Office with furniture

If you own and operate a business that has outgrown its current office space, you may be getting ready to relocate to a larger, newer and more accommodating facility sooner rather than later. For those who have never undertaken a commercial relocation before, these types of moves require ample time for planning, coordinating and organizing!

In Atlanta, Air-Land-Sea Van Line Services has been trusted to complete swift and seamless commercial relocations since 1994. Unlike residential moves, you'll need to start planning your business move well in advance, and below we outline the different tasks to complete ahead of moving day to ensure the transition into your new facility goes off without a hitch!

1. Begin Planning Early

If you want to minimize downtime while your commercial move is underway, begin planning the entire event at least six months ahead of time. This is when you'll want to designate a project manager to the relocation and begin calling around to moving companies in your area that are highly-experienced completing office moves.

Six months out from your commercial relocation is also when you'll want to establish a budget and create a timeline for the other tasks that need to get completed before moving day arrives.

2. Designing and Decluttering

From the six-month mark to the three-month, there will be plenty of tasks for you to check off to ensure your entire office relocation is staying on schedule. This is the time period where you want to decide on a moving team to utilize for your relocation and make sure to get your project on their schedule. Other aspects of your move to be thinking about around this time include:

  • Create a detailed floor plan for your new office space so that everything can be moved in quickly and efficiently on moving day!
  • Make a list of everything in your inventory and decide what to do with each—keep, sell or donate.
  • Schedule IT disconnect/reconnect services ahead of time, and test the set up at your new facility before you move in.

3. Prepare for the Transition

Once you are one or two months away from your business relocation, it's time to start letting everyone know about your change in address, from vendors to employees to customers. Make sure any new business cards you order have your updated address, and any online listings you have, too. 

Another important task that should be completed around the one—two month mark is securing any keys, fabs or access cards to your new building. This is also the perfect time to start collecting moving supplies, such as:

  • Boxes
  • Labels
  • Bubble Wrap
  • Packing Peanuts
  • Packaging Tape

4. Final Steps During Moving Week

If you've successfully completed all the steps mentioned above, moving week should be relatively smooth and simplified, although there's still a few to-do list items to check off. First, it's important to confirm your date and schedule with your moving team the week of the relocation. This is also the time to get most of the packing done—make sure to label boxes as you pack them to avoid confusion during the unpacking phase at your new office!

When you work with ALS Van Lines for your commercial move, we'll help you throughout each phase of your relocation, taking the lead on coordination and project management so that you can continue focusing on your daily operations—you still have a business to run during your move, after all! Get in touch with our team today to learn even more about our commercial moving services, and for a free price estimate on your upcoming office relocation.