Tips for Moving to a New Office

Whether you work at a small or a large company, moving to a new office is something that you might have to face at some point.

Sometimes a business just outgrows its surroundings, while other times it’s a financial decision. No matter the reason, moving to a new office is an important undertaking and some specific steps should be followed to ensure it goes smoothly.

At the end of the day, you want your possessions intact, and you want to disrupt productivity as little as possible.

Find the Right MoversSuccessful office moving requires the right movers. Many residential movers don’t really have any office moving experience, so it’s wise to find a mover that lists moving offices among its specialties.

Look for a mover with office moving experience, favorable reviews and testimonials and reasonable prices. You may want to shop around a little before making your choice, so you find a mover that meets all your needs.

Packing up the OfficeOnce the mover has been found and the office moving day is arranged, you can focus on packing up the office. When packing the office:

• Empty all the desks completely • Leave the contents inside upright filing cabinets, but lock the cabinet• Empty the contents from lateral filing cabinets and lock the cabinet• Remove all the contents of bookcases, then tape the shelves together

Office Packing Tips cont…

• Pack the contents of closets and coat racks, including hangers.

• Disconnect the power cords of computers and smaller office machines. Pack mouse, keyboards, cords and other elements.

• Remove the contents from supply cabinets and pack the contents.

• Remove boards and photos from the walls and wrap them up to avoid damage.

Labelling Along with packing up, it’s also important to label everything so the office moving personnel know where everything goes in the new office. It also helps employees identify and place items in the new surroundings.

Label every piece of equipment and every box that is packed up. If something is separated into three sections, label each part. For boxes, include the contents and for equipment and furniture, where it should go in the new office.

Get a Floor PlanMake an effort to provide a floor plan of the new office to the movers before office moving day. This will be a great help when they are trying to decide where everything goes and how each office is supposed to be set up.

Take the time to double check the floor plan yourself, so everything ends up exactly where you want it to be.

Plan as Far Ahead as PossiblePlanning is one of the cornerstones of any successful move, and that element is no different when moving into a new office. For a business, you’ll also have to consider aspects such as your phone service, internet connection and computer network, far ahead of time.

As soon as you know you’re going to move, start planning every apsect of the move so everyone can make a smooth transition to the new place.

Anticipate Down TimeEven if your plans don’t seem to indicate any down time, it’s still wise to plan for it. Delays happen, weather happens, mistakes happen and moving is an unpredictable animal.

If you plan for no down time and get some anyway, it could affect your operations. However, if you do plan for some and everything goes well, you can consider it an added bonus.

Take the Opportunity to UpgradeOne tip that not many business owners think of is to take the opportunity to upgrade when switching to a new office. Consider upgrades in your office furniture, internal computer network, internet provider, computer monitors, office equipment or any other area that could use a boost.

Take a good look at your budget when you start the process and see if you can’t fit in an upgrade or two as part of the office moving process.

Before You LeaveBefore you walk out the door for the last time and let the movers do their thing, make sure:• Desks are empty• Cabinets are empty• Filing cabinets are locked• Walls are empty• Computers disconnected• Boxes are labeled• Office furniture is labeled

ReferencesJim Clifford Moving Services Inc. offers office moving services to the Toronto region. They are located at 1869-1895 Clements Road Pickering, ON L1W 3R8 (905) 427-0007. For a quote, visit http://www.jimcliffordmoving.com/.