Your business may have grown, or you need to be in a different location. It’s time to hire movers to help relocate your office.
An office relocation is stressful enough without needing to worry about how your office furniture, stock, and equipment is going to make it safely to the new location.
That’s why you need to be thorough when hiring commercial movers. Make sure they can answer the following questions in depth before you sign any contract with them.
1. What Will Your Commercial Movers NOT Move?
Depending on your stock type and your state, there may be some restrictions on what your moving company will take with them. For example, if you’re moving a retail business that includes alcohol products, make sure they’ll take those with them.
You’ll also need to create a strategy for the things you don’t want your movers to take with them. These items could be sensitive archive files or the contents of your company safe. Pack these items before your commercial movers arrive to pack up your business. Otherwise, they may accidentally go in with everything else!
2. Will Your Movers Pack For You?
Some commercial moving companies will only take pre-packed boxes and dismantled furniture. While this reduces the costs of your business move, it’s worth considering a more comprehensive moving package.
Without an agreement to pack your furniture and office items for you, you’ll need to ask others (namely your staff) for help. This introduces an element of risk and error that won’t be covered by insurance. A dropped photocopier, for example, could be an expensive mistake – but such an accident with a commercial mover would be covered by their insurance (and less likely to happen in the first place!).
Asking staff to help move furniture can violate health and safety regulations. If someone feels they must pitch in to help, they could risk injuring themselves – and you could face a hefty bill, plus sickness pay while your employee recovers.
You’ll also face increased business downtime if your staff are the ones packing, taking them away from core daily duties. A moving company that packs for you means all of your staff can continue to focus on business continuity.
3. Are Packing Materials Included?
Find out how your office furniture and objects will be packed. If small items are thrown into crates, are packing items like bubble wrap supplied? This will reduce the risk of damage in the moving process.
Some companies won’t supply packaging materials, or will only use the cheapest available. This risks your fragile assets, including breakable items that could cost you thousands if something goes wrong in the move.
Make sure your commercial moving company uses high-quality packaging materials to reduce risk. You may also want to find out what their recycling policy is, especially if your business is ISO 14001 accredited!
4. What is the Cost Breakdown?
Will your moving company charge you by the item, or by the hours? Is packaging included? Are there different levels of add-on insurance to consider?
If a moving company gives one set price for your business move quote, ask them to break it down for you. A price breakdown will help you to make fair comparisons so that you can get the balance of quality service that’s budget-appropriate.
5. Will Commercial Movers Reinstall Furniture on Arrival?
What happens when your moving trucks arrive at the new office? Will everything be put in the foyer for you to find a place for it? Or will your movers take items to the right place?
An end-to-end commercial moving company is the best option to go for if you seek business continuity. There’s little point investing in the full move service at the start of it, only to have to unpack everything yourself at the other end! It’ll open you up to the same risks of delays and hazards as you would have faced packing up your own office.
Find Commercial Movers for Your Business
Now you know what to ask your moving company, it’s time to find the best one for you. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help with your office move, including interim storage solutions to facilitate a seamless relocation.
