Tips for a Successful Office Move

Take Inventory

At Charlottesville Moving Solutions, we believe that the first step in a successful office move is taking inventory of what’s in your space. Running inventory might seem unnecessary, but believe us, it will prove extremely helpful throughout the moving process!

One way to make this part of the process simpler and easier for everyone is to divide your office by room or floor and designate a team member to take inventory within that smaller space.

Having a better understanding of what’s in your space will give you a clearer idea of the time and resources you’ll need to complete the move. If you’re considering hiring a full-service, professional moving company like us, the inventory information your team generates can be used to request a quote.

An added benefit of taking inventory is that you might discover there are items you can donate or sell; doing so will save you the hassle of moving unwanted things to your new space!

Make a Plan 

Using the inventory document you created, you’ll be able to start to work on a packing and moving plan. You can decide how many days you’ll need to pack and which spaces to focus on each day. You can also choose which team members will need to block off their calendars to help pack and give your employees a heads up. If you realize there’s too much packing for your team to do, you can request a quote from a moving company like us that offers packing services!

Next, we recommend creating a floor plan for the new space with room numbers and the names of your employees. These names and room numbers should also be on the boxes and on stickers on all furniture. Labeling boxes and furniture will expedite the unloading process and reduce the chances that any items are placed in the wrong area.

Prepare for the Packing Day (or Days)

It’s almost time for the move! Packing up an office can be a lot of work, but you can make it easier for yourself and your team by preparing ahead of time.

Ahead of the move, you may need to contact IT professionals to unhook your servers, computers and printers. These professionals will help you relocate and reinstall these devices in your new space!

A note about copiers: Oftentimes, allowing a third party (like a moving company) to move your copier will void the warranty! You may want to reach out to your copy machine vendor ahead of your move to ask about this and make sure that the unit doesn’t require servicing prior to relocation.

Another major piece of the puzzle is packing supplies! Your inventory document will help you determine the number of boxes and materials you need. We sell boxes at competitive prices. From book boxes to tape and paper, we have it all! Also, if you’re working with movers, they’ll help you determine what you need.

Once you have all your moving supplies, you can start thinking about what the packing day (or days) will require. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Will you provide meals or snacks for your team? 

When should you remind everyone to dress casually? 

What kind of packing directions do you need to give before everyone gets started?

Will your staff be able to work from home for a few days once the office is packed?

Make Moving Day More Fun!

Moving day is finally here! A new workspace is both exciting and overwhelming. You can help make the transition smoother for your team by making move-in day fun! Consider providing breakfast and coffee to get everyone energized for the day ahead. You could host a team breakfast meeting before you all start loading your items (or before the movers arrive). Keep the team going throughout the day with a snack and drink station where they can help themselves!

You’ll probably want to make the moving day dress code casual, and you could even take this opportunity to gift new company logo t-shirts to your team. Invite everyone to wear their new shirt on moving day! Plus, now you’ll have matching shirts for company-wide volunteer days.

One more idea: If your space allows, set up some music! It’s an easy mood booster that can keep everyone content.

We wish you the best with your office move! If you’re considering working with a full-service moving company like CMS, you can quickly request a quote. If you need to know more, don’t hesitate to call us for more information about how we can help your business move to a new space!