The Right Tools Make Moving Your Office Easier
Moving your office is a major investment, not only in relocation dollars but in time and unseen costs, too. Relocating affects clients, employees, and vendors. According to Urban Bound in Stat Book: Relocation, the moving and corporate relocation industries are huge.
Companies spend billions of dollars each year relocating employees.
17% of the people who move do so because of their jobs.
With so much at stake, here are some tips to help moving your office go smoother, before, during and after the move.
Preparing and Planning To Move
“Find out in advance where the moving truck can park to load at the old office location and where it can unload at the new location.” — About.com [link below]
Even if you already know how to move a business, creating an office move checklist will help you remember all the important things that are critical to a safe, successful moving experience. A quick search around the Internet will reveal numerous checklists, but to save you some time, we’ve gathered a few here [links at bottom of post] that cover a wider variety of tasks to stay on top of than just one simple checklist might give you.
Another option for saving time – and stress on your part! – is by hiring a professional moving service such as those found here . There may be many options in your location, so take the time to do your research and look around.
Tips for using checklists:
- Take them all and create a comprehensive checklist tailored to your own unique situation.
- Add your moving checklist to the office intranet and office manual as a handy reference guide should you need it in the years to come.
- Hand copies over to your “moving day team” so they have an easy way to make sure that everything that should be done, is getting done.
- Plug it into your mobile moving app (more on that below)
Mobile Apps for Moving and Relocating
. . . There weren’t really any products that people were using that made the process any easier than it was 50 years ago. — Eidson, Moveline App, Entrepreneur Magazine
Aside from conversations, calculations and light-weight applications, we don’t expect much from our “smart” phones . . . or do we? When it comes to residential moving or office relocation, we can now look to our mobile devices to help us do some of the heavy lifting.
Mobile Apps Keep You on Top of Things
Most people use “apps” — small software applications on their mobile devices — because they’re on the move. From setting alarms to managing notes, from engaging in social media to looking up recipes, the popularity of apps is growing exponentially. If you habitually use these softwares on your smartphone, table PC or netbook, there’s no need to change your habits!
Relocation apps are handy not just because you’re on the move, but because “the move is ON!”
Some apps for moving are free, others can be purchased for a nominal fee; still others are provided by the moving company contracted to move your office, allowing you to track your related expenses, file claims, and finalize contractual obligations. Additionally, recognizing that even “mobile” spawns multi-tasking, savvy moving companies offer hybrid solutions and myriad ways for you to stay engaged with your goods. For example, their mobile apps have a web-based counterpart so that you can use your laptop or tablet PC to login online as well as interface via iPhone(TM), Android(TM), or other smartphone.
Whatever your team members’ preference, there’s a way to connect with their favorite device.
Tips for Using Mobile Apps in Your Office Move
- Check with your commercial moving company to see if they provide a mobile app or online login to interface with them and manage your moving process
- Make sure each member of your moving team is plugged in and can log in to help cover their assigned functions on move-in day and beyond
- If the app provides a facility for it, scan in photos of tagged boxes, room layouts and furniture placement
- Stay on top of everything: upload your new comprehensive checklist and check off tasks as completed
There is a list of useful mobile apps in the resources section at the end of this article.
Moving On …
To wrap this up, pull together a comprehensive checklist that works for your business situation, enlist the help of a mobile app to help you keep everything on track, and if you’re moving abroad, remember to adjust the language accordingly.
Enjoy your new office space!
Do you have any favorite tips for packing or moving the business office?
Share them with us in the comments.
You Can Find Local and Regional Service Providers
and Vendors in Our International Directory
Storage Units, Self-Storage
and Moving Supplies
RESOURCES FOR MOVING YOUR OFFICE
Checklists
- Who to Notify When Moving an Office, Notification Checklist for Your Move By Diane Schmidt, About.com Guide
- FlexiOffices’ Moving Office Infographic Checklist
- Two office moving checklists from Hansen Bros: Business Planners I and II
- Another very good checklist for business and office moves from About.com
- Protect Your Move: Protect Yourself From Moving Fraud and Red Flags of Moving Fraud
Mobile Apps for Moving and Relocating Home or Business
- School of Information Studies at Syracuse University (NY) reviews smartphone mobile apps for moving across country
- Boomer Briefs compares 5 moving apps that help with before/after moving
- Graebel Relocation Assistant and the CartusMobile app are customer-only apps provided by the companies when business engage their moving and relocation services. Find them in the Apple iTunes store.
- Moveline, free iPhone app by Frederick Cook and Kelly Eidson, helps people and businesses in NY area relocated.
Sources
Statistics from Urban Bound in their free eBook, Stat Book: Relocation
Quote from Eidson, Moveline App, Entrepreneur Magazine Article by Michelle Juergen, 18 Dec. 2012.
Image Credits: Copyright (c) 123RF.com Stock Photos