Usually, when you’re relocating your business office, it’s an exciting time. You’re upgrading your space to expand the scope of your business, or you’re relocating to a new area that is ripe with opportunities. 

Well, the Texas area has seen a boom in commercial and business-oriented development, and we know a lot of you might be moving here to get those benefits. 

How do you do it, though? 

Here’s an office moving checklist to help you navigate this exciting, but stressful, time.

 

1: Understand the Scope of Your Move

 

First and foremost, you need to understand the scope of your move. Are you relocating your office locally to enjoy a bigger space, or are you moving into the area from several states away to target a new demographic of clients? That matters.

A long-distance move is far more resource-intensive and stressful, and you’ll have to navigate those difficulties with a bit more planning and resource management.

Of course, all the tips on our office moving checklist will serve you well regardless. You’ll just need to implement them more extensively during a big move. 

 

2: Budget

 

Moving isn’t cheap. You can leverage a variety of strategies to lower the cost of moving, but you’re going to spend a pretty penny regardless. 

An office move has some extra costs to consider.

Primarily, a lot of larger furniture items and fragile items like computers will need to be moved, and they require considerable space and packing material to move them safely. This is a lot different than totes of toys, knickknacks, and clothing like a normal move. 

Research the average cost of moving an office the size of yours, and use that to create a budget for the move. 

We recommend making a budget that allows for a bit of breathing room. Many marketing campaigns will undermine the costs slightly to make it seem cheaper, and you want to make sure you’re properly funding the move to avoid surprises. 

 

3: Contact a Moving Team and Book a Date

 

You likely have a moving day in mind, but unfortunately, it’s not always possible for moving companies to book you for your intended day. 

It’s best to work on planning your moving date while contacting your preferred office mover. 

Start by having a range of dates you’re willing to work with. To keep it simple, pick a moving week. If that’s not possible, find every day in your schedule that you can afford to move on, and write those dates down. 

Then, research a variety of moving companies and determine which one is the best choice according to price, quality of service, and service features. 

Once you know who you want to work with, reach out, give them the dates you have, and see if they can work with that.

Not only does this give the moving company more room to work you into the schedule instead of just telling you “no”, but it might also give you a little negotiating room because you’re being considerate of the moving company’s needs. It’s an “I itch your back and you itch mine” type of situation. 

Now, you’ll have your moving day planned and officially booked assuming you commit to the offer.

 

4: Lighten Your Load

 

Next, you’ll want to lighten your load. Moving companies don’t work on flat rates for every move; you typically pay according to the size of your move and any additional services you choose.

If you can cut down the size of your moving load, you can dramatically lower your moving costs, the time requirements of the move, and the amount of stuff you have to deal with once you’re in your new location. 

The best way to do this is to take a good look at everything in the office, and then start determining what isn’t necessary. Do you have tons of boxes of paperwork you don’t need? 

Maybe you’ve held onto a bunch of old office equipment “just in case” but never actually used it. Try to get rid of that stuff before the move. It’s not necessary, it will increase your moving costs, and it lead to you unloading a ton of stuff that you don’t even plan to use.

To simplify this process, you can always use junk removal services if you need help with clearing out your space. Not only will this make the move more efficient, but it will also help you start fresh in your new office with only the essentials.

 

5: Insure the Move

 

This is maybe the most important step in our office moving checklist.

You always want to buy insurance for an office move.

You have thousands of dollars of equipment and non-replaceable items in your office building. While a high-quality mover does their best, you can’t fully rule out car accidents affecting the moving truck, items being left behind, bad weather creating horrible driving conditions, etc. 

Spend the extra money, pay for moving insurance, and rest easy knowing that you’ll be compensated if a catastrophe occurs.

Hopefully, you’ll finish the move and feel like you wasted money because if you finish the move and realize fourteen computers are destroyed after an accident, and you didn’t pay for insurance, it’s a lot worse.

 

6: Work with Your Staff

 

When a family moves, everyone’s typically on board, and they have the same opinions. They’re going on the same journey. When you’re moving an office building that people rely on to support their own families, it gets complicated. 

Take time throughout the entire process to see what each staff member expects, what their preferences are, if they need another option or an “out” that doesn’t affect their future, etc. 

Don’t simply call a moving company, tell all your employees on a moving day that their livelihood is being uprooted, and then expect them to personally haul all their office materials to the new location. It’s bad for business and can spoil the event. 

A great way to do this is to make a moving committee at the beginning of the process. Get employees involved, or choose a couple of employees as representatives, and get them involved. It will make it all a lot smoother.

 

Book Your Office Relocation with Bantu Mover Today

 

After reading our office moving checklist, you are probably ready for the final step: finding the best moving company to ensure a smooth and efficient relocation.

Your office and everything in it is crucial for your business’s survival. When you plan to move your office, Bantu Mover has got you covered with the highest quality moving and packing services available. 

Book your moving date with Bantu Mover today!