There is an opinion that all the moves are the same, meaning that it is not a big difference if you are moving your apartment, house or an office. If you are reading this text, that means that you are probably already informed about the commercial moving services and what it involves. However, if this is your first time arranging this type of move, you came to the right place.
Commercial moves are different from apartment or house moves, since they require a more professional approach from office movers, special equipment and specific knowledge. There are a few differences between the regular residential move and a commercial move.
Commercial moves require more planning and more dedication. Besides only moving and transportation of belongings, commercial moves require a specific moving date that would be preferable for the business, they cannot take too long and they transport a lot of sensitive and business equipment that need special care.
So, Should You Hire Office Movers for Your Upcoming Relocation?
If you already have experience with moving your household or your apartment, bear in mind that your experience will not be of much help when it comes to commercial moves. Commercial moves include several other aspects that we will go through and explain in this text. We will present the things that you need to know prior to the move and what you need to do in the process of moving in order to make the move easier and in order to save you from stress.
Things you need to know before hiring office movers:
- A lot of preparation and a good plan is needed
- The movers are dealing with a lot of special equipment and sensitive materials
- Heavy lifting is also involved (more than in a household moves)
- You need an experience driver during the transportation process
- It is better to get rid of unnecessary items prior to the move
1. A lot of preparation and a good plan is needed
This is where commercial moves are not so different from other moves. As with every other move, it needs a lot of planning ahead and this is maybe one of the crucial aspects, since there are a lot of people involved and you need to think about more things than usual. As mentioned, you would need to make an official notice for all of the people that are working in the office.
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Request a QuoteThey will need to pack their working space and, maybe, they can make a separate inventory for everything that they need moving. You can use the fact that a lot more people are involved to organize the process better and to coordinate and delegate everything. Since the equipment you will be moving is probably expensive, you need to know exactly what you need for your new office and you need to know where everything will be placed.
Try to pre-pack as much as you can. Do not trust anybody with important or confidential documents. It would be best if you can transport those on your own, in order to avoid missing papers that companies are usually not liable for. Prioritizing and cleaning prior to the move will save you a lot of time and money as well.
The movers are dealing with a lot of special equipment and sensitive materials
When you are choosing a moving company that will transport your sensitive and expensive equipment you do not need only affordable movers, but also licenced and insured. Office movers nearby can be shady and if you do not do your research, you can have big problems if something is damaged or lost. Our movers are experienced in these types of moves and they will double protect everything and make sure it doesn’t get damaged or lost.
Residential movers are experts in moving basic household electronics, computers and TVs, but commercial movers are different, because besides that basic knowledge, they are fully trained when it comes to moving sensitive equipment.
Moving an office requires specialized movers and requires much more effort during the process. When it comes to sensitive documents and materials, our movers and packers will make sure to pack everything with you and unpack them at the new location, making sure that all of the papers are transported safely and without any damages.
Heavy lifting is also involved (more than in a household moves)
We assume that as an office, you have a lot of heavy items. Desks and chairs are usually not that heavy, but most offices have several copy machines, cabinets, shelves, containers, vending machines and other large equipment. All of those items need special attention and care. Some of these items can be disassembled and they will make no issue for the movers.
Everything should be protected, even if it is disassembled. For all of the larger items, movers will use their special equipment in order to safely move the items and afterwards secure them in the truck, to avoid any transport damages.
You need an experienced driver during the transportation process
We already mentioned that movers will make sure to secure the items in the trucks in order to avoid damages during the transportation process. However, you also need to be assured that the driver is professional and that he will transport your items with special care. Make sure to choose a company with good reviews or a referred company, in order to avoid any surprises on the day of the move. You can read our reviews here and see why we are one of the best moving companies in OC.
It is better to get rid of unnecessary items prior to the move
Before the move, you would need to make a full inventory of the items that you will be moving. Based on the location that you will be moving into, you should determine if you can move all of the belongings and if everything is needed in the new working environment. The best way to save yourself from additional stress during the move is by prioritizing your items.
We are sure that you have a lot of items in your old office that you are not using. You are already aware which items are in use and which aren’t. If you have a lot of older pieces of furniture, you should consider donating them or selling them. You should buy new pieces of furniture that will go along with your new office. By decluttering, you will save energy on the day of the move.
Now that we went through some details that you need to know prior to the move, let’s get into the things that you would actually need to do and we will share some advice with you on how to arrange everything easily.
- You need to make a good plan
- You need to choose the right day
- Declutter – get rid of the extra materials
- Make sure you are hiring professional movers
- Make sure that the furniture and equipment is well packed and wrapped up
- Make sure that the movers are specially trained for Commercial Moving Services
You need to make a good plan
We already mentioned that good planning is crucial for a commercial move. As an experienced moving company, we always suggest our customer to make an inventory list or a sheet. Creating the list is the best way to keep everything organized and a lot of moving companies require a list of items prior to the move, in order to have a bigger picture of the actual moving process.
You should start listing the items and equipment room by room. When you sort everything, you would need to label the items. This will help you not only with the packing and moving process, but it will make unpacking a lot easier too. You can use a different color label for each room or the employees can have their own labels in order to differentiate their belongings from others. With this system, packing, moving and unpacking will be much easier and more efficient.
You need to choose the right day
As mentioned above, you would need to choose a day based on several aspects. You would need a day that will have a minimal impact on your working tasks and a day that would be the most preferable for your employees. Since you will have a lot of heavy and expensive equipment moved, you would need to make room for the movers to do their job. Ideally, it would be best if employees can work from home that day. You should inform them about the move in advance.
If it is not possible for them to work from home, you should figure out how the employees can help on the actual moving day, in order to speed the process a bit. If your office is not working over the weekend, Saturday would be the best day for you to move. Bear in mind that weekends can be a bit more expensive. If you are trying to save money, it would be better to move during the weekdays. In addition, a lot of movers nearby are offering all sorts of discounts.
Declutter – get rid of the extra materials
We already mentioned decluttering as a way of organizing your move better. Decluttering is one of the first things that you should do, no matter what type of the move you are having. When it comes to commercial moves, there are a lot of items that are not in use and they are collecting dust in some corner or in an additional room that has no purpose. You can donate or sell additional office supplies that you are not using. In addition, if the majority of your documents are on paper, you should consider digitizing them in order to save space and also make the moving process faster.
Make sure you are hiring professional movers
It is really important that your movers are insured and licensed, since you are trusting them with expensive equipment. You should get familiar with their insurance options, since a lot of moving companies offer basic insurance, which will not cover the full repair or replacement value of the item that is damaged or broken.
We would suggest you buy additional insurance, just in case something does get damaged. You movers should also be prepared for your move, so make sure to offer all of the information during the booking process, in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly on the day of the move.
Make sure that the furniture is well packed and wrapped up
Professional mover can also help you with packing. They use special equipment and supplies for packing and protecting your belongings, but that may come with an additional price, so make sure to ask about the price for packing materials. If you decide to pack on your own, make sure to use quality packing material in order to avoid damages or accidents on the day of the move.
Make sure that the movers are specially trained for Commercial Moving Services
As you can read here, our movers are experts that are well trained, educated and licensed for commercial moves. However, not all of the movers can state the same. There are a lot of scammers that claim they are professional and that they have special skills and knowledge that is required for these types of moves. You need to do your research, consult your friends and relatives, read the online reviews and ask the right questions when you are inquiring for a quote, in order to save yourself from scammers and shady movers. Just basic search office movers near me will not be enough.
These are basically the most important tools and tips that you need when organizing a commercial move. If you follow these steps, you will save yourself from a lot of unnecessary stress on the moving day. For more details, you can contact us here and we will happily answer all of your questions regarding a commercial move.