How to Plan a Stress-free Office Move
If you’re planning an office relocation, one of the primary goals is to reduce downtime and interruption of your day-to-day operations. We understand that this can be a daunting task. For over 50 years, the Ellefson Transportation Group has worked to provide white-glove relocation services to businesses and residents across the Aiken-Augusta area. If you’re in the early stages of planning an office move, here are our top suggestions for making it stress-free.
Start Planning Early for your Office Move
Step one, name a point person for your project. This person will be the primary point of contact for employees and vendors and will be responsible for helping tasks stay on schedule and ensure everyone has the information they need to implement the relocation plans.
Next, take time to create a road map for your office move. This will go a long when it comes to managing stress throughout the process. Break the move down into pieces and name a point person for specific tasks, pieces of equipment, or departments and make sure to communicate this to your moving company ahead of time.
Not sure where to start with your timelines and planning? Check out these resources.
Take it or Leave it?
Prior to your office move, take the time to sort through old papers, outdated electronics, and any attic or storage spaces in your facility. Determine the items that must go, and those that can be recycled or disposed of. If you have excess papers or outdated electronics, contact our sister company, Augusta Data Storage, to have them help you out with any of your secure shredding or electronic waste.
Need storage? We can help. Whether it’s furniture and fixtures for your new office or extra items you won’t have space for in your new facility, our logistics-ready warehouse is able to accommodate your needs. With over 160,000 Sq. ft. of storage and ample cross-docking and staging space, ADSI creates a seamless solution for final-mile delivery of equipment, furniture, and more.
Establish your Office Move Team
Your Internal Team
Once you have established point people for your major moving tasks and departments, start thinking about the other players who should make up your moving day team.
If your move will happen during regular business hours, it’s important to establish a coverage team and plan during the transition. Know who will cover phones or your facility, in the event that your customers need to contact you. It’s also important to make a plan to notify customers if there will be any “down time” as you transfer phones, internet, servers, etc. to your new location.
Your Support Team
At ADSI, we handle the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. Our team of moving experts is here to help make the transition to your new office seamless. From planning and packing to transportation, delivery, installation, and setup, our comprehensive moving solutions take the stress out of your relocation.
If you’re on the hunt for an office move provider, here are a few questions you will want to ask before making a final decision.
Space Planning for a New Office
Before moving day, you will need to have a general floorplan for your new office space. Know where furniture and equipment will be placed and how your new space will be laid out so that load-in can be as streamlined as possible and you can get right to work setting up your new space.
Ahead of starting your office floorplan, here are a few things you’ll want to consider.
- Are you keeping your old furniture or replacing it?
- Will you need more or less furniture in your new office space?
- If you have extra pieces, make plans to sell, donate, or store them.
- If you are purchasing new furniture and equipment, do you have delivery and setup plans?
Office Move and Packing Tips
If you’re doing any packing ahead of moving day, especially for individual office spaces, make sure to label, and even color-code, items to make it easy to identify what goes where on the day of your office move.
Label Everything
It’s important to label all items and boxes, especially if your move involves a large office staff OR lots of tools, gadgets, and electronics. Make sure items that have to be broken down or deconstructed stay grouped together and allow employees the opportunity to pack and label their personal/desk belongings and electronics that will be relocated. This ensures everything gets back to the correct owners after moving day.
Specialty Packing for Your Office Move
ADSI Moving Systems provides durable packing containers for office items and smaller components. Each carton is labeled with office designation, content description, and any special instructions related to the item. Then, to help protect your assets, furniture is wrapped with blanket pads and, when necessary, wrapped again with heavy-duty ClearGaurdSM plastic wrap.
Need help relocating warehouses or equipment, we’ve got you covered there too.
What to Pack and Relocate First During Your Office Move
On moving day, start with your non-essentials first. Move those items that are not key to everyday business function, and in the event that your move will take multiple days, you are still able to maintain most of your daily operation. This means that you need to prioritize items ahead of time, so make sure you take the time to plan ahead.
Moving Libraries and Files
As a part of your office move, ADSI Moving Systems will utilize special equipment and techniques to move lateral file cabinets without having to unpack or unload them. Our years of experience and attention to detail have saved our customers time and money when relocating their offices. In addition to servicing your file relocation our sister company, Augusta Data Storage can assist you with file purge projects if you are looking for a safe and secure way to lighten your paper load prior to moving day.
What to Expect on Office Move Day
If you’ve done your planning and prep work, your office move should be relatively straightforward. One of the benefits of partnering with experienced office relocation professionals is their ability to help you proactively address common mistakes in the office move process. Avoiding these common mistakes will go a long way in helping to avoid stress on moving day.
Post-Move Checklist
Once everything has arrived at your new office location, there are a few things you’ll want to prioritize.
IT and Telecom Setup
Work to prioritize getting networks and individual workstations setup as soon as possible. This allows you the maximum amount of time to troubleshoot and find any missing parts and pieces before the office needs to be up and running.
Debris Haul away Services
Our full-service office relocations include debris haul away services for boxes, paper, wrapping and any other move-related items.
Don’t forget about your old office space
Office installation isn’t the last step in an office move. Clearing out the old space can reveal unexpected messes, unclaimed furniture, fixtures, and even potential repairs. Dealing with these events can add time to the tail end of large office moves. Additionally, check your lease terms way in advance of your move to ensure that you fulfill all of the building exit requirements.
Update your Listings and Information
As soon as you can, make sure you update your information online and with any of your clients and customers to ensure that people who need you know where to find you, and make sure you take the time to update your listings on various search engines to ensure that they are displaying proper information for your business’ new location.
Trust our Team with Your Office Move
Last but not least, if you’re looking for a stress-free office-move solution, make sure you have the ADSI Advantage. Our team has over 50 years of experience managing relocations throughout the C.S.R.A, including various healthcare providers, hospitals, and government offices. We take pride in providing quality services with an emphasis on customer care and satisfaction. For more information on our office move and logistics services, contact us today!