Commercial moving checklist

Moving a business is a big decision. It’s a risk, but it can also come with a huge reward – new customers, better conditions, more earnings. However, before you get to enjoy your new office and all its benefits, you’ll need to move into it. And that is a whole process unto itself. Of course, you’ll need the help of commercial movers Nashville if you want to get everything done quickly and efficiently. But you probably could’ve figured that one out yourself. What else do you need to do, though? Well, this commercial moving checklist will tell you every step of the process.

Commercial moving checklist for 3 months before the move

Moving a business is not something you can do overnight even with the help of expert moving companies like Big Heart Moving Nashville. So to ensure that everything goes smoothly and your business doesn’t suffer, you need to start preparing well in advance.

Figure out your lease

Before you can start thinking about your new office space, you should decide what to do with the old one. Go over your lease carefully and find out how and when you can get out of it. This will help you decide when to move and if moving is even an option. If your lease doesn’t expire soon and you can’t find good ways of getting out of it, talk to your landlord and try to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Consult a lawyer if you need to.

Book movers

Most good moving companies get booked weeks if not months in advance. To ensure that you get the best possible moving services for your business, you should book commercial movers a few months before the relocation. Research the companies that offer commercial services in the area by reading moving reviews, obtain several moving estimates to compare prices, and contact your top choice early on in the process.

Inform your employees

You are not moving alone – your employees are a part of your business. They need to know when and where your business is moving because the relocation will affect them too (especially if you’re moving long-distance). Additionally, your employees can be a valuable resource and help with the moving process so it works to your advantage to hold a general meeting or send out an office-wide email to inform them of the upcoming relocation.

Commercial moving checklist for 2 months before the move

With two months left on your calendar, your relocation should already be in full swing. Now is the time to start planning for the future in your new space.

Plan out your new office

You want to go into your new office knowing at least approximately where you’re going to be putting all the furniture, equipment and other items you’re having delivered. So get a floor plan of your new office space and plan out where things are going to go. Remember to talk to your employees and take their needs into account.

Prepare your inventory

You probably won’t be moving absolutely everything from your current office to the new one. So make an inventory list of the things that will be coming with you! This will help you pack and unpack later on. Schedule the return of all the rented furniture and decorations. If you have any furniture or old equipment that’s still useable but you don’t need, consider donating it.

Make sure your new office is ready

In order to get your business up and running as soon as possible, you want your new office to be pretty much set up as soon as you’ve unpacked. So arrange for utilities in advance and visit the space to check that everything is in order. That way you can get back to work as soon as possible!

Commercial moving checklist for 1 month before the move

With only four weeks left before moving day, the relocation will be in full swing. Still, you don’t want to pack until later. That way you’ll minimize the downtime. Do this instead:

Change your address and inform your business partners and customers of this

Letting the public know about your move is important. Your customers and business partners will want to know where they can find you. So post about it on your office door, say something on social media, and email your partners. Remember to also update your address with USPS – you’ll want any mail you get after the move to be forwarded to your new address so you don’t miss out on something important.

Prepare important documents for the move

One of the trickiest things when moving a business is moving all the important yet sensitive documents that you must have accumulated over time. To make this easier, we suggest going digital! It’ll be easier to move a few hard drives than dozens of heavy boxes full of paper. But that requires scanning them all first. So get started on that.

Commercial moving checklist for 1 week before the move

One week left on the calendar and it’s getting down to the wire! Now is the time for final preparations.

Pack up your office

The hardest part of any move is packing. For office especially, professional packing services are a good idea. It’s much faster and safer to let movers handle this step for you. In the long run, it also pays off because you won’t have to deal with potential damage to expensive items due to poor packing skills of your employees.

Plan for moving day

Moving day can be pretty hectic and busy. To avoid miscommunications, mistakes, and delays, it’s wise to plan ahead. Agree with your movers on when they’ll arrive, be present as they load the moving truck, have a handful of trusted employees there to help out and communicate potential moving day tasks with the rest of the office.

Moving day!

If you’ve hired commercial movers, you really won’t have much to do on moving day. But you should arrive at the office before your movers do just to check that everything is packed and ready to go. Then you can let the movers do the job while you observe to ensure everything goes smoothly. Finally, you want to leave the office space in good condition after you leave so someone will need to stay behind and clean up. For larger offices, commercial cleaning services may be a better idea.

Commercial moving checklist for after the move

Once movers deliver all your office furniture and equipment to your new business address, there’s not much left to do besides unpacking. A commercial moving checklist for the days and weeks following the move is therefore pretty short. First, set up your furniture according to the plan you made a few weeks ago. Then unpack the rest of the equipment. Remember to check that your utilities have been transferred and you have electricity, running water, and the internet. If you’re banking on walk-ins for customers, set up signs about your business outside. Once that is done, you should be operational and you can start working again the following day.