Top 7 Commercial Office Moving Mistakes to Avoid

No matter the size, moving or expanding your business from one location is challenging—especially if you have little to no experience with a commercial relocation. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration and a lot of seemingly minor mistakes that should be avoided at all costs. Failing to do or not do certain things can end up costing your company a lot of wasted time, money, and resources.

While planning your next move, keep the following seven office moving mistakes in mind and do everything you can to avoid making them.

1 . Not Underestimating the Scope and Scale of Your Move

A successful, budget-friendly, and time-efficient move all comes down to two things: proper preparation and proper planning. Sometimes, no matter how well you plan a move, there’s always something that can go wrong. It’s important to plan for the best case scenario but be prepared for the worst. That means creating an alternate plan of action and possibly even setting aside some funds in case of an emergency (like important items getting lost or damaged during the move). You should also create a comprehensive inventory of all the items you want to take with you, what’s staying, and what’s being donated or repurposed so you can stay on track.

2 . Rushing Your Move

Whether you’re moving because your lease is up or because you’re expanding your business, take your time coming up with an office moving schedule and stick with it. If you need to be out of your current location by a certain date, then you need to plan that out accordingly with your landlord, your employees, and the office moving company you hire. Depending on the size of your team, you might even be able to schedule and assign specific tasks to each employee (i.e. packing boxes full of their personal belongings). The point is that you should give yourself and everyone who works for you plenty of time to get your stuff together and don’t leave anything until the last minute.

3 . Not Hiring a Professional Moving Company

Professional movers are highly trained when it comes to packing boxes, handling fragile packages, dismantling office equipment, furniture installation, IT relocation, and so much more. They can even help you come up with a foolproof plan of action to perfectly execute your commercial move without a hitch. Experienced movers like the ones who work for SFI Group Limited not only know what to expect, but they also know how to prevent things from going wrong during your move. As much as you trust your employees to get things done, they just don’t have the same level of expertise that professional movers do.

4 . Neglecting to Research Professional Movers

Believe it or not, not all professional movers have your best interest at heart. Whether you’re on a time crunch or have plenty of time to plan your move, it’s important to do your homework and select a professional and experienced moving company to get the job done right. This is a case in which you get what you pay for. If all you’re looking for is affordability, then you could end up with highly inadequate movers that end up costing you more money than you’re prepared to spend. Do your research. Read through online reviews and ratings. Call different companies to find out about hourly rates, various moving packages they offer, and whether they have WSIB and service quality insurance.

5 . Failing to Measure Your New Office Space for Furniture Installation

Actually, taking measurements is one of the first things you should do before even signing the lease. Step two is taking an inventory of all of the equipment you’ll be bringing with you. You need to know how much space you have to work with at your new office. Even if the space is currently a little too large, consider future expansion, hiring new employees, or adding some new office equipment at some point. But also keep in mind that you’re paying by the square footage so try not to go too overboard when selecting a new office space. Overhead costs can get expensive.

6 . Being Disorganized

As the leader of your company, your employees look to you for guidance and preparing for moving day is no exception. They need to know that they’re in good hands and that entails providing them with very specific instructions and information about how the move will play out. If you’re disorganized, then your employees will be disorganized too, and this spells disaster with a capital C for the entire operation. As mentioned, make a detailed inventory of each and every item you plan on taking with you or donating and be sure to double and triple check it before anything is done. Depending on the size of your business, you might even find it helpful to delegate certain tasks to each employee to help get things moving along.

7 . Failing to Secure Moving Insurance

Protecting your business assets, especially during a time when they’re being transported from one place to another, is one of the smartest things you can do. Allowing your employees to transport expensive laptops, desktop computers, printers, peripheral items, and office equipment could culminate in these things getting damaged, lost, or even stolen. Moving companies like SFI Group Limited have invaluable experience handling these types of sensitive items and ensuring that they reach their destinations fully intact and without a single blemish. In the unlikely event that an item does get damaged, the moving company is liable to rectify the situation.

For over 30 years, SFI Group Limited has been providing small businesses and startups throughout Toronto and the GTA with excellent commercial moving services. From mapping out your move and creating a detailed item inventory to packing boxes, furniture installation, and IT relocation, there’s nothing we can’t handle. Contact us today to learn more and schedule your move!