Strategic planning for a commercial move can make the difference between a hectic relocation with costly downtime and a smooth transition with little to no lost hours of operation. If you are planning an office move or other business relocation, the following tips can help make the move come in on time and on budget.

1. Plan your move as early as possible. Business relocations are often planned six months in advance, and large commercial moves can require up to two years of planning.
2. Hire commercial movers with the experience, resources and manpower required for an efficient office move.
3. Make sure the moving company you hire has insurance, and get them to fax you a copy of it. Most of all, office buildings require it.
4. Schedule the move with the building you are moving into as well as out of. Most likely the move will need to be done outside of normal business hours, as most buildings won’t allow moves during office hours. The best time for an office move is typically over the weekend.
5. Check with the buildings about any other requirements (each office building is unique). The building may limit the amount of time you can park at the loading dock, require that floors be covered or protected, and that elevators are reserved in advance.
6. Talk to your employees about the move as early in the planning stage as possible and keep them informed.  Check with state law in regards to the amount of time a company is required to provide notice to their employees.
7. Determine what printed materials such as business cards, envelopes, and stationary will require address changes.
8. Create announcements about the move.
9. Unless you hire full service office movers, hiring a move manager can save a lot of headaches, as he or she can coordinate with the moving team, furniture delivery, IT install team, etc. If you don’t hire a move manager or full service mover to handle the details for you, at least create a rough sketch of the floor plan at destination so that the movers know where to place the furniture.
10. The week before moving you may need assistance with packing, so be sure to inquire about this with your moving company in advance.
11. Let the head of each department take an inventory of all items to be moved in their department.
12. Before the move, walk the new space with the building manager to ensure it’s ready for business (no broken bulbs, leaks, etc.).
13. Find out whether the AC or heat will be on during the move, as some buildings turn off the HVAC by default on weekends, unless you tell them you need it on.
14. Most office movers will not be responsible for moving plants, so you will need to assign someone to be in charge of getting any plants moved.
15. Give employees some time on Friday before the move to pack their desk items and any other materials that haven’t been packed by that time. Have them take all personal possessions with them.
16. It is wise to have at least two managers present during the entire move, one at origin and one at destination.  However, only those managers should be present during the move. Any more than that will get in the way of the movers and slow them down.
17. Make sure all data cabling is installed and tested before the IT team arrives to setup the network and other equipment. Inquire with your move company or move manager if you need assistance with IT disconnect and reconnect services.
18. If you’re moving existing IT equipment, make sure it’s unloaded first so the IT team can immediately get to work setting up the network, phones, etc.
19. If you have a lot of artwork, academic credentials, etc. find a professional “art hanger” in your area and schedule them to come by the office 1-2 weeks after the move. This will take a lot of stress off of management so that there are less holes in the wall (from mistakes) and that everything in the office gets hung the right way.
20. Forward all mail online via www.usps.com (this can be scheduled ahead of time).

Have tips to add? Share them in the comments section.