EAGLE

Moving an entire office with personnel, years of files, furniture, technology and other equipment can be stressful. If your business is planning a commercial move in New York City, it is imperative to create and stick to a timeline. A timeline will help guide the moving process along efficiently and reduce stress.

As a business owner, it is important to minimize downtime to the greatest extent possible. With seamless preparation and a swift move, the business can operate as business as usual. To effectuate an office move with ease, there are certain steps that should be taken during certain timeframes.

The first step in any move is introductory planning. This phase comes after you have chosen your new office, approximately six months prior to the move. Any employee or other internal individual responsible for any aspect of the preparation or move should be assigned a role and made aware of that role.

In addition, during the initial planning phase it would be advisable to begin researching commercial movers in New York City.  A top priority for any move would be to employ movers with an outstanding reputation that are licensed, insured and experienced. Consult other business owners, check online reviews and schedule initial consultations with several office moving companies.

Research into any other vendors you may need – such as phone or computer providers, interior designers or supply vendors – should begin at this stage as well.

Next, approximately three months before an office move, final decisions should begin to be made and implemented. This includes finalizing floor plans, vendors for the new office and logistics for the move day. Employees should be frequently kept in the loop and consulted on moving matters that pertain to them.

It is also important to be in communication with both the office the business is vacating and the one it is moving too. Hiccups in a move often occur because there is no free access to an elevator for the commercial movers. This can be scheduled around the three month mark to avoid unnecessary delays.

A month or two prior to the move is when a business should hire a New York City commercial moving company. Premier commercial movers may book well in advance so it is important to give as much notice as reasonably feasible. Use the research and reviews gathered in the preparation phase to choose a NYC commercial moving company that meets the needs and expectations of the business.

Also during this time period, remember to schedule all utilities and change the office address on letterhead, business cards, email footers and more so that clients, consultants and others are aware of the move.

One or two weeks prior to the move is when the stress of the move begins to take its toll for those who are unprepared. During this crucial time is it important to finalize plans with the new office building manager, order new keys, confirm IT installations, and finish organizing and packing.

These steps should make moving day simple. Once a business has made it to the day of the move, most of the hard work will be in the hands of the trusted commercial moving partner. What will be left to do is unpacking, returning rented moving supplies and finalizing remaining details with the landlord.

A commercial move can be stressful, but it does not have to be. For a worry-free move and for more moving tips and tricks, contact Eagle Transfer today.