Relocating a retail store or office can be stressful. However, with proper planning and an experienced office removalist, it can go smoothly.

Businesses move for various reasons, such as positioning closer to a growing market, changes in state tax laws, a shifting customer base, the end of a lease, or the need to expand office space.

Prepare early

How far in advance should you book a move?

Contacting an office removalist gives you time to pack up your belongings while the commercial mover gets lead time to adjust to your moving schedule.

Standard lead time is 5 days or weeks in some areas where demand for office removals is high.

Planning before moving out helps in:

• Reducing downtime: All potential issues or areas of contention are identified and mitigated to ensure a smooth transition and minimal disruption from both parties.
• Saves on cost: Rush decisions increase overheads. With the right preparation, one can negotiate, search for discounts, and get the best deal.
• Plan for IT infrastructure setup: Keep in mind that you will be required to set up your IT infrastructure when you move to the new place.
• Legal considerations: Ensure all legal paperwork, lease agreements, and compliance checks are sorted out before moving out.

Here are some of the actions you can set into motion in advance:

• Notify your customers: Ensure your customers are informed about the move well in advance. Use social media channels or email lists to communicate the details months before the relocation. Adding a banner on your website’s landing page with the new location and relocation date can further assist. Additionally, place a sign beside the door for regular visitors to your physical location or storefront. If the budget permits, consider issuing a press release to local media.
• Notify employees: Workers are the backbone of your retail store. You can make formal announcements to let them know about the move before you notify customers. If it will involve staff having to relocate too, share information on the new location, like available amenities.
• Leverage innovation: leverage inventory management software to efficiently track your inventory. Additionally, coordinate this seamlessly with project management tools for better organization.
• Anticipate downtimes: amidst the hectic process of relocating to a new place, there may be continuous training and rotation of staff to assist with pre-moving activities.

Get the right specialist.

Suitable office movers should be able to pack, transport, load, and unload your items.

They must have the expertise to re-connect IT office equipment and transport it around safely.

How you go about your discovery call matters. What are some of the top questions asked here:

• Take time to research removalists with proven experience by reading what previous clients say in their reviews
• Ask if the movers have liability or any other form of safety insurance covering the items in transit.
• Will they provide special packing, labeling, and setup material?
• What are their skills, can they comfortably disconnect and reconnect computer equipment?
• In the event it is inevitable, can they provide emergency storage for a furni
• Ask for not less than 3 quotes, compare their pricing, and proceed cautiously with low offers which might conceal hidden fees or poor customer service.
• Can removalists accommodate your moving schedule?
• Do the experts have modern trolleys, tricks, and other packing materials?
• The contract provided is detailed with timelines, listed services, and documented costs.

Pack like a pro

Office removalist services have perfected how to pack efficiently, safely, and with minimized downtime. Here are ways of going about packing:

Organization

The movers will have everything packed into boxes that are labeled and set in color codes with numbered systems making it easier to unpack.

Have them separated by the department that way you know which ones are of the highest priority when loading.

It also helps to know that items such as IT equipment are delicate and must be loaded onto a section where they are not compressed or exposed to the elements.

Technology

Packing, loading, and unloading technological equipment such as computers or servers requires bubble wrap.

Before you unplug your computers in the office, ensure all data is backed up.

Have all cables labeled and stored in zip-lock bags, that way it prevents confusion when setting up at the new place.

Protect furniture and fittings

Expert movers know how to disassemble office desks and shelves to make them easy to transport. Fragile surfaces that could get scarred must be wrapped with foam padding or moving blankets.

Meanwhile, the heavy furniture can be moved with sliders scratching the floors.

Organize your documentation

Storing documentation will differ from furniture and equipment. Place your documents into containers that are waterproof and fireproof.

First scan then digitize key documents to reduce your paper clutter. You can enhance the safety of your transport by using file-safe boxes.

Pack smart for quick setup

When loading your office items into the transport truck, place essential items last so they can be unloaded first for easy access.

You can label it “Office Essentials” for its tools, chargers, and other office supplies. If you are tech savvy you can have QR codes and other detailed inventory lists for tracking.

IT Infrastructure and services

Safely relocating your IT infrastructure helps in achieving a seamless transition:

• Talk with your IT service team: work with expert IT services teams to develop strategic plans for moving out and relocating your IT infrastructure.
• Make a plan and prepare an IT setup: Look at office space that is primed with power supply, network capabilities, and infrastructure that helps with your IT setup.
• Secure ISP and Telecom providers before the move: coordinate with your current internet service provider (ISP) and set up phone line installations to ensure seamless connectivity.
• Backup critical data: safeguard your business data in hard drives or cloud storage applications. This ensures access is uninterrupted during the relocation process.

It’s now moving day

Pre-moving

Start with final checks on your inventory and verify everything that is packed, labeled, and documented.

Begin moving your emergency kit of essential items like office keys and IT backups. Finally, get a team briefing on the floor plan and items that are of high priority.

Be organized

Begin packing your items strategically starting with the heavy items such as filing cabinets and desks loaded into the truck first.

Pack fragile IT equipment separately so they are not damaged. Enhance organization at your new office by creative numbering or color-coding the boxes.

During the move, use dollies, trolleys, and other lifting straps to safeguard both the movers and belongings.

Wrap the furniture in blankets and padding to safeguard their edges or fragile surfaces.

Items loaded onto the truck must be strapped to prevent erratic shifting that can damage other items.

Transportation

Most moving companies know the most efficient routes that help avoid traffic. High-value documents and sensitive material can also be moved separately.

Unloading and setup

It is assumed that you have visited the final location multiple times and created an action plan detailing where each item will be placed.

Dolly the furniture, desks, and equipment to their designated areas. Have IT and network teams working on the server rooms and workstations. Then set up the office phones, printers, and power strips as a top priority.

Wrap up

A final walkthrough of the old office is necessary to ensure nothing was left behind.

Old office

• Cleaning: Most businesses will hire professional cleaning services to do the move-in and move-out cleaning. Only start cleaning when everything has been removed to avoid having to re-do it again. At the new location, you want a deep clean of the floors, windows, carpets, common areas, and restrooms too.
• Junk removal: Waste from packing materials, outdated equipment, and other junk materials have to be disposed of according to local regulations.
• Final checks: Verify that essential utilities, such as phone and internet, are fully operational.
• Decommissioning: in some lease contracts the mover is supposed to return the office to its pre-occupancy state. Fittings like signage, electrical fixtures, branding, and wires should be removed. Anything damaged like burned-out light bulbs should be replaced.

New office

• Cleaning: Just like at the old office, you can hire professional cleaners or liaise with your office removals to have the new office deep-cleaned before moving in.
• Unpack systematically: use the plan developed for unpacking items to set up workstations where everything is unloaded in an orderly process—starting with the essentials like phones, office supplies, and computers.
• Have a moving pointman: to coordinate everything on-site in an orderly way, and appoint a person who will instruct and oversee the entire process.
• Change your address: Update your office location on local listings such as Yelp and Google My Business. Additionally, notify suppliers, clients, and business partners about the new address change.

Final thoughts

When moving out of your current law firm, retail store, showroom, or bank, hiring office removals will save you the time and stress of executing the move.

While this goes o you and your staff can continue focusing on delivering quality to your customers.