Small Office Move Checklist Made Easy
The ultimate small office move checklist
The Small Office Move Checklist is the best way to ensure a successful office Move. Unlike relocating your home, it’s more than just packing up the boxes and hitting the road. There are customers, vendors and employees to consider.
The logistics can be even more important if you choose to work with professional movers. We’ve put together this checklist to help you prep for your big move without overlooking important details.
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Organizing your team
Unless you run a solo operation, some communication is required to make your move go smoothly. Appoint someone to be in charge of the move. In a small office, whoever is normally in a project management position, and has the time to focus on the details is the best choice for running the operation. In addition, that person is ideal candidate for reviewing the small office move checklist.
- Choose someone to be responsible for each department, or office.
- Set up a project management file for things like the timeline calendar and inventory. Apps like Google docs, or project management software, such as base camps work well. Use what you’re comfortable with.
- Set up a meeting to discuss the logistics with your entire team. Get feedback on any potential challenges.
Create an inventory for your move
Go department by department or shelf-by-shelf, depending on the size of your office. This will be the foundation for your small office move checklist. Rather than filter now, make a record of everything and handle the sorting once you have an accurate count.
- Make a note of large items that require special handling.
- Estimate how many boxes, crates or bins you’ll need for loose items.
- Mark things on your list that will not be moved for sale, donation, or disposal.
Set a tentative moving date
Timing your move is a strategic play. You want to maximize the impact of opening a new office, while minimizing any down time and negative impact your move may have on existing customer and vendor relationships.
- Check your schedule for down time. Slow periods are easiest.
- Make a list of key customers and vendors you’ll need to contact, if you plan to be offline for any time at all.
- Run your moving date past your team to check for conflicts, or challenges that may require a change.
Contact your mover And Ask For Their Small Office Move Checklist
Once you’ve selected your optimum moving date, contact the moving company of your choice. If you are in our market, we’d love to consult with you, and conduct your move. The sooner you contact your moving company, the better chance you have of getting the dates you want.
- Provide the mover with enough details to get a solid estimate of cost and time to complete the move.
- Take notes on any requirements the moving company has.
- Add the details of your conversation to your project management files for future reference.
Gather your moving materials
Unless you’ve hired the movers to handle all of your packing, you’ll need supplies. Working from your inventory, gather the required materials. It’s easiest to have them all on hand, so that tasks can be completed as needed, and as work schedules permit.
- Consult with your mover on the best way to handle delicate, or bulky items.
- Carefully label each item as it is packed and keep an inventory. Number boxes, and crates, and create a master list with inventory and location of each item.
- Instruct each member of your team in the packing procedures recommended by your mover. This will help ensure the safety of your items, and proper inventory.
Prioritize departments
Unless you have a one room office, you’ll probably want to pack items in a specific order, to keep your business up and running as long as possible leading up to the move, and get you back up and running as quickly as possible.
- Pack less essential items, or things that are rarely used first.
- Leave computer systems and other communications in place until you’re ready to move them.
- Make sure items required to run office operations, and manage customers are available until absolutely necessary. Create your moving timelineOnce you have a commitment from the moving company on a firm date, create your moving timeline. The further out you can do this, the better. It gives you time to handle tasks such as packing, sorting and labeling, without interrupting normal business any more than necessary.
- Use a Google calendar, or the scheduling tool in your project management app of choice so that all team members can access needed information.
- Set a timeline that shows all required tasks in each department, along with a way to indicate completion.
- Include any required information to complete the moving tasks to prevent unnecessary meetings and repeated communications/misinformation.
Create a floor plan
Working with the layout of your new office, determine where each department, or element of your operation will be located. Use this to help organize items as you prepare them for moving.
- Make a list of items that belong in each area of the new office.
- Order labels And Label each box or crate according to its destination in the new office for easy organization.
- Organize your final moving inventory based on departments.
Walk through with your movers
Close to moving day, it’s best to have your movers walk through your office before the move. Go over your logistics plan with them, and show them anything they need to know. If possible, walk through the new office with them as well. Being onsite to assess any challenges is the best way to plan a smooth moving experience.
- Make sure they know about any special requirements, such as sensitive equipment, or fragile inventory.
- Go over your moving plan and show them where you plan to load in and out.
- Be sure to let your movers know about any traffic, or loading issues at both offices, such as one way streets and parking restrictions.
Communicate with customers and vendors
In addition to keeping your team informed, call your customers and vendors to let them know what to expect in terms of downtime, or delays in delivery of products and services. Maintaining open communication is the key to protecting your important business relationships.
- Schedule delivery of big orders and projects to happen before or following the move to minimize inconvenience.
- Do your best to stick to your schedule, and restore normal operations as planned.
- Let key players know as soon as you are available for new deliveries and orders.
Be available during the move
Depending on the services you contract with your nj office movers to provide, be available to assist them as needed. It’s best to have a representative of your company in each location during the move to answer questions and handle logistics.
- Stay in contact with your movers via phone, or text, be onsite if possible.
- Consult with the movers to see what kind of help they require and provide whatever is needed if possible, to make the move go smoothly.
- Stay in contact with your representative at the new office to handle any questions or problems as they arise.
Final Steps In The Small Office Move Checklist
Even in the simplest of moves, there are all always things that need to be wrapped up. Make sure you discuss your move with the landlords, or real estate agents for both offices. Tie up any loose ends before the big day to avoid difficulties.
- Make plans to turn in any keys and other items that may need to be returned.
- Get detailed information about rules and regulations in the new office to prevent problems with neighbors.
- Arrange for a cleaning crew, or assign a team to clean up at the old office.
