Any business mover will tell you, planning makes for a better office move. But sometimes you don’t have the luxury of long-term planning. Sometimes you have to move your business, or part of it, at the last minute. That’s when you need to be not only fast but smart.
6 tips for managing a last-minute office move
After more than 30 years of moving businesses, JK Moving Services has seen it all. Here are some tips for managing your last-minute business move.
- Assemble the team. Gather your department heads together to talk through logistics, stat. Who can work remotely? How soon can servers and systems be back up? Getting input from as many stakeholders as possible will help avoid costly mistakes.
- Don’t move what you don’t need. Make some quick decisions about archives and storage. The least expensive move is the move you don’t make. Ask your moving and storage partner about recycling, archiving, and digital storage.
- Manage the customer experience. How will your clients or customers contact you during the move? How will you let them know you’ve moved? Do you need stationery, business cards? What about your website and online business listings that include your address and contact information?
- Don’t forget your vendors and suppliers. From utilities to deliveries to business partners, check through every contact list and make sure everyone knows where the new office will be and how to reach you. (This applies for staff on vacation, parental leave, and disability, too.)
- Ask for a point person. Or two. Your moving partner should provide you with a moving day point person or project manager who will be reachable 100% of the time until the move is complete.
- Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Last-minute moves put a lot of strain on both you and your moving partner. It isn’t the time to go with the budget guys. You want to experience and capacity, probably more than you think. Build excess capacity (and maybe some short-term emergency storage) into your moving day plans.
The best mover for your last-minute office move is the company that already knows you and has proven themselves to you time and again.