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The typical way we recommend conducting a business relocation is a phased move. Many people might misunderstand that to mean a slow move, but that really couldn’t be further from the truth. What a phased move does is create a situation where your office is moved in the proper order, which actually allows the move to be conducted much more efficiently.

Generally speaking, every office move has three main phases: preparation before the move, the actual relocation process, and then setting up the new location. The most important of these phases, which ensures that everything after it can happen without a hitch, is the pre-move preparation. This is when all small items are boxed up, all furniture that needs to be is disassembled, and all electronics are unplugged and stored.

If any of you have ever had to help a friend move who simply hasn’t prepared any boxes, cleaned out his refrigerator, or even washed his dishes, you know how important this part is. It can mean the difference between a four hour move and an all-day affair.

One of the biggest worries for today’s companies when they’re thinking about relocating is determining exactly how they’re going to have a seamless electronics transition. With many companies having onsite servers and databases, making sure they lose none of their valuable information during the transition is of paramount importance.

Given that, there are several steps every company should take when prepping for a move to make sure their business continues without a hitch

• Label everything. Don’t assume that those who do the work of moving your office will remember which plug goes where, or which cord goes with which computer. Heck, if you’re moving your office yourself, chances are you won’t remember either.
• Back up your system. Even if you account for every other factor, there’s always the chance that something could go wrong. It should go without saying, but it’s absolutely essential that you have a working backup of your database should catastrophe strike during the move.
• Hire a trusted mover. Instead of attempting to load everything up into a U-Haul, hire experts who are used to moving large quantities of sensitive materials, and know the ins and out of commercial relocation.

Employees are the backbone and engine of every company. The employee culture can make or break any company, big or small. Moving is a very stressful and unsettling event especially if it's at your place of work. It is a known fact that moving is the third most stressful event in a person's life exceeded only by death and divorce. Here are some tips on how to gain employee support and cooperation for the upcoming office relocation.

Communicate early and often with your employees about your office move.

An office move or plant relocation can affect your staff in more ways than the obvious. For example: commute distance, worries of staffing requirements, pay cuts, business overhead issues, change in work hours, just to name a few. Therefore, best practice suggests that you communicate early and often with your employees as you start your process to find your new building or space. Yes, even before contracts are signed. Think of it as a campaign with your employees. The key is to set and control a positive tone with your employees while setting their expectations.

Moving an office can and will be an exciting time for everyone. We've discussed the fears, but let's accentuate the positives. For most of us a new workplace is a good thing whether you are growing or downsizing, the positive vision of change, a new environment, a new routine, etc.

Clear communication from HR is key.

Human Resources (HR) plays a very important role in ensuring that everyone is regularly updated. Good clear communication is key and ensures that your employees have an outlet to voice their questions and concerns. Caution: do not allow a gripe session. The more informed they are and feel like they are, ”in the know”, the greater your success.

There are also certain contractual obligations, that as employers, you must adhere to. You may have an existing mobility clause within your employment contracts, so check into the status of them before signing any leases or building commitments. See the HR & Employment Law Checklist for more detail. Seeking professional legal support will help you address any of these issues surrounding an emplacement law and your obligation as an employer.

Open floor plan or cubicles? Get your staff involved!

Finally, getting your staff involved with the office move is a great way to boost morale and get vital input for your workforce. They have great ideas about office design, layout, process flow, prioritizing what needs to move when in conjunction with running your business. But you'll never know unless you ask. You might be surprised at all the good input and information you'll receive and it's a great way to get everyone to buy in. So, make sure you communicate early, often and get your employees involved from the start. Make it their move, not something they have to do and you may find everything goes according to the move plan.

Steve Komorous
President
King Office Services
www.kingofficeusa.com

During a commercial relocation, all movers are at the mercy of the same logistics; the building, the loading dock, and the size and speed of the elevators. At JK, with our dedicated, full-time, IOMI® certified employees we have created an efficient system with state-of-the-art tools that help us deliver a superior commercial move experience.

During a commercial move, we want to be safe and we want to minimize the total volume of the move, limit the amount of employee downtime, and save the customer money and time. We strive to move the contents inside the furniture itself, and not the contents and furniture separately, following these principles.

Crate and Dolly System. We use durable, plastic crates that are 20% larger than a standard box.  These crates are a standard size which means customers can easily pack their belongings and stack crates on top of each other. This allows our team to easily stack the crates on a dolly and pack them in our trucks. This system allows for more efficient packing, which means fewer trips for our team and fewer truckloads.

Spider Crane. We use the Spider Crane to move qualified lateral file cabinets fully-loaded. The Spider Crane eliminates the need to empty the file cabinet before moving so customers do not have to worry about the employee downtime caused by unpacking, repacking, and potentially lost files. An additional benefit with the Spider Crane is that customers will have access to files up until the day and time the movers arrive to start your move - and we guarantee no lost or mixed up files; the files will be in the same position at the destination location as the origin location.

Space Gobblers. Space Gobblers, just like the spider crane are another good option to limit the amount of employee downtime. Instead of an employee unpacking their desk, the Space Gobbler is placed in the desk and expands, holding all the contents securely in place. This will allow employees to have access to the contents of their desks up until the time the movers arrive to start the move.

Comp-U-Wrap System. The Comp-U-Wrap system is an anti-static sleeve, the size of a large pillow case. Inside the anti-static sleeve there are two sheets of large anti-static bubble wrap (with the bubbles facing each other). To minimize double handling of the equipment, we use PC carts that are lined with the Comp-U-Wraps. Our crews place the equipment on the carts and fold over and wrap them with the Comp-U-Wraps protecting the equipment from physical impact, static shock and dust, dirt and moisture. To keep things organized, the peripherals (keyboard, mouse, cables, speakers, docking stations, etc) are placed in a PC bubble bag and delivered with the CPU and monitor to the new office work space.  By using the Comp-U-Wrap system, we minimize the handling of the equipment  and the customer’s IT team will only have to reconnect the computer system, and not worry about locating every piece of the computer station. The quicker the IT team can get the stations ready, the quicker they can get the servers running.

These four strategies control the total volume of the move, reducing the number of truckloads and labor hours on the job which save the customer money. Our system helps the customer avoid employee downtime by limiting the amount of items that need to be packed, while keeping items available until the day of the move.  Our system helps customers save money, suffer less employee downtime, and experience a more efficient move.

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JK Moving Commercial Overview

The Boxless Move

I’ll start by saying that last week and next week will be some of the busiest weeks I’ve had in my 30 year career!   I currently have 4 major commercial relocations going on at the same time.  One will be stretched out over a two year period (contract for over $600,000), one only lasts a week.  The other two are three to four week projects.  These four projects represent revenue in excess of one million dollars.

A challenge for commercial moving companies (and moving companies in general) is that our business comes in waves.

So how does a commercial moving company manage the surge in business then the drop as the wave eases off seasonally?

The only way we are able to perform these major moves is through client cooperation.  For instance, my clients have agreed to different dates and to different move times and adjusted their schedules accordingly.  Because one of these projects was willing to stretch their move over a ten day period, instead of a weekend, we had adequate personnel resources to accommodate the various projects.

All four clients are long-time customers and it is because of their loyalty to Central Transportation Systems (CTS) and me personally, that this is a, “win-win” situation.  The clients get their moves performed with the same top-level of quality and expertise from our team that they are accustomed to and we stay busy during a down-turned economy.

I’m excited to have made it through this week as I go on vacation in one hour!  Trip has been planned for over a year.  My wife threatened divorce if I cancelled this trip.  J

I know Christmas time will bring the same challenges…but with our flexible team and cooperative customers, I also know we’re ready for it!

Rollin Breed
Central Transportation Systems
Agent for United Van Lines
(512) 484-7003
Member Commercial
Relocation Network
www.crn-us.com

With over 30 years of experience in the relocation industry I have had the opportunity to manage and execute many office and industrial relocations in in my career. As our client's grow and expand we now manage commercial office moves throughout North America. This creates the challenge of delivering the same process, system and high level of service (special sauce) that we establish with the client locally.

How do we deliver our "special sauce" in every market? This is a very difficult proposition given the challenges of regional culture, labor practices and service philosophies. Adding to the equation is the fact the most Moving Van Line agents are composed of residential movers with little to no experience in commercial moving. Without the right partnership delivering a “seamless” corporate relocation experience is nearly impossible.

The Commercial Relocation Network is a national network of 64 of the leading "Subject Matter Experts" in the commercial office relocation industry. We meet throughout the year to exchange "best practices" and innovative methodologies for office move service and execution. Within the membership (“the Brotherhood”) there are extremely high expectations between members which result in high levels of accountability throughout the network.

Office moving can be a complex and at times unpredictable business so it is vital to have a network of experts motivated to get the job done right the first time. As our association grows we continue to deliver high performing results (seamless service nationwide). This results from continuous innovation and the accountability driven through the high expectation between members. Members of the CRN are passionate about getting the job done right the first time because there are no “second chances” in commercial relocations.

Matt Watson
Corporate Relocation Consultant
VP of Business Development
Apex Facility Resources, Inc.
www.apexfacility.com

Once a year in a fantastic place called Las Vegas, well over FIVE-DOZEN of the premier, independent Office Movers from North America meet to discuss the process, progress, and future of the Commercial Relocation Network.  Most people might assume that a CRN meeting in Las Vegas of that many Office Movers at one time could lead to a super-sized repeat of the Hangover movie, but in truth it's a very serious (but enjoyable) opportunity for the best-of-the-best to spend some time talking shop.  Movers are completely devoted to the Craft; we truly look forward to new types of building protection, we get excited about the prospect of sticky-back move labels being replaced by RFID tags; and more than anything, we always worry about the state of the economy and the ever-changing expectations of our valued Office Moving clients.  Details like these might seem a little dry; but it's how we improve the services that we offer.  Office Movers like to be ahead of the curve, we like to lead in process and technology; and that's why there is a CRN.  The Commercial Relocation Network allows for the best Office Mover in New York, a world of sky-scrapers that can climb from nine to ninety-plus floors, to brainstorm with the best Office Movers from Houston, Toronto, Miami, Seattle, etc.; we all speak unique dialects of Office Moving and practice our craft with a nod toward local expectations.  If you look closely you might find that the Office Moving world can be a varied and chaotic place: a Wonderland, growing and shrinking all at once.

Kevin Crofoot (Houston), Matt Taylor (Boston), and Mike McMillin (Milwaukee), and I (New York) took the opportunity after a day of CRN meetings to toss around our concepts of where Office Moving was going.  My worry was that the "traditional things" for Office Movers to move were shrinking, and rapidly: it was like we were Alice in Wonderland and we'd turned into giants in a small world, after eating that little cake.  I told them that everything was shrinking and offered up stories of the impersonal work-spaces in some of the booming Asian cities where early-bird employees vied to be the first into the office to gather up their portable worktable to rush over to plug in their computers near a window to get a good view for the day.  No files to move, no cubicles to build, no computers to disconnect or reconnect.  And I followed up with, "and NYC isn't too far behind"; the floor-plate, space allocation per employee in New York was rapidly passing below 100 Sq ft.  I described the way we did things in a "shrinking" New York: the high-speed,  "rough-and-tumble" of the Big City, what packing materials we used, the asset-tracking we deployed.  I guess I was playing "Chicken-Little" to the group.

Now, the fantastic thing about the Commercial Relocation Network is that there aren't any blinders in our group; no one just blindly follows.  The Best, by definition I'd say, don't follow - But we do listen.  Kevin Crofoot couldn’t have had a more different view of Office Moving in Houston.  Kevin lives in an expanding world that grows out horizontally, not vertically into the sky.  I was amazed to hear about his "crazy" world of large, single-person offices and about the cultures of the Office Moving clients in Houston.  As each of us spoke about our markets, and how our services have changed to suit the chaotic swirl of Office Moving Progress: furniture-renovations, carpet-moves, data-center and PC's, FF&E, hospitality, shredding, document storage, and on and on.  It began to dawn on me that I (aka: the cynical Chicken-Little from Manhattan) was in a world of wonderful opportunity and resources.  The Commercial Relocation Network is a Wonderland of Solutions for Office Moving.  When the best Office Movers on the Continent come together to share, what they're sharing is our "Solution-base" to all of these completely different, local challenges that our wonderful clients come to us to solve for them.  We improve the breed; we innovate by cross-pollinating.  This can only happen when CRN Office Movers come together.

…And while it may be true that certain things in our CRN Office Moving "Wonderland" may be shrinking a little - What is certainly growing (like wild fire) is our capacity to serve our clients with the very Best Office Moving Practices, developed and then shared among the CRN professionals in each of our unique, local markets.  And that sharing is one of the great, unparalleled values of the Commercial Relocation Network.

Martin Towey
Executive Vice President

Clancy-Cullen Moving & Storage Co.
Business Relocation and Logistics Management

310 Tiffany Street
Bronx, NY  10474
800-223-8340  / 718-828-3000 ext. 312
973-886-2445 Cell  / 718-861-7640 Fax

mtowey@clancy-cullen.com

Any time you decide to move your corporate offices and staff to a new location, it is likely to be a major undertaking. Your offices contain thousands of pieces of furniture, hundreds of computers and countless other items that must be moved. The only way you are going to get this done is to hire professional corporate moving services that are well versed in this type of move.

Corporate Moving Services Have the Staff and Equipment to Make Your Move Go Smoothly

Not only do corporate moving services have the experience necessary to handle this type of move, they are going to have the trained staff and the equipment necessary to make your move go as swiftly and smoothly as possible. Moving corporate offices often takes dozens of skilled employees to pack everything in your offices, along with several vehicles that are capable of moving all of your office supplies and equipment at the same time to ensure you can set up your offices in their new location with the least delay possible.

Moving a commercial business is likely to be the most complicated type of move you are likely to ever have to make. The only way to ensure that the move goes smoothly is to hire commercial moving services to do the work. By hiring professionals, you will be getting a team that is properly trained in all aspects of the moving process. This may even include disconnecting your computer systems and packing them carefully for the journey.

The Best Commercial Moving Services Will Pack Everything for You

Whether you are moving across town or across the country, the best commercial moving services will pack everything that belongs to your business for the trip. They will also supply the appropriate vehicles to transport your business to its new location. Once at the new site, the company will provide the necessary staff to unpack your business and take care of getting everything connected and back up and running again in the shortest possible time.

The idea of having to move across the country to another division of your company is not always a lot of fun. This means having to pack up everything and find a new home when you get there. For those that are in charge of handling employee transfers, the problem is only multiplied by the number of employees you have to arrange transportation for. Using corporate moving services can make everything flow more smoothly.

Many Corporate Moving Services Can Move Your Employees

Much like any other type of moving company, you will find that the corporate moving services available through our service can take care of help all of your employees with their move to the new location. The one big difference when you use a single moving service to do the job is cost. You will find that if you hire a company to move several people at the same time or use them frequently you will earn discounted prices compared to hiring different companies each time.