When businesses feel like their present office is too small for their growing services, they have to move to larger spaces for better productivity. But moving office equipment is not always that easy. In order to make the move as smooth as possible, there are a few things you can do in advance to ensure a successful transition. Here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Find the best moving company for your needs
There are a lot of moving companies out there who can help you shift your office, but it’s important to pick one that meets your specific needs. A local company with experienced and well-trained movers should be the perfect fit for any large move. If you haven’t had time to find a suitable moving company, you can go online and find a list of companies in your area. If you need to, ask your friends and co-workers for recommendations.
2. Find the right moving equipment
In most cases, businesses have to move just their office furniture from one place to another. You can hire movers with trucks so they can load and unload them without any hassle. But if you have sophisticated or large and heavy machines involved in your operations that need to be moved to your new space, you should consider working with other companies with equipment like cranes, four-legged rigging slings, tow trucks, or anything that suits your moving needs.
3. Figure out how much space will be available in your new office and plan accordingly
Before you move anything, take a look at the space in your new office to see what will fit and what won’t. Most moving companies provide online tools to estimate how much space you’ll need for loading and unloading. By working with such tools, you can plan out your moves ahead of time and avoid costly mistakes like forgetting about an important piece of equipment.
4. Know what items to pack and move yourself, and which ones to leave for the professionals
If you have a lot of things that need to be moved from your old office to your new one, it’s best if you divide them into two groups: those that can be easily packed, loaded, and unloaded by your own movers, and those that require specialized equipment for loading and unloading. This is to make the move faster without compromising safety or convenience.
5. Label your office equipment
This step will not only keep you organized during the moving process, but it can also help prevent damages in case one of your pieces of equipment gets lost in the shuffle. You can print out labels for all of your office equipment before the big move. Make sure that each label is easily visible so it’s not mistaken for another item’s label.
6. Disconnect major electrical appliances
Although most movers are capable of disconnecting large appliances like air conditioners, heaters, or refrigerators, it’s still a good idea to disconnect them from their electrical source yourself to ensure they’re not damaged during the moving process.
7. Get rid of anything that isn’t office equipment
Before your movers begin loading things into their truck, it pays to do some cleaning and throwing out stuff from your old office space. This will help maximize the available space in your office for easier movement.
8. Remove all fragile items
Take out anything that can break during the moving process like glass tables, fragile equipment, or any item you don’t want to get damaged when it’s being transported from one place to another. It would be a nightmare if your computers suddenly stopped working because they were dropped.
9. Find a temporary home for your office equipment
If you have valuable or expensive equipment that’s going to stay in storage for a while, it pays to have them stored in a monitored facility so they won’t be damaged or disappear overnight. If you don’t want to spend more money on renting out storage space for your office equipment, you can ask your mover to look for a storage facility that’s close to the new office location.
10. Communicate with your new building’s management team
Finally, it’s important to make sure that your furniture can be delivered to your new office without any problems. If you’re planning to move during the evening or on weekends, ask if that will be an acceptable time for them. You should also discuss the size of truck that can go into their parking area so your furniture doesn’t get damaged by hitting the ceiling.
Maintaining a good plan, following through, hiring good movers, and preparing your equipment for transportation properly should help you avoid all the hassles of an office move. By following the tips in this article, you can make your move to a new office as smooth as possible.
