Seamless in Seattle: 5 Steps for a Successful Office Move

If you’ve ever been involved in an office move, you’ll know that moving a business to a new location involves a lot more than just filing a change of address form with the post office and moving a few desks. Relocating a business needs to be a carefully planned event, and you probably have concerns about high-value equipment, electronics, and machinery, making it even more crucial to plan ahead. We know how challenging a commercial move can be, which is why we’ve compiled this office moving checklist to help break your Seattle office move down into manageable parts.

1. Develop a Detailed Moving Plan

Once you’ve selected a new location for your business, it’s time to start planning the move. The project development stage is the first and most critical step in orchestrating an office move. First, draft a to-do list for your move, including necessary actions such as notifying your current landlord and arranging phone and internet installation.

Identifying and contacting all existing vendors is an essential part of the planning process. It’s easy to forget how many businesses are involved in keeping your metaphorical ship afloat. Make a list of the vendors your company currently works with, which may include companies and individuals from the following categories:

Telephone and Data Providers: Contact telecom vendors early in the planning process since transferring or setting up new lines for a business can take time.
Data Center Relocation Experts: Some large companies supplement their IT teams with data relocation experts who have the necessary skills and certifications to move sensitive equipment.
Network and Workstation Specialists: You’ll probably need someone to review the network to determine whether upgrades are required. They’ll also need to run tests and move everything. This process typically includes unpacking and restarting servers, connecting cables, and setting up workstations.
Furniture Consultants and Installers: A professional furniture installer can help you determine whether you need new furniture or should move your existing furnishings. Furniture installation vendors may also be required.
Electricians: You or the furniture installers may need to work with electricians to ensure that there are enough outlets for your equipment and that they are all operational.
Security Vendors: Your security company will need to remove your current system and make any required modifications before reinstalling it at the new location. Make sure they maintain security in the vacated space until the official turnover date.
Disposal/Decommissioning: At the end of a move, there’s often a need for someone to remove obsolete technology equipment, surplus furniture, and other miscellaneous refuse. You’ll also need to determine whether the move has generated any need for off-site storage.
Audio Visual Consultants: If you have audio-visual equipment, you may need help determining the most efficient way to move it.
Plant Watering and Aquarium Care Providers: Don’t forget to discontinue these services at your old location and resume them at your new one.
Post Office, UPS, FedEx, and Couriers: Remember to file a change of address form with the Post Office and set up mail forwarding to ensure that you don’t miss any correspondence during the transition. Contact all other couriers as well.
Internal Point of Contact: With so many service providers to notify, it’s a good idea to designate someone in your company to contact and, if needed, stay in touch with the various entities that will be impacted by the move. It would also be best to put someone in charge of notifying employees, clients, and anyone else who may need advance notice of the relocation.

2. Determine a Timeframe for the Move

Once you’ve begun your office moving checklist and identified the key players in your move, it’s time to determine a more exact timeframe and communicate your expectations to everyone internally and externally involved. Vendors will be able to do what they need to do more effectively if they communicate well. It will also give your employees time to pack up their personal items, purchase parking permits, and do whatever else needs to be done before the big move.

3. Analyze Your Current Use of Space

The next step is to conduct an occupancy study, which means figuring out what does or doesn’t work in terms of space at your current location. While you probably know the square footage of your existing office, you may be making some modifications to the new unit.

Consider holding a meeting with key employees or department heads to reach a consensus on current needs and what may be needed in the future. Whether you’re moving to a larger or smaller space, this brainstorming session will help prepare you for upcoming decisions about your setup at the new location.

Now is the time to confirm a headcount with H.R. and discuss each department’s projected future staffing. You should also walk around your office and determine if there is any unused space or overcrowding and make a note of any issues.

Once you’ve assessed your current use of space and determined any future needs, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional furniture planner. Alternatively, a full-service moving company like Suddath may be handling the furniture configuration as part of the move. When you contact companies that provide office moving in Seattle, be sure to ask about the additional services they offer to make the relocation process easier. For example, Suddath offers on-site move coordination and space planning for enhanced support.

4. Create a Floor Plan for the New Configuration

Now that you’ve assessed your company’s use of the old space and can visualize your operation in the new one, it’s time to grab a clipboard and head to your new location. Before finalizing your lease, conduct a site survey of the new space to familiarize yourself with its exact layout to determine whether it meets your needs. Ideally, you’ll be given a professional floorplan that you can add details to, but if not, it would be helpful to draw something up.

This prospecting visit should include determining the location of ethernet connections, electrical outlets, and common areas, which will help you determine where to position desks, furniture, and office equipment. Focus first on where the movers should place the largest items and mark their locations on the floorplan. Coordinating all this ahead of time will prevent any hiccups on moving day.

5. Determine a Budget and Interview Seattle Office Movers

Once you’ve documented all the necessary information, you’ll be ready to determine a spending limit and hire the vendors needed to facilitate the move. Having a budget in place will prevent overspending in areas that can be consolidated or scaled back. For example, some employers have their employees pack their own personal belongings.

One of the most important decisions you’ll make aside from selecting your new space is choosing office movers and other professionals to handle the logistics of the move. The biggest challenge of office moving is getting the furniture and equipment out of your old location and into the new one as quickly as possible so that your employees can remain comfortable and productive. Professionals who can help make this happen include:

Professional Space Planners: Space planning involves coming up with a design layout to meet your current needs and allow for future growth. That said, some office movers can help with furniture configuration.
Office Movers: Office moving in Seattle can be challenging during peak seasons, so contact the movers as soon as possible to reserve your desired moving date. Another reason to contact the movers early in the planning process is that you may want to take advantage of their other services. Enlisting the help of a full-service office mover early on may eliminate the need for hiring multiple vendors.
Janitors: Whether you have an existing janitorial service in place or plan to hire one, it’s time to arrange a move-out cleaning. Check your lease to determine the landlord’s expectations of how you should leave your current office, and then communicate those details to the janitor.

Office Move Planning Experts in Seattle

If you need office movers in Seattle, Suddath can help. We are a leading commercial move partner to some of the most well-known businesses in the Pacific Northwest Region, with a strong reputation in the community and over 100 years of moving experience.

If you’re planning to move your company to Seattle from other parts of the country, Suddath has a national network that gives you all of the moving solutions you need. We can customize our services and resources to ensure you have the most efficient and cost-effective office move from start to finish.

Our broad menu of traditional office moving services and our expanded suite of specialized space planning services are designed to simplify the moving process. Bundling services can save you time and money. Let us be your one-stop-shop for your office move planning and relocation.

As with other aspects of running your company, organization and planning are essential ingredients for success. Completing each step of the above office moving checklist will help ensure a seamless transition to your new office so that you can get back to business as usual.