Once you know it’s time to move from one location to another, how do you get started? How can you be sure that you are making the change that is best for your business? If you take the time to thoroughly consider your plan of action, we think you’ll find that moving is easier than you believe. There are four main steps you can take to ensure that your move goes smoothly.

1. Take time to research your options and choose the best one for your business needs.
2. Make a thorough list of needs that must be met.
3. Set your budget.
4. Study all of your options.

Take Time to Research

If you try to make a decision last minute on where to move, you’ll put your whole business under a lot of unnecessary pressure. Do all that you can to avoid this, as this could disrupt your daily workflow. Instead, decide ahead of time when you will need to move. As soon as you know that change is on the horizon, start looking around. Take a close look at all potential options, and make sure to carefully consider the pros and cons of all choices. Research has shown us that we are more likely to regret a decision that was made hastily over one that was made with only a few options. Take your time, do your research, and make an informed decision.

Decide What Needs Should Be Met

Make a list of things your new location needs to have. If you aren’t sure what to put on this list, there are a few ways to get ideas.

Interview your employees

Meet with your team in small groups or even one-on-one to get their feedback. Ask about the current work conditions to find out what they like and what they would change. How would a new office space meet these issues? While your employees will have some great ideas for the new location, don’t forget to take note of what they love about the current office. You don’t want to accidentally take that away from them! These interviews can also tell you what current commute times look like, how they feel about building security and additional access, proximity to public transit, parking, and other amenities. However, keep in mind that there will likely be some losses, too. It’s common to lose employees when making a big location change.

Check your observations

Your employees have habits that they may not be aware of, but you can make a note of them if you pay attention. For example, how do they use the common areas? Do those with offices leave the doors open, or do they close them? Do people leave the office for snacks and coffee? Where do they eat? The point of this exercise is to find space for improvement. Do not judge your employees; simply make notes for your future office space.

Determine your objectives

What’s the goal in this move? How will moving help your business? For those of you with commercial businesses that are about to grow, a new location might be just what you need. For those who are looking to improve communication within, you may need to focus more on the office layout than the overall size. Feel free to have brainstorming sessions with your employees and get their input. Write down what really matters!

Once you have all of these written down, narrow down the factors that really matter to you and your company. While it’s unlikely to get everything you’re setting out to find, having this rough guideline will help you choose the best fit for your business.

Choose a Budget

Now that you know what you want in your new office, it’s time to pick a budget. However, make sure it’s reasonable. Your budget needs to cover size, location, utilities, and whatever else your business needs to handle. With that in mind, take a closer look at your resources. Will you be able to afford new furnishings? What about a remodel? Does artwork matter to you and your business? Whatever it is that you need to succeed, a budget is number one. Make sure to set some money aside for unexpected repair work.

Check Your Options

Once you have chosen your criteria and your budget, you can start defining more exact requests. Consider the following:

• Overall size requirements to fit employees
• Desired layout for optimum productivity
• Workstations for all employees
• Potential for renovations if needed
• Locations within budget
• Fitting with the brand
• Available meeting space, including floors and meeting rooms
• Private office availability
• Location and parking capabilities

This checklist should tell you what matters most when moving to a new commercial property and be your guide on your way to success.

While hunting for a new commercial property can be exciting, it’s important not to get tied up in the bells and whistles of a new space. Set the criteria, make sure this space meets your requirements, and only consider it if it makes sense.

Washington Express Movers

Once you have the perfect spot and have signed the paperwork, give our team a call! We know exactly how to care for your office moving needs, including furniture and artwork transportation. We would be happy to assign a project manager to your move to make sure all your needs are met. Proudly serving the Washington, D.C. metro area, our crew is ready to help your commercial move go as smoothly as possible! Reach out to our team today to get started.

The post Get Your Office Move Right with These Steps first appeared on Washington Express Movers.

Choose the right amount of storage space.

It can be hard to know exactly how much space you need. Afterall, what if you are moving to a new location and just need an in-between spot, but you have a lot of furniture to move? You don’t want to spend more than your budget allows, but you also need enough room for your items! Contact our team and show us what you have. We can provide an estimate on storage and let you know how much space you may need.

Make sure that your items are safe from harsh weather conditions.

Regardless of what you have to store, you will want to make sure that your items won’t get damaged while they remain in one spot. Some storage companies will provide the space you need but cannot guarantee that temperatures will be regulated. If you are hoping to store items like electronics, batteries, ink, or other fluids, the cold weather might cause these items to freeze, expand, or explode. Washington Express Movers offers heated units, allowing you to feel confident about the location of your electronics and other sensitive items.

Keep your packing needs in mind.

You will want the right materials for packing in order to both protect your items and to identify them when they move to their next location. We recommend planning ahead for any heavy machinery you might have, as well as your more fragile items (glass, electronics, etc.) before you add them to the storage space. Label your boxes clearly with the name of the item inside. Don’t be shy about color-coding, as this will help you know what goes where and what you can expect to find inside of the box. Should you choose to store heavy or fragile items, leave a warning label on the package so that whoever moves the box is prepared.

Know what can and cannot be stored in a storage unit.

We can hold most of your commercial items, but there are things that attract pests or are overly flammable that we should not store for you. Contact us if you have any questions about what we can and cannot hold for you.

Insure your items, especially the expensive and fragile ones.

We have strong, 24-hour security at our facility, but acts of nature cannot be predicted. Should a fire, flood, or other extreme condition damage our Washington, D.C. facility and your possessions, we would much rather you feel prepared to be reimbursed for those items through your insurance. Consider storage insurance, and feel free to ask us if you have any questions about this. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Choose the right moving and storage company to fit your needs.

Why hire several companies to do work for you when you can trust one with the whole process? Washington Express Movers is here to help your business move to its new location, as well as assist you when you need somewhere to hold your commercial items. If you are ready to get started, please contact us today! We look forward to helping you reach your new and improved location.

The post Top Tips for Storing Commercial Items first appeared on Washington Express Movers.

That’s why you need to consider hiring commercial movers when it comes to your Washington D.C. office move. Planning ahead, timing the move well, and meeting your goals beforehand will all help smooth over the process. Read the following reasons why it’s best to keep your employees out of the moving process.

Your Employees Will Be Distracted

Each one of your employees matters. We know this, because otherwise, you wouldn’t be paying to keep them around. Because of this, you need to be able to keep all your employees focused on the task at hand while they are in the office. When you give them moving responsibilities, they lose their attention to their jobs. Instead, they begin to think about the move itself. Let those thoughts go to the professional commercial movers at Washington Express Movers instead of your employees.

Your Employees Likely Have Not Done This Before

Sure, many of your employees have probably moved their homes before. However, that was moving their own personal items – not the office materials. They may feel added stress about moving expensive electronics, and they might feel added pressure if they don’t believe they are capable of moving all their office materials on their own.

Electronics are Expensive and Fragile

There is always a risk when moving items from one office to another, but this risk is only heightened when you trust your employees to load up their own items in the backs of their cars where they cannot be properly secured. Electronics are expensive, and they are fragile. This risk increases when they are not packed properly for moving! Trust the professionals over the amateurs to save your business money.

You Might Be At Fault for Injury

If your business isn’t filled with professional commercial movers – and we doubt it is – then you might be at risk of a lawsuit if one of your employees is injured during the move. Your team doesn’t know how to maneuver heavy items through Washington D.C.’s office spaces, so don’t leave anything up to chance. Let us take care of the heavy lifting instead.

Security Might Be an Issue

Typically, your business is quite secure. You may require your employees to have access cards, you probably lock the doors at the end of the business day, and you probably have a detailed and secure filing system for important documents. When you allow your employees to move things at their will, all of this becomes susceptible to theft or a security breach. When you call in our commercial movers, you can be sure that we have a plan in place to keep all your information and items secure during the move.

Your Employees Might Not Know How To Move Things

Do your employees know that copy machines need to have all fluids removed before they can be moved from your office to the new one? Ours do. Leaving your expensive equipment at the mercy of your employees is never wise! Make the smart decision and contact a team that has done this hundreds of times before. We know exactly how to handle all the tricky equipment in your office, as well as the heavier items.

Your Employees Need a Chance to Settle In

You are moving them to a brand new office! We are sure that they want to spend the time moving getting familiar with the space and setting up their new workstations. While our commercial movers handle all the hard work, your employees can focus on moving forward, working with the clients, and getting cozy in their new space. Once your employees feel more at ease and, dare we say, at home in the new space, they will be back to conducting business as usual and keeping your clients happy.

Contact Our Commercial Movers Today

If you are ready to put your big office move in the hands of our professionals, then it’s time to call Washington Express Movers. We can handle your move from one Washington D.C. office to another. Your employees don’t need the added pressure of a hard move, but we thrive on it. Contact us today and let us know how we can help you.

The post Top Reasons to Not Use Employees While Your Office Moves first appeared on Washington Express Movers.

Get Creative

Most of moving is not about brute strength. While we highly recommend that you leave the heavy items to us to move, we know you probably will want to move a few things on your own ahead of time. No problem! However, keep in mind what the challenges may be. Will the refrigerator fit through the door frame as it is? Will the couch cushions need to be removed ahead of time? Keeping a list of these things can make our job faster, and it can help you decide what is best left to the professionals versus what you can confidently handle. If you have any doubt in your mind about what you can safely lift, do not risk it. You could hurt yourself or damage the item beyond repair. That’s a huge waste of time, money, or both.

Take Off Attached Parts

Most office printers, scanners, and other large items come with attachable parts that can be removed. For example, your desks might have drawers that are removable. If this is the case, empty the drawers and remove them from the desk before you begin moving. For any item that you can’t remove the drawers, tape them shut to avoid them opening and closing during the move. You’ll also want to remove any protruding handles, chair legs, and knobs that might get in the way during your move. Just keep them in a safe place and thoroughly label them so you know where they belong! This will make your appliance lighter, and you won’t be as concerned with bumping those extra edges and damaging your equipment during the move.

Use Proper Protection

We will handle most of this for you, but you will know what to look for. Always use pads, blankets, or bubble wrap to firmly secure your larger items and furniture. However, make sure all items are firmly secured so nothing slips as you move. Even if you are being overly cautious, inexperienced furniture movers may feel less coordinated than usual. Trying to catch your balance while moving down the stairs might mean a damaged wall and a dented desk. By creating a barrier between these items, the damage will be minimized. Of course, trusting a professional team of movers might be the ideal way to go!

Pushing Instead of Pulling

Pushing tends to be much easier on your body than pulling, so do not be fearful of pushing heavy furniture as far as you can before you need to lift it. Pulling can add strain on your back that you do not need! However, if you are worried about the state of the hardwood floor or rug you need to push this item across, lay down some cardboard or an old sheet under the furniture, then push. This can prevent any scratches and will minimize the friction below, making it easier to push.

The safest way to move heavy items, such as desks, commercial printers, and more, is with specialized tools. While your business may not have these items, our team at Washington Express Movers does.

• Lifting Straps: These work a lot like a pulley system. Our team can use these moving and lifting straps to effectively leverage our strength.

• Furniture Dolly: This is just the upright tool with two wheels we use to stack heavy boxes. This is one of the most efficient and practical ways to move large and awkwardly shaped items.

• Stair Rollers: Moving things up and down the stairs can be one of the scariest parts of transporting items. That’s why stair rollers are there to easily roll the items down the steps. However, these should only be used with more than one person and when the item can be safely guided.

Call Washington Express Movers

When it comes to a finding an experienced and professional commercial moving service for your Washington, DC business, it’s time to call us. Our team of professionals knows exactly how to handle your moving needs and can do so with care and attention to detail. To learn more about our services or schedule a moving date with us, contact us today! We look forward to working with you and safely transporting everything you need.

The post Safely Moving Your Large Items first appeared on Washington Express Movers.