When it becomes necessary to relocate your business, you’ll have to create a plan that will allow you to undertake the move as efficiently as possible. This includes avoiding common mistakes that could cost you more time and money than you would otherwise have to spend. This guide can help you make that move as cost-effectively and safely as possible.
Don’t Forget the Administrative Details
There’s no denying that a big relocation requires addressing dozens of concerns, and the entire practice can become pretty hectic if you don’t prepare for the relocation in advance. Among your preparations, be sure to assign important tasks to those on your staff. For instance, assigning one person to handle the address change for your business will help you avoid miscommunications that could end up with lost or misplaced mail. When you leave the address change to multiple people, there may be partners, vendors, or third-party services who aren’t notified about the change. When you assign a single person to this task and provide them with access to the necessary data, you can trust they will handle the administrative details. When you arrive at your new location, you’ll find all of your mail and packages waiting there for you.
Hire A Professional Moving Company
In the past, it has been a common practice for businesses to handle a relocation internally, trusting their own employees to help with the transportation of office furnishings, equipment, and documents. While your staff may be efficient and skilled in handling their own jobs, a relocation should be handled by professional movers. One concern that makes this option preferable is the required insurance. Even if you rent a moving van, you’ll still have to insure your belongings and cover the vehicle insurance for any private vehicles used for business purposes. You can avoid this situation entirely by hiring an established moving company that maintains its own insurance. While you can add extra coverage if you choose, every licensed moving company will cover their vehicles and protect their customers.
Don’t Forget To Research Movers
While hiring professional movers is a smart decision, you can harm yourself by failing to research the moving company you plan to hire. Committing to hire the first company you come across can leave you in a bad situation with movers who may not be properly licensed, charge too much, or take too many risks with their customers’ belongings. The internet makes it relatively easy to research movers prior to hiring any company. You can start by searching for the business name on the Better Business Bureau, Google, and other consumer protection sites. As you read reviews, pay attention to the number of poor reviews and the specific problems previous customers mention in their reviews. This can help you determine if the business will treat you well when you hire them for your relocation.
Don’t Take Everything
You can lighten the work for your employees and reduce what you’ll pay your movers by getting rid of old furnishings and broken equipment. It’s more than likely that your business has amassed a great deal of junk that you no longer use but haven’t removed from your property. This is the ideal time to deal with that waste. If some of it can be salvaged or repurposed, try holding a sale to get rid of it. You can use the money you make from a second-hand sale to pay the movers. Anything else should be sent to the local landfill or donated to a recycling company. There are even tech recycling companies that use secure processes to ensure any data remaining on recycled devices will be properly protected and deleted. This can help you improve your eco-friendly practices as you eliminate items that don’t really need to go with you to your new location.
Don’t Forget To Be Flexible
You might think you’re being frugal by scheduling your move close to your move-out date, but that can leave you in a tight spot. If your new location isn’t ready on time, there’s a severe storm, or your movers run into a snag, you may not be able to move out on time. However, since you scheduled the relocation so close to the move-out date on your current building, you may end up having to pay large fees for occupying the building for a few extra days. The best thing to do is to schedule your relocation for a week or two in advance. This gives you extra time in the event that you can’t vacate the property as planned.
Don’t Move During Rush Hour
You’ll help yourself by scheduling your move for a weekday and at a time that’s either early in the morning or later in the evening. Choosing the best times to move will help you by enabling you to enjoy savings on the fees you’ll pay your movers. Additionally, your property will be transported faster since there will be less traffic. There will also be a reduced risk of damages since less traffic means a lower risk of accidents on the road. If you’re unsure about the best time to move, ask your moving company. They will be happy to recommend the best times for the move.
Don’t Forget to Create An Inventory
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make in undertaking a relocation is failing to create a detailed inventory. This should include listing every item in each box and printing that list on the exterior of the box. Each box should be labeled as well so you can look at the master inventory sheet and find each box or find out where each item is located. If you hire your movers to pack for you, they will take care of this service as well. Either way, you should be able to find any item or document in just a few minutes. A detailed inventory will also help you file a claim if something is damaged or lost.
In the months before your planned relocation, you should begin looking for more ways to make your business’ relocation as efficient as possible. You can start by asking your employees for suggestions and looking for ideas from other area business owners. When you create a plan well in advance and open yourself up to new ideas from other business leaders, you’ll be able to avoid even more common relocation mistakes.
Sources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251535
https://www.smallbizdaily.com/office-relocation-avoid-mistakes-moving-office/
