The relocation of an office is much more complex than that of a home. An office relocation involves not only the move of furniture and equipment, but also that of employees, technology, and documentation. This requires careful organization and scheduling in order to minimize disruption to normal operations.
For a company with a location in the downtown core of Toronto, there may be a number of buildings involved, each with its own set of street constraints, elevators, etc. Many of these buildings also have their own management and sets of rules. In addition to all of these external constraints, a company must also try to plan the move within the existing constraints of their own busy schedule.
Let us help you find Office Relocation Services Toronto for your business needs. Porter Services is a business providing a variety of corporate relocation solutions for a smooth and efficient move of your office. We help plan your office move to minimize disruption to your business.
Start Planning Your Office Move Early
One of the most important aspects of planning a smooth and effective office relocation is getting a head start.
Moving your office requires much more than packing up your desks, chairs, etc. First, you need to determine what you will be moving. Are you replacing any of your existing furniture and equipment? Where will everything be going? And, most importantly, how will your employees function during the transition?
Identify key milestones for your move and outline a preliminary relocation timeline.
- Selecting your moving partner
- Confirming the new office
- Reviewing building requirements
- Creating an inventory
- Planning furniture placement
- Coordinating technology and equipment
- Preparing employees
- Scheduling the physical move
- Completing the final setup
It gives your business time to find any problems before the big day.
1. Create a Detailed Office Inventory
Create a Detailed Office Inventory Before You Start Packing!
Include furniture such as desks, workstations, chairs and in meeting rooms. In addition, include filing cabinets and storage units. Other items to be included are computers, monitors, and other equipment.
An accurate inventory can help determine:
- What needs to be moved
- What can be discarded
- What should be donated
- What requires special handling
- What needs temporary storage
- What should be delivered to your new premises?
Porter provides inventory management tools that give its clients access to all the asset information they require as well as real-time status updates. Porter’s storage facilities also provide secure, climate-controlled space for all your office’s assets.
2. Decide What Should Move With You
Take a good hard look at all of the items that your company currently uses in its workplace.
This is a good time to assess all of the items that your company currently uses at the office. Ask the department managers and employees of that department if they still need whatever it is. This could include furniture that no longer fits the company’s new workplace strategy.
Dated equipment, excess furniture, no longer required storage, and redundant raw materials are other items your employees may suggest be removed prior to the move.
Porter’s Corporate Decommissioning Services together with our selected partners provide a full recycling or donating service of surplus, redundant office furniture and equipment to assist companies downsizing or relocating out of a premises.
3. Understand the New Building’s Requirements
Every commercial building can have different requirements for moving companies.
It is best to contact the property manager or the building management prior to scheduling the relocation in order to confirm the moving details for your new office space.
- Loading dock availability
- Elevator booking procedures
- Moving hours
- Parking restrictions
- Access requirements
- Certificate of insurance requirements
- Security procedures
- Freight elevator dimensions
- Floor protection requirements
- Include this information in your relocation plan.
There are many building requirements and loading constraints that need to be confirmed well in advance of the moving day to avoid additional costs and delays. Contact us today to discuss your moving requirements and plan ahead for a smooth move.
4. Develop a Furniture and Floor Plan
This can create a very organized transition to the new location and ensure that there is optimal use of space in the new location.
Create a plan of your office furniture (workstations, desks, meeting tables & chairs, storage etc) and note where each item will go in the new building.
Clear labeling of all items as they are to be placed in their new locations also greatly facilitates the transition on moving day as the movers will have clear knowledge of where everything will be going.
For very large offices with hundreds of workstations across several floors this step is particularly important.
Porter can provide full installation and re-configuration of office furniture in addition to the full office move and thus can handle all aspects of the businesses’ furniture requirements and their workplace transfer.
5. Label Everything Clearly
Save time and effort during an office relocation by organizing an effective labeling system for the items to be moved.
All workstations, boxes, items of furniture and pieces of equipment need to be clearly labeled as to their ultimate destination.
Consider using labels based on:
- Employee names
- Department names
- Floor numbers
- Room numbers
- Workstation numbers
- Destination areas
- Correlate labels to your floor plan and your stock inventory.
Porter’s range of moving supplies for an office move include plastic moving bins, labels, PC cards, monitor covers, PC bags and numbered ties to name a few.
6. Protect Computers and Sensitive Equipment
When an office moves, the technology will require the most attention to detail.
Computers, monitors, servers, printers, networking equipment, etc. may need to be moved with special care and should be included in the relocation plan from the onset.
Before moving any of the technology, work with your IT department to determine what needs to be disconnected, packed, moved and reinstalled.
Make employees aware of when they need to shut down their PCs and what they need to prepare for moving.
Safeguard sensitive equipment and add adequate protection to your move plan.
7. Plan for Minimal Business Downtime
For many companies, downtime is one of the biggest concerns associated with relocation.
Every hour that your employees are not working could affect your productivity, your customer service and your bottom line.
This is why the physical move itself can be scheduled at a time to minimize downtime for your business.
This could be over a weekend, on a holiday, in the evening or as part of a carefully co-ordinated transition to and from your new premises.
8. Assign a Project Leader
The person responsible for the physical relocation of the IT system must also act as the internal relocation lead to ensure that all parties are aware of what is happening and when.
Your internal relocation lead may coordinate:
- Employees
- Department managers
- IT
- Building management
- Furniture vendors
- Moving professionals
- Contractors
- Leadership
This will also help to prevent any miscommunication.
Porter offers a dedicated Project Manager and operates with an internal operations team to manage resources, schedules and change orders throughout the move.
9. Communicate With Employees
Employees should know what is happening and when.
Provide clear information about:
- The moving date
- The new office address
- Packing requirements
- What employees should take home
- Where personal belongings should go
- When the old office closes
- When the new office opens
- Parking information
- New workplace procedures
It can help reduce confusion, and enable employees to prepare for the move to the new location.
It can also help avoid unpleasant surprises such as employees arriving at the new office only to find that they have no idea where their workstations are located or what kind of equipment will be available to them.
10. Consider Storage Requirements
Not everything needs to move from the old office to the new one.
Whether or not everything needs to leave the old office immediately will depend on the specific needs of your business. Some businesses will require temporary storage of furniture and office equipment whilst their new space is being readied, others may simply require storage of certain items of furniture during office renovations, a phased office relocation or reconfiguration of current workplace.
When the old and new offices are not ready for occupation at the same time, storage can provide a solution for the holding of furniture and other contents.
Porter currently promotes more than 60,000 square feet of warehouse space in major hubs across Canada – in secure storage facilities with climate-controlled environments.
11. Think Beyond the Moving Truck
An office relocation is not just a transportation project.
Furniture needs to be placed, workstations installed, equipment positioned and the new workplace organized and ready for the employees to start work.
The best Office Movers Toronto can evaluate businesses for complete scope of services needed for full Office Relocation Services.
The services Porter can provide for an Office Relocation include Full Office Relocation, Internal Office Relocation, Furniture Installation & Reconfiguration, Architectural Wall Installation & Corporate Decommissioning.
12. Plan for Furniture Installation
When a company is relocating to newly designed offices, furniture installation is part of the move.
For companies that are moving into newly designed or renovated offices, the installation of furniture is an important component to the overall success of the move. Systems furniture, workstations, desks, seating, storage and other components of the workplace require assembly and placement in specific locations as defined by the office design plans.
Porter’s Furniture Installation Teams work with systems furniture and installation drawings to complete a thorough post-installation walk-thru to identify any deficiencies.
Incorporating the relocation and installation plans will ensure that the move into the new office space is more efficient and tailored to meet the client’s needs.
13. Prepare for Moving Day
Before moving day, confirm all details with all parties involved.
Your final checklist should include:
- Building access
- Elevator reservations
- Loading zones
- Parking
- Moving schedule
- Employee instructions
- Furniture placement
- Inventory documentation
- Technology coordination
- Emergency contacts
- Final walkthroughs
- Keep important contact numbers handy for your project team.
The presence of at least one person at both the origin and destination locations would also be beneficial in case any issues or questions may arise prior to the clearance of the goods.
14. Complete a Final Walkthrough
Before leaving your old office, complete a walkthrough.
Upon leaving the old offices, conduct a walkthrough to verify that all items have been removed from rooms, storage areas, meeting rooms, kitchen, closets, etc.
- Compare the delivered items at the new office to your inventory and floor plan.
- Identify any items that are not in their correct position and deal with these issues immediately.
- Complete a Final Walkthrough of Your Old Office in a Structured Manner.
- Choosing the Right Office Moving Partner!
When shopping for the best Office Relocation Services Toronto, don’t just compare prices for your corporate relocation.
Look for a provider with:
- Experience with corporate relocations
- Professionally trained movers
- Appropriate moving equipment
- Project management capabilities
- Furniture installation expertise
- Inventory and storage solutions
- Clear communication
- Experience working with commercial buildings
Porter’s professional movers utilize state-of-the-art equipment to move clients safely, and Porter’s project managers manage the relocation by scheduling and coordinating the numerous relocation resources and schedules necessary for the relocation.
Why Experience Matters for Toronto Office Moves
Toronto office relocations can involve unique logistical challenges.
From high-rise to busy commercial streets, with restricted loading zones, elevator constraints, multi-story spaces, and limited access windows, there are many elements to a successful office move.
An experienced Office Relocation Services in Toronto provider would have the ability to plan and coordinate all of the above details leading up to the relocation date.
Porter has relocated all sizes and types of offices and is one of the most experienced commercial moving companies in the marketplace. As a full-Service moving company with a Toronto-area hub, Porter can service the entire Toronto area from its Mississauga location. Moreover, Porter serves Toronto as one of the communities served from the Mississauga location of the company.
When Should You Hire Your Moving Company?
It’s always best to speak with potential commercial moving providers well before your planned date for relocation.
This can vary based on the scope of the move.
A small office would have less to plan for than a corporate relocation of multiple floors of hundreds of workstations and of specialized equipment and of furniture to be installed, of storage, etc. of multiple phases, etc.
This allows the moving team to outline the specifics of your move and allow for any potential site-specific needs or other moving-related details.
Making Your Office Move More Efficient
Organize your office move around your business needs and not around the moving of furniture and equipment.
Start early and set up an inventory of the items to be moved, to understand the needs of the business to move. Coordinate the needs of the business with the building’s needs and communicate the needs of the move to employees. Use a floor plan to organize the move and set up the new workplace, and take extra care in protecting sensitive technology as it is moved.
Most importantly, work with a moving partner that understands the complexity of corporate relocations.
Porter Services can assist with office moves of any size. As a provider of Office Relocation Services in Toronto, Porter offers professional office movers and a dedicated moving coordinator to help plan and organize your relocation. The team can also provide specialized equipment and moving supplies, store office furniture and equipment at one of its locations when required, and assist with furniture installation in your new space.
Final Office Relocation Checklist
Finally, here is a handy checklist to make sure you are ready to go for your Toronto business move.
- Confirmed the moving date
- Selected your commercial moving partner
- Created a complete inventory
- Identified items for disposal, donation, or storage
- Confirmed building access requirements
- Booked elevators and loading areas
- Created a furniture floor plan
- Established a labeling system
- Coordinated IT and technology requirements
- Communicated the move with employees
- Planned furniture installation
- Established a moving-day contact list
- Scheduled a final walkthrough
- Confirmed the new office is ready for employees
- Plan Your Toronto Office Relocation With Confidence
The key to a successful office move is planning ahead.
With proper planning, communication, inventory control, transportation, furniture placement, and project coordination, a business can make a smooth transition to a new workspace.
Porter Services coordinates the move of your workplace from start to finish. Whether it’s the planning stage, the transportation of your furniture or the final setup of your new office, we have the expertise to deliver a quality office relocation service for your business.
If your company is looking for a reliable Office Movers Toronto, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your upcoming move in detail, taking into account the dimensions of your space, the location of your new office, a timeline for your relocation, the type of furniture that will need to be moved and more.
Looking for Office Movers Toronto for your up-coming office relocation? Contact us today to discuss your requirements in detail and receive a free quote.