Relocating your business is a huge undertaking. You have to move office furniture, computers, copy machines, file cabinets, and everything else in your facility. And it’s stressful! In addition to coordinating the move itself, you have to make sure that your employees are happy. Will they like the new facility? How will their commutes be affected? Are they excited at the prospect of having a new office space? In addition to all that, you have to worry about the cost to move a business.
Moving can be expensive, and it’s important that you get the most accurate estimate possible. It’s very common for commercial moves to have surprises or unexpected challenges on move day—and though these lead to higher cost, they’re easily avoidable. The best way to prepare yourself and obtain an accurate estimate is to provide your commercial moving company with as much information as possible.
Factors that affect the cost to move a business
There are a few obvious factors that affect your business relocation, including your building’s square footage and number of employees. Each business is unique, so there’s really no formula to just plug in a few numbers and receive an average or approximate cost.
All professional moving services will require an inventory list. They need to know what materials they’ll move before they can provide you with a quote. Here are a few moving tips to provide enough information to your moving company so they can ensure that you get the most accurate estimate possible:
- Perform a walkthrough of your facility. When you create your inventory list, make sure that you include common areas. These include your foyer, lobby, break room, and restrooms. This might sound obvious, but during commercial moves, it’s easy to only focus on offices, desks, and cubicles. An accurate inventory is key to estimating the cost to move a business, so don’t ignore this crucial step.
- Look closely at your office furniture and cubicles. What items will need disassembly at your old office and reassembly at your new location? Most moving companies will be happy to perform this labor for you, but they’ll need to know up front. This labor takes a lot of time, and special tools might be required. To be safe, send your moving company some pictures of your materials, or even better: ask them to visit your facility before they estimate your move.
- Consider each employee’s work area. Direct your employees to clean and box up the materials from their desks and offices. They should organize their personal effects and files prior to the move. If you have an IT Department, ask them to safely disconnect all computers and other high-end electronics. Some moving companies even offer sturdy plastic rental bins to make your office move more efficient, so be sure to ask for this service.
- Storage. It’s common for companies to need storage for a few weeks during their office relocation. If your new facility isn’t 100% ready to move into—or if you’re moving in department by department—you might need to rent secure offsite storage. The best moving companies offer storage at their facilities, and this can easily be included in your estimate.
Even if you’re moving a small business with no warehouse space, you’ll want to keep an eye on your office moving costs and understand how professional moving companies estimate the cost to move a business.
How moving companies estimate the cost to move a business
There isn’t a standard formula to generate the average office moving costs per square foot. This is because each industry has its own needs, and each company is unique. In order to create a custom estimate, professional moving companies will look at a number of aspects to generate an estimate for your commercial move.
Many businesses have warehouse spaces in addition to office areas. In general, a professional commercial moving service will not work on any special machinery, racking or crating that your warehouse includes. Instead, your warehouse team should handle those items. Regardless of your warehousing capabilities, include pictures and dimensions of any oddly-shaped or oversized items when you send information to your moving company. This will help them provide you with the most accurate estimate possible.
Finally, one last aspect of your commercial relocation that your moving company will ask about is the configuration. How are your old and new facilities laid out? How many flights of stairs do you have? What are the dimensions of your elevators? If you have large items that need to be carried into or out of your office area, be sure to measure your hallways and doorways to make sure they’ll fit. As long as you’re equipped with this information, you’re setting yourself up for a smooth move!
How to find the right moving company to move your business
One of the best way to start your search for the best moving service is personal reviews. Ask your family, friends, and colleagues for their recommendations. You can usually trust a personal referral. And some moving companies will even offer promotional codes for referrals that’ll save you some money. After that, check out the moving company’s online reviews. If people are willing to give them a positive review, they’re probably a very solid company!
The final step in selecting your moving company will be to speak with them. Make sure they’re friendly and helpful. They should ask a lot of questions about your office to ensure that they can provide you with an accurate estimate. And don’t be afraid to ask them a lot of questions! If their customer service team isn’t willing to spend time earning your business, chances are you’ll have a lackluster team on your move day.
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