Office relocations in Manhattan always sound nice and exciting. And that’s how they usually start. However, panic begins at the exact moment when you realize what are the things that you have to do before you can move. There’s an incredible number of literal and figurative moving tasks that you need to complete. You have to prepare all the items, to move them, and to consider employees’ happiness while you’re doing it. Not an exactly easy task to complete, you’ll agree. And ideally, you would have between six months and a year to get on with everything for a big office. But, what if you don’t have that much time? What if you’re facing the worst possible scenario and you’re trying to organize a last minute office move? Are you doomed even before you start?
Well, no. Last-minute office relocations are possible and many people have done them in the past. On the other hand, they can be pretty challenging and you’ll have to know what you need to do at every moment if you want to move your entire business hassle-free. This is why we prepared this guide to help you with your struggles of organizing this kind of move.
Inform your employees about the move and assemble the team
The first thing you want to do is to inform all of your employees about the relocation. Schedule a meeting and talk to everyone openly. Ask everyone to pack their own stuff as that will definitely speed up the process. While you’re there, check are there any volunteers to help you with organizing the move. Enthusiasm should always be gladly accepted as it can boost productivity incredibly well.
You’ll need a team of people to help you. How many people should be on it depends on the number of your employees and the level of your move. But, the more the better is a pretty safe thing to say here. Give each member of the team assign and the area that they’re responsible for. You must choose the people that are highly responsible as a bad organization is one of the most common issues with moving to NYC.
If you’re moving to another state, help your employees adapt in any way you can. Help them with finding a place to live and if you can, cover the traveling costs. If you’re a good employer, they will find a way to thank you.
Choose a reliable moving company
When you’re done with preparing your employees for the big office move, it’s time to call and book your desired moving company. These are people whose job is to safely and securely transport all of your belongings from the old building to the new one. You don’t want anything to get damaged or broken, for which the chances have risen since you’re trying to organize a last minute office move in Manhattan. You’ll be in a rush pretty much all the time, so be sure to choose a company that is reliable and well experienced.
Decide what you’re going to move
Now, as you have limited time on your hands, you’ll have to make some quick and big decisions. Consult your team and decide what you need to bring with you. What are you going to do with archives and storage? If you can make, or already have digital copies of everything don’t hesitate on leaving everything behind.
As our professionals zenithmoving.com have ironically said, the cheapest move is the one that you don’t do. And you know how much those papers can weigh. Ask around about recycling and your other alternatives and decide what is the best decision for you at the moment. Maybe you do need all those contracts.
Manage the clients and customers
Depending on what your company does, the process of trying to organize a last minute office move can create more or fewer problems for your operations. Whichever the scenario you’re encountering, you need to manage the way for your clients and customers to contact you during the move. Make sure to inform everyone who is of any importance about the move and your new address. Order printing your new business cards if you need them. Change the information on your website and online business listings.
As you can probably tell, you’ll need your IT guy as a part of the team working on this task.
Call your vendors and suppliers
When you’re running an office you are in contact with many people. And some of them are closely connected with your functioning. The shining examples are your vendors and suppliers. Call all the people you’re working with. This means delivery, utilities, business partners, or anyone else who should be in the loop. Give them the location of your new office, and let them know how they can reach you in the next period as well as when you’re scheduled to start operating normally again.
Ask for a point person
The point person is essentially a relocation manager. This one of the services you can use from a moving company, and yet so many people don’t know about it. So, for a bit higher fee, you’ll have a project manager that will be reachable 100% of the time until the move is complete. It’s a great way to save your time if you have enough money to spend on it.
Don’t be cheap
And the last thing when trying to organize a last minute office move in Manhattan is not to be penny-wise. These kinds of moves put a lot of stress on both you and your movers, so there’s no point in arguing about the prices. Everyone’s idea is the same here. To move your office safely in the shortest time possible. Arm yourself with knowledge and patience and get on with it. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.