due to unforeseen circumstances.
- Make a list of things to do: Sit down with your staff and make a list of things to do and delegate tasks to the right people. Make sure to involve everyone so that all employees know their duties during the move.
- Set up a moving committee: If you think that it will require more than a few people to accomplish the task, set up a moving committee and put each member of the committee in charge of specific tasks.
- Disseminate information: All of your office staff, business associates, customers and concerned government authorities should know that you are moving. So disseminate the information by office circular, email, telephone, notice board and word-of-mouth. Contact clients and colleagues to inform them of your office move.
- Plan the new office layout: Visit your new office and plan a layout. Hire an interior decorator if necessary. Planning the layout in advance makes it easy for you to move your office stuff to the right place at minimum cost.
- Get quotes from moving companies: Research corporate moving companies in your area and get quotes from all of them. Compare the quotes to find the most suitable company in terms of cost and quality of service.
- Contact technical service providers: If you have computer networks, photocopiers and other equipments that require special technical assistance, then contact the service providers to uninstall and install them before and after moving.
- Make a packing schedule: You cannot just pack things in advance, so prepare a packing schedule. Set a timetable for packing specific things on specific days so that daily business won’t be affected. Purchase packing supplies in advance. Also, do not forget to hand out clear packing instructions to staff members.
- Clear all your outstanding debts: If you have any outstanding expenses owed to the landlord and utility companies, make sure to clear all your debts to avoid lawsuits in the future. Never run away from your responsibilities even when you are moving out of the city.
- Buy insurance: Determine what type of insurance coverage you will need to protect your furniture and equipment from damage, breakage and loss on the way. Get quotes from several insurance companies and buy the right one well in advance. Give this item top priority in your moving checklist.
At McWilliams, we are experts in commercial in corporate moving. We can handle your electronic equipment and sensitive business information with care and discretion. Our office moving service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get a free estimate today for your office move.