So the time has come to relocate your business. As a business owner, you take great pride in your company and have carefully considered how moving will impact all aspects of your operations. Now that you’ve done your research and found a new location, you’re finally ready to make the move. Just one step remains — choosing the right moving company to handle the relocation.
So how do you select the right mover for your business? After all, not all moving companies are created equal.
A moving company experienced in commercial relocations will work with you to develop a detailed plan of action to help minimize your company’s downtime.
Regardless of the size and scope of your move, the right moving company will ensure you have an efficient moving experience that results in a low overall relocation cost.
It’s important to do the proper research before selecting a mover. There are hundreds of movers to select from in the marketplace, yet only a small fraction of those are truly capable and experienced in office and industrial relocations.
Here are a few tips to help make the research and selection process easier for you:
Ask the mover to give you three references of recent moves they’ve performed for other companies that are similar to yours. Many movers who will advertise themselves as commercial movers primarily only handle household moves. These companies will be unable to give any references for similar businesses that they have recently moved. Asking for moving references will definitely help you weed out the pretenders from the professionals.
Ask the mover if they will issue a Certificate of Insurance on their corporate insurance policies, showing your company and/or the building owner as “additional insured.” This provides you with valuable protection against property damage and/or workers’ compensation claims. This is a standard request. If the mover hesitates or refuses, he either has a poor safety history or is not experienced in commercial moving and should be avoided.
Once you conduct a pre-move survey with the prospective movers, require them to submit a detailed plan of action along with their estimate of cost. The plan should provide important information, such as how many trucks, men and support equipment they will commit to your project, how the move will flow and how long it will take from start to finish. Ask yourself: Does this seem reasonable, and does this meet my objectives and expectations?
Do not make the mistake of focusing solely on hourly rates. There are many examples of companies selecting a mover based on the lowest hourly rate only to find out their move took significantly longer than estimated. This will cause the actual cost to be higher than what would have transpired with a more respected and well-organized commercial moving company. If a mover’s estimate seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you follow these steps and drill down into the details, you will be able to find a moving company that stands out above the rest and takes as much care in moving your business as you did in making the decision to move. Expect to receive a smooth, efficient, high-quality, cost-effective relocation and don’t settle for any less when choosing the right moving company for your change of address.
