Whether you’re moving between apartments, private homes, or commercial premises, one thing is almost guaranteed: moving comes with stressful moments. When it comes to business moves, streamlining the process is about more than keeping your family on track. You also need to ensure business continuity and avoid missing deadlines or losing critical orders. 

Aside from thorough planning and preparation, communication is key. For many businesses, professional help is a game-changer both in the run-up to and on moving day itself. Read on for detailed tips to help your company move without stress. 

Organize Your Current Office Space Before the Move

Organizing your current office space may seem like a waste, but a move is an excellent opportunity to re-order files, categorize products, and start preparing for your move. 

Especially if you have occupied your current premises for a long time, this is also a chance to declutter and decide what you need to keep and what can be archived or put into storage. Even if your business is moving to larger premises, it’s worth considering what to bring. Every office has items that no one in your team is using. Rather than allowing those things to use up space in your new premises, think about selling or donating them. 

Start preparing and organizing for your move as soon as possible. There is nothing worse than having to cram all your preparation into a day or two before your movers arrive. A lack of preparation on that scale can disrupt operations in a way that disrupts service delivery to your customers and could lose you business in the short and the long term.

Choose the Best Packing and Labeling Supplies and Strategies for a Smooth Move

Invest in professional packing and labeling supplies. If you’re working with a removal company, you can often negotiate the supply of packaging materials as part of your contract. 

And even if you choose to manage your office move in-house, without professional support, it’s worth choosing heavy-duty supplies that protect valuable equipment, products, merchandise, office supplies, and technology. As a minimum, you’ll need cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, markers, and zip-lock bags for items that require special protection. 

Labeling your boxes effectively is just as important as choosing quality supplies. Think about what your labels need to achieve: as soon as you arrive at your new premises, these labels need to be clear enough to ensure everything ends up in the correct location. Not only that, but the labels should also help your team members set up their workstations without unnecessary delays. 

Communicating with Employees and Stakeholders

As soon as you have decided to move and found new premises, it’s time to talk to your employees and other stakeholders about the planned move. 

Employees may need time to make different arrangements for their commute and re-organize childcare. You may also want to consider offering options to work remotely or choose a hybrid working style. 

Who else needs to know about your office move? The answer depends on the nature of your business. If your office sees a lot of client traffic, alerting customers to your relocation is essential to ensure continuity. Most offices also receive regular deliveries, including office supplies, water, and other items. Alert suppliers as soon as you can to give them time to adjust their delivery routes.

If you’re managing a complex move or moving into newly built premises, timelines may change and either delay or accelerate your moving date. Keeping employees and other stakeholders informed about moving deadlines will help them adjust their own plans. 

Setting Up the New Office Space Efficiently

There are several elements to setting up your new office space efficiently. First, you want to ensure that essential services such as internet connections and phone lines are ready to use before you arrive at your new premises. Remember that ensuring continuity is essential for successful business moves. Spending even a few days without the ability to communicate smoothly could compromise your business goals. 

Second, don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve the overall setup of your office space. Copying your existing setup may seem like the easiest option, but ask yourself if there are improvements you’ve been meaning to make for a while. Changing desk arrangements can change team dynamics and reinvigorate your team. 

If you have team members who no longer work in the office every day, this move could be a chance to free up desk space and create a more flexible layout. 

Choosing a Professional Commercial Moving Company

Getting professional help for your move could be more effective, affordable, and beneficial than you think. All the tips to streamline and plan your move that we mention above take time. Even if you have a large team, chances are that your employees are already busy with their existing jobs. Asking them to plan and prepare a move is somewhat unfair, and it will most likely disrupt other tasks. 

Hiring a commercial moving company allows you to share some of the responsibilities with highly-skilled professionals who plan and organize office moves regularly. Commercial movers will bring a systematic approach to your move. 

These companies know exactly what to pack at what time and how to organize the transport of your possessions to minimize disruption and allow you and your team to concentrate on your business. 

Post-Move: Following Up and Ensuring Business Continuity

Even with the most detailed planning, you’ll need to allocate time after the move to follow up with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Don’t hesitate to add reminders of your new address to your email signature, and use your website, social media channels, and other regular communications to ensure all relevant parties know about your move.

Lastly, prepare for a little snagging. No matter how detailed your communications plan is, some customers will come to your old location, and the odd delivery may be delayed. Working with a  professional moving company can help minimize those issues and help you have a low-stress business move.