Contrary to what most people think, an office move is not like a really large house move, or even several really large house moves. An office move of any real size are an incredible challenge even for an experienced house mover even with many years in the business. Unfortunately for their customers they often find themselves in way over their heads halfway into the move, sadly the illusion of low price evaporates, stress mushrooms along with damage.

Make no mistake, office moving is as different from a household moving as orthopedic surgery is from dentistry. Even if you have the very best orthopedic surgeon, do you want him or her doing your root canal? Because of inexperience, a household mover attempts to judge an office move similar to a really big house move, or a bunch of really big house moves all stacked together and they underestimate the project. This makes for a no win situation. Commercial relocations require attention to a thousand tiny details, and during the move or it will get out of hand quickly.

I think of a good-sized office move like a train, a train trying very hard to skip the tracks. It takes a very experienced conductor and crew to prevent disaster. The first red flag is a mover who presents a dramatically lower price or significantly less time and/or manpower than the other movers you are considering or a mover that possesses a proven commercial relocation track record.  The household mover rarely knows they have underestimated the move and feel as if they have accounted for enough time. An office move requires specialized equipment, planning and know-how and that starts with the proper estimating tools.  A specialized office cube sheet  that enables the move consultant to know how many truck loads a move will take is key unlike a household move where overall weight is a key factor. House movers stack tightly to the roof of the truck for long trips.  Conversely an office mover keeps everything on wheels and moves much more quickly because they use a bucket brigade method and cannot afford to un-dolly and re-dolly everything several times at the truck. Underestimating the real size of an office move means the workers become fatigued resulting in damage, stress and disorganized placement which drives your office downtime up and lost productivity to the max. Ed Katz, the “office moving guru” states that “Two-thirds of those responsible for their company’s relocations either lose their job or get demoted afterward. A well run office relocation allows managers to not only save their job but to come out looking good.” Another red flag is when a mover suggests using boxes (see later blog regarding this pitfall). This is a classic give away. Do not let the camouflage fool you this is a household goods mover disguised as an office mover. Tough economic times are causing many home movers to re-brand themselves as an office mover. However, without the proper training, their workers will be learning on the job with your company’s relocation? Can you really afford to provide on-the-job training and risk your company’s well-being? It pays to go with an office moving professional for solutions instead of problems. Call 334-262-6666, info@admiralmovers.com or visit alwaysleading.com.