Category: Commercial Relocation

Tips for Your Onsite Office Relocation

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Moving Preparation

A new building in your office complex just opened up, and it’s going to be your offices’ new home base. You’re excited about this new venture for your business, and mostly because it’s not a far move. You’re moving right around the corner. You don’t even need a car to go from your old location to your new location.

You might think you can plan the week of for this move because it is short and quick. But, the risks are great when you decide to wait until the last minute. We want to make sure you know that it’s not as quick and easy as you think. So, to save you from stress and any problems, we’re going to give you some tips.

First things first. As soon as your company is officially moving to the new location, begin planning your move logistics. The biggest mistake you can make is to leave planning your move to the last minute. Just because your office building is next door does not mean that it takes less planning. You’re still going to have to move all of the stuff that occupies your current office, into your new one. And although you’re not going far, it still has to be moved.

You might want to have your employees just move their own stuff because of how close your new office is. You may even think that commercial moving companies don’t do moves like this because it won’t require a truck. Well, you may want to re-think that decision. Commercial moving companies, like The Quality Group, will move your business no matter how close you are to your previous location.

We suggest a commercial relocation company for many reasons. One, so that you’re not stressed out planning the move yourself, and two, so that none of your equipment gets lost or broken in the process of the move. Believe us, it’s worth the time and effort spent researching for a quality commercial moving company so that you don’t incur any unexpected business costs, or stress.

With a professional relocation company, you can ensure that your important files, IT equipment and furniture will be handled with care and securely packed so that nothing gets damaged. You may just be going around the corner, but that still leaves time for accidents to happen. The risk is too high so we do not recommend doing the move yourself.

As a commercial relocation company, office relocations are our specialty. We have office moves down to a science. We do them quickly, safely and securely so that your company loses no operational down time. If you have your employees carry their stuff around the corner, it’ll take a lot longer than you think.

So do your research on commercial relocation companies, and plan ahead for your onsite office move. You’ll be glad you did.

Work with The Quality Group

At The Quality Group, we’re your commercial relocation specialists. Founded in 1987 in New Orleans, LA, The Quality Group serves the Gulf States with comprehensive commercial moving services from move planning to furniture installation. No other company puts in the time or preparation that we do to make your move stress and hassle-free.

Your IT Move Check List

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Moving Preparation

In an age where technology is the lifeline of your business, you can’t afford to have something go wrong, go missing or just not work. There are a lot of things that go into making your IT equipment function properly. So, when it comes time to move your office, you want to make sure you properly packed up all of your IT equipment, have services transferred with no interruptions and have all IT accessories in line so you’re sure that you aren’t forgetting a thing. After all, you don’t want to lose valuable business hours because of misplaced adapters, no Internet connection and non-functioning laptops. So, we’ve put together an IT move check list so that you can be sure you’re not forgetting to cover all your bases.

Always plan ahead. Always. At least two to three months before your move contact your ISPS and all other technology companies to let them know about your move. You wouldn’t want your services not transferred and lose valuable business time because of it.
Make a checklist. Plan a visit to your new office location. We suggest making a checklist of things you want to make sure the office has so you know what you’ll still need to get. On this visit, make sure you check out the offices’ network cabling requirements, decide where you want and don’t want computer workstations, pick out locations for fax machines, printers, scanners and routers, and locate a secure, cool room for your server.
Back-up your data. You can never be too careful, so we highly recommend you back-up your data before you move. Make copies of your firewalls and servers and store in a secure location.
Look into new IT equipment. Out with the old, in with the new is what they say right? Well, moving is the perfect time to live up to this saying. You’re moving to a brand new office, so why not take a look at some other things that may need to be updated as well. We suggest:

Inspecting your IT equipment and deciding whether or not it’s time for an upgrade.
Taking inventory Central Bodybuilding Episode 77 | IronMag Bodybuilding Blog buy winstrol results – winstrol reviews australia santa clara county sheriff commander accused of bodybuilding while faking injury of what equipment you currently have.
Writing down anything you might need to update or replace.
Properly disposing of the aged or broken equipment you might have.

Get all communication set up. Getting your phone lines set up is vital. Before moving, we recommend:

Reviewing your phone line capacity with your provider to make sure you don’t have too much, or too little.
Taking a look at your current phone system and decide if it’s what will be best for your new office.
Setting up call forwarding if you’re changing your phone number.
Establishing and ordering your Internet access.

Moving IT equipment. Moving IT equipment is very risky. We strongly suggest hiring professional commercial movers to help you safely and securely move your expensive equipment to your new location. Don’t risk broken or lost equipment. Research commercial movers who will move these goods, so you don’t have to.

Coordinating all things IT can be a hassle. Take this checklist and make sure you’re taking care of the necessities before your move. If you want a little extra help and less stress, look into commercial movers that can help you through every stage of your move, even the vendor coordination and technology set up.

Don’t let your office move run you. Get ahead of the game, make a plan and make a check list so that you can get to crossing things off your list and you can get to enjoying your new office sooner.

Work with The Quality Group

Five Tips to Plan Your Commercial Move

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Moving Preparation

You don’t know where to start. Your office is moving in a few months, and there’s a bunch of things you need to get lined up. Where should you begin first?

Office moves can be complicated, and may seem like a full-time job. But, we’re going to make this process easy so that you know exactly what you need to do. Here are five things you should do to get organized for your commercial move:

Get a timeline. The first thing you want to ask yourself and your co-workers is when the best time to move would be. Is there a particular time when business is hectic? Or, do you need to be out of your current office at a particular time? Whatever the answers to those questions may be, you need to nail down a time when your business would feel most comfortable moving.
Research commercial movers. Whatever you do, do not try to move your whole office yourself. It may seem like a good idea, but it’s not. Your office and your employees specialize in your business’ practices, not in commercial moving. There’s a high risk involved when you decide to have your employees move things like computers, scanners, printers, etc. Research professional moving companies in your surrounding area. We also suggest talking to other business owners who have moved and looking at reviews of various commercial moving companies before making your decision. Your business’ stuff is important. It’s your lifeline, so don’t trust it to just anyone. Do your homework.
Contact vendors. After you nail down a timeline, and get a commercial mover to move your business during that time frame, it’s time to think about everyone you need to contact to let know that you’re moving. You don’t want your promotional materials to have your old address on them, or have important business materials being shipped to the wrong location. So contacting your vendors is a necessity.
Delegate tasks to employees. When we said you should leave the moving to the commercial movers, we meant it. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t delegate certain tasks to employees. Chances are you don’t want to take everything with you to your new location. You might want to ditch your old furniture, and look for new furniture. Or, you may want to clean out and shred some old paperwork that’s taking up space. Delegate these tasks and any others you might think of to your employees so that your load won’t be so heavy.
Relax. This is going to be the hardest thing to do because moving takes a lot of coordination, and stress. But, if you pick the right commercial mover that plans in advance, meets with you about timelines and helps you with all of the coordinating so you don’t lose any business hours, then you have nothing to stress about.

Take these small tips to get you started and to get your thoughts organized. So, get out a pen and paper, make a list and get ready to get things moving.

Work with The Quality Group

Three Common Mistakes Made During a Commercial Move

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Moving Preparation

You may not think there are things that you can do wrong when it comes to an office move, but believe us, there are. And, these mistakes could cost your business time, money and lots of headaches. We don’t want you to get caught up and fall into the trap of these mistakes, so we’ve put together a few common mistakes that you should be aware of before your office decides to relocate.

Not choosing professional commercial relocation specialists for the move. Your goal is to move from one location to another. You don’t think it would be a big deal to have each employee move their designated station over to the new office. Well, let’s think about it. If you have all of your employees move their computer monitors, laptops, printers, scanners and all other expensive IT equipment you run the risk of these items being damaged. Your employees could leave them in their hot cars, not wrap them properly and have the items break or even lose some of the materials needed to make the equipment function properly. By hiring a professional commercial moving company, you can ensure that all of your precious business materials will be properly packaged, properly stowed and carefully transported to your new location. If your employees damage the equipment, you lose that employee’s work time, and you have to eat the cost to replace or fix the damaged item. It’s worth the time, research and money to find a professional commercial moving company that will carefully move all of your businesses materials. Don’t make this mistake and risk losing or damaging your businesses important equipment. It’s not worth the headaches, or money wasted, we promise.

Not enough time to plan your commercial move. To properly execute your move, a lot of time, effort and planning is needed to make sure everything runs smoothly. Don’t procrastinate. As soon as you know that your business is moving, begin taking the steps needed to plan each part of the moving process. When your business is left with little time to plan the move, it’s difficult to get everything seamlessly transitioned. What if there’s a hiccup and you don’t have enough time to properly mend the situation? Bottom line; plan ahead so that you can move your business with as little stress as possible.

3. Not realizing how much is involved in the commercial relocation process. The previous mistake and this mistake go hand in hand. You may think there’s not a lot of stuff to do before the move, but you need to think again. A lot more goes into it then you think. You have to get a new location, pick the best time to move, choose a moving company, contact your business’ vendors and your clients to let them know you’re moving, coordinate employees, order new furniture, purge the clutter in your old office, plan out your new office space, and more. There are so many details involved in this process that they’re easy to overlook. Don’t get caught up in the big picture so much that you forget about all you have to do to achieve the end goal of a successful move.

So, if you’re planning a commercial move, begin thinking about the little things you need to do in order to make your office move as successful as possible. Remember, it’s better to be over prepared instead of under prepared.

Work with The Quality Group

How to Pick Your Go-To Employee for Your Office Move

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Facility Installation, Moving Preparation

A commercial move requires coordination from all employees. But, on moving day, and weeks before you move, you need to appoint someone in your office to coordinate with your commercial movers. You have a lot of options, but how do you know who will be best for the job? What are the responsibilities this person will have? Well, we have some tips so you can choose the right person to be your commercial movers’ “go-to” contact person.

At The Quality Group, we call our clients’ key contact person, the “Move Captain”. You can definitely have more than one contact person if you feel like you need to. But, one captain will definitely do the job. It’s all about what you prefer and feel comfortable with.

The person you appoint will be involved in all aspects of the move and will be involved in the planning, coordination and, of course, should be present at the time of the move. This person is helping to coordinate the entire move.

How do you know who to pick to lead the pack on moving day? We’ll make it easy for you. Here are some characteristics we think would be best for your key contact to have.

First, we suggest the person you choose to be your key contact for the move to be a leader. This person needs to know how to direct traffic, if traffic needs to be directed (hypothetically speaking, of course). They need to know what needs to happen, and convey that to your commercial movers with confidence. If the movers have a question, the key contact needs to know how to answer it, or know who to contact in order to get the question answered.

Another quality this “go-to” employee should have is knowledge of all business operations. When the move is being planned, the key contact should be able to convey to the movers how the furniture needs to be set up in order for the office to be functional for its operations. Functionality is vital, and it’s important that your key contact can help plan out the best way for your new office to be set up so that your business operations will run smoothly. You don’t want someone who works in one department of your office, and has no idea what any of your other departments. If that’s the case, you may end up with a collaborative meeting room filled with computers and cubicles, when that’s not what your business operations need in that particular room.

Problem solving is another characteristic your key contact should have. If your movers have a question or concern, your “go-to” employee should be able to help solve the problem.

No matter what commercial relocation company you choose, you should always have a key contact for your business so your movers can easily coordinate and immediately ask any questions. You want your move to go smoothly, so appoint an employee who has great leadership skills, knows your business inside and out and who is a great problem solver.

Now that you know what it takes to be the key contact for moving day, go scope out your office and decide who will be your “go-to” for your office move!

Work with The Quality Group

Finding the Right Office Furniture for Your New Space

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Facility Installation, Office Furniture

When you move, you and your business get a fresh start. New office, new surroundings and a new feel to go along with it. As you look around your current office space, you begin to contemplate where you’re going to put things. You’re not sure if your furniture will fit and look best in your new location. So, where should you begin to solve this problem?

First, start with your moving company. You should ask your commercial movers what furniture they suggest, if they can recommend a furniture brand/style to best fit your new office and business operations and if they can install it.

If your commercial movers do not provide these services, then we have some tips for you to remember. When you shop for your new office furniture make sure your shopping not only for a reasonable price, but also for functionality. You don’t want to buy hundreds of cubicles when your business operations require employee collaboration. If you buy office furniture that isn’t functional for your business operations, it could also lead to unproductive employees. You need to foster a productive work environment for your business and your employees. So, if you’re shopping for new office furniture make sure to keep functionality, operations and employee productivity in the forefront of your mind.

The next thing you want to think about is furniture storage. You need to be prepared if either some of your new furniture, or some of the old furniture doesn’t work in your new space. If you find yourself in this situation, we recommend you ask your commercial mover about any solutions they might have. They should be able to either store it, or dispose the unwanted office furniture. If they have storing capabilities, make sure the storage facility is secure so that all of your office furniture is safe and sound.

You spend a lot of time in your office and at your desk, so you need to ensure that both you and your employees have functional office furniture. You don’t want to find yourself with too much furniture for your new space, or with furniture that doesn’t flow properly in your new office. Take some time to consult with your commercial movers, think about the best way to organize your office to streamline your business productions and then shop for that perfect office furniture that will make your new office the office of your dreams!

Work with The Quality Group

Maximizing Your Small Office Space

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Office Furniture

You started a small business and are about to move into a new space. You’re wondering how you can make the most of your new office space. You want it to be practical and functional, but you don’t know where to start. We’ve compiled a few tips so that you can make the most out of your small office space.

First things first, assess your new office space. What are the sizes of each room? Are there large open spaces? Big windows? Does the space have any restrictions from the landlord? Ask these questions and get answers so that you can best plan out your new space.

If you have a commercial moving company helping you out with your office move, they may be able to help you answer some of these questions. Your space needs to function for you and your business operations. So, think about what you want each room in your space to be functional for. Do you want a collaboration room? Break room? Individual offices? After you figure out how you want your space to function, talk to your commercial mover. They should be able to help you plan out where your furniture and equipment should go so that you can maximize office productivity and make use of your space.

We also suggest looking into modular furniture as an option for your small office. With this type of furniture, you can easily take apart, put together and rearrange workstations to fit your particular need. Modular furniture is good for small spaces because it can help you optimize your space. If you decide to look into this type of furniture, make sure to talk to your commercial movers to see if they are able to install it.

Storage is another thing you’ll need to think about when trying to maximize your small offices’ space. You’re going to have a lot of office supplies, maybe extra furniture and other items that you’ll need to store. If you don’t need these items in-house, consider putting the items in storage, especially if it’s furniture. For the items you do need to have in your office on a daily basis, make sure to have the items organized. Disorganization will only lead to clutter that will take up space. Purchasing decorative storage bins or purchasing office furniture with a lot of storage capabilities will help keep your office organized, and help you maximize your office space.

You also need to think about the visual impact you want your office to have. Do you want your employees and visitors to be wowed when they walk in? Of course you do. Consider painting some walls to add a little character to your space. Painting is an easy and great way to make your small space stand out.

Just because you have a small office space doesn’t mean it won’t be functional. You just have to make sure to plan everything out so you’re using your space to its full advantage. Talk to your commercial mover and come up with a strategy to help you configure your space into the office of your dreams.

Work with The Quality Group

Curious About The Commercial Moving Process? Here’s How The Quality Group Does Commercial Relocation.

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Facility Installation, Moving Preparation

When your company decides to move, you may think it’s going to be complete chaos. But, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. We’re going to take you through our commercial move process step-by-step so you can see how The Quality Group does relocation.

The truth is, a move isn’t a one day process. There are multiple steps involved so we can seamlessly move your business. We start about three to four weeks out from your desired moving date and have a planning meeting. At this meeting, we get to know you, your business and what’s important to you in the moving process.

One to two weeks before your scheduled move, we have another meeting. At this meeting, we bring our finalized moving strategy to you. We go over this strategy, answer your questions and solve any problems you may have. Getting feedback and solving any issues regarding the move is important to us. After all, this is your business’ move.

The next step is to prep your office for moving day. The day before, our crew will come to your office to put up signage and room numbers around the building. By doing this, we can streamline our moving process so that our crew can easily flow through your building without confusion.

When moving day arrives, we’ll come to your office and meet with your designated move captain. The move captain or captains are put in charge of the business move. When we meet with the move captains, we check and see if they have any last minute questions or problems.

At the same time, our crew will protect the walls and floors of your office building. After your office is protected, we have a team meeting and split our crew into two groups. One crew will help breakdown and pack computer stations, and the other half of the crew will be in charge of breaking down your office furniture.

Once we’re ready to take a truck load to your new office, we split our crew again. One crew we call the destination crew, and the other we call the origin crew. The destination crew will go over to your new office and begin protecting the walls and floors and then begin to move in your furniture. The origin crew will stay at your old office and continue to breakdown your furniture and clean up. The origin and destination crews stay at their locations until final loads and clean up. The only thing moving throughout this process is our truck and your office items.

When your old office is cleaned up and all of your furniture is at your new location, the origin crew moves to your new destination and helps to tie up any lose ends. Our crew makes sure your office furniture is set up correctly; your computers are fully functioning and makes sure no moving supplies are lying around your new office.

After the move, we like to make sure everything in your office is perfectly set up and fully functioning. A few days (or the next day, depending on when your move is) after your move, we schedule a post move meeting with you. We come and answer any questions or solve any problems you may have.

By streamlining our moving processes and making your move our top priority, we help you get to your new location so you can get back to business as soon as possible.

Work with The Quality Group

So, You’re Moving Your Business. Here’s How to Decide What Size Office You’ll Need.

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Joe DiGiovanni - Commercial Relocation, Moving Preparation

So, you’re thinking about moving your business to a new location. You need more space than you currently have, but you want to make sure you don’t have too much either. You’re looking for that perfect fit. But, how do you know what size office will fit your business perfectly? What things do you need to take in account when looking for new spaces? Choosing the right office space for your business is important, so we’ve got those much needed answers so that you can get the perfect office to suit your business’ wants and needs.

First, you should think about where your business is now, and where you want it to go. Will you hire more sales or administrative employees? When will you hire these employees? Do your business operations require more collaborative or more individualized work spaces?

After getting the answers to these questions you’ll have a better idea of what kind of office space you’ll need to best fit your business. If you plan to hire more employees within the next six months or so, you should think about having a few extra offices in your building to suit the new hires. Usually, the square footage per employee is about 150-350 square feet. Based on the square footage per employee, you can do some calculations to find out how many square feet you’ll need in order to accommodate the number of employees you currently have or will have in the near future.

When you determine the adequate square footage needed, you’ll need to think about each of your employees’ jobs and what type of atmosphere they need in order to successfully complete their jobs. Will they need to talk to different departments? Will they be crunching numbers, writing reports and generating spread sheets? Or, will they be out making sales calls?

If a lot of collaboration happens in your office, then choose a space that allows you and your employees to hash out large projects and bounce ideas off each other. If your work requires peace and quiet to get tedious work done, then choose an office space that has individual offices.

It’s important to always look for spaces that are just big enough to fit all of your employees comfortably without wasting space. So, do the math on the square footage per employee, and that should give you a solid guideline of what size building to search for. Additionally, finding a one size fits all solution is unrealistic, but, you should try to find an office space that will streamline your business processes. If collaboration is needed sometimes, but individual client meetings are needed as well, find a building with private offices, and a large conference room for collaboration.

When you’re ready to begin your new office hunt take these tips, put them into practice and get ready to move into a perfect office fit for your business.

Work with The Quality Group

Category: Commercial Relocation

Tips for Your Onsite Office Relocation

Your IT Move Check List

Five Tips to Plan Your Commercial Move

Three Common Mistakes Made During a Commercial Move

How to Pick Your Go-To Employee for Your Office Move

Finding the Right Office Furniture for Your New Space

Maximizing Your Small Office Space

Curious About The Commercial Moving Process? Here’s How The Quality Group Does Commercial Relocation.

So, You’re Moving Your Business. Here’s How to Decide What Size Office You’ll Need.

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