Commercial relocation is often considered a task that requires a considerable amount of time and elbow grease. It in fact is a hard pull for it requires months of elaborate planning and efforts till the day of execution and sometimes even after that. Moving your costly equipment while managing your workflow alongside can sometimes put you in a dilemma, “to move or not to move”. Yelp! But we have got you covered with our free commercial moving checklist that will ease your stress to a great extent.

Choosing the best commercial moving company is not enough. There still remains some work on your part. You need to plan and segregate the move into phases.

Squeezing in all the tasks in one moving checklist is impossible but we have curated some important tasks that are prerequisites for a seamless move.

Tips for Smooth Commercial Move

Handling a commercial move successfully avoiding chaos and mishaps is a great responsibility. The relocation from your old place to the new one is full of problems, for instance, disorganized furniture, things getting lost in the shifting process and employees juggling between work and the transition. Hiring the best commercial moving company is not the answer to these problems. To make your moving day effortless you need to follow the following tips:

Effective Communication:

Effective communication is the key to a successful commercial move. Your employees should be made aware of every step and aspect of the moving process. Understand their concerns beforehand and facilitate them with the supplies they need to pack their stuff. This way they will feel included and also know their part in the process.

Also, the project manager responsible for the move should be the main point of contact for the commercial moving company as well as for the employees.

Downsize and Declutter:

Don’t take the clutter to the new location. Only take those items that are in good condition to the new location. Discard or donate the damaged furniture and get rid of the extra files and documents.

Create a checklist:

Individual checklists are imperative to make the transition seamless and keep your business until the moving day. Curate a checklist of things and tasks that require action based on priority from the day you decide to move.

The checklists

You must be wondering how to go about a commercial move/office relocation without interrupting your business activities. The answer is to get a dedicated checklist for every department as well as a general checklist. It is not wise to put everything into one moving checklist. Stay organized on a bigger scale by segregating your checklists as follows:

Checklist 1: 6 months prior to the move

This is the checklist that deals with the management and moving of the office staff. The first step is to consider the problems related to the logistical side of the process. Here are some of the points that go on this checklist:

1. Check building maintenance issues
2. Make a planning team and share the responsibilities equally
3. Segregate low risk and high-risk items. Also, separate those items that need to be insured
4. Declutter
5. Make a monthly budget
6. Choose a commercial moving company and secure a moving date.

Checklist 2: 3 months prior to the move

Once you are done with the general tasks, now is the time to add some specific tasks on the checklist which are:

1. Time to settle terms with your landlord and select the date of the termination of the contract
2. Inform your employees
3. Generate an internal moving plan
4. Book an external storage solution

Checklist 3: One month prior to the move

Now the moving process starts becoming stressful as the moving day becomes nearer. The checklist one month prior to the move consists of the following tasks:

1. Start packing small things and put tags on the boxes.
2. Map out the new office with the locations of different departments
3. Inform your customers and clients about your relocation and new office address. It can be done through emails or social media.
4. Hire a cleaning company if necessary for the new office

Checklist 4: One week prior to the move

1. This is the time when communication and coordination among the designated teams and with the moving company are really important.
2. Thoroughly inspect the new place and make the necessary changes.
3. Start the packing phase with the help of the commercial movers.

Checklist 5: On the day of the move and after

1. Supervise the loading process. Bulkier items should be loaded first
2. Transport the smaller items via cars
3. Set up the new office. Ask the IT services team to set up the workstations. Install other accessories as well.
4. Check the offloaded items with the list you have made
5. Check the cleaning process of the office