Over the past years we have completed hundreds of office relocations and now with our blog we would like to help you out with your upcoming relocation. One thing we find to be important is making an Office Relocation Checklist which will help in keeping everything organized. No matter why you are moving (lease expiring, expanding, downsizing, lease break, etc) a checklist will help. Also a great idea is having a "Moving Team" or appointing someone to lead the move.. a "Project Manager" of sorts..be sure that it is someone who is knowledgeable in the business needs and understands all that is required in an office move. Someone who is trustworthy, senior enough to make decisions for the company, a good organizer, good communicator as there are many different people to work with during a move, and someone who works well within a budget. Which brings us to our next point, a budget needs to be made that way there are no surprises along the way. Make sure your "Project Manager" is well aware of the budget. Always remember to start the moving process early to ensure you will enough time.
Now back to the checklist..Items that should be included in this checklist are where you want to move or are moving, the square footage of the new space, how many employees will be moved, a timeline of when you need to be out of the previous building and into the new site, what features your business requires in the new site, the type of lease you require and the length, have a list of furniture/items that need to be moved, order moving boxes, have a list of items that need to be purchased, if you are expanding or acquiring new furniture compile a list of items that are now needed that can be easily sent to the furniture company, find a moving professional to complete your move, choose a move in date where you will not lose too many working hours. A business still needs to run during a move and it's a good idea to move after business hours or on a weekend, contact your phone/internet/tv provider and schedule the move or a change of phone/fax number if neccesary. Order signage for the new site (if needed), between 2-4 weeks before the move in date - remove all "junk" and unwanted clutter from current office space, order keys and needed access cards, order new checks, update webpage, send change of address notices out to clients, vendors, etc. If needed arrange storage for all for items that will not be moved, notify the Post Office of change of address, label all boxes going to new site, back up all computers. Lastly have the moving company come in and take down the existing furniture and move into the new location. You will want an employee/ the assigned project manager on site to guide movers at existing site & the new location as well. Be sure to not schedule any important client meetings during the move in and to notify clients that you will be unavailable during parts of the move. There are items that will come up during this process and your checklist should be changed accordingly. Every move is different as each company is different and will have changing needs.
Hiring a professional moving company is very important in the move. Research companies in your area and meet with them to make sure it is a good fit. From experience our company will always come out to your site and inventory the items that need to be moved so that nothing is missed. We will also view the new site and help you design a layout for your new building optimizing the space. We also like to meet with our clients face to face and make it a more personal experience that way everyone is more comfortable.
After the move be sure to return to the old site and make sure nothing was missed. Any excess "trash" will need to be removed. Inspect the new building to ensure all furniture/boxes are in the correct places. Collect old keys/keycards and give out new keys as required. Be sure the address, phone & fax numbers have been updated in all the correct places.
This last piece isn't necessary but a way to bring comfort to the new site is to have a company brunch or something of that sort.
If you have any questions about this blog or need assistance with your upcoming move please feel free to contact us! We can be reached at:
PROS Install, Inc.
408.931.6000 office
email - service@prosinstall.com
