Europa Movers Toronto

6-24 The East Mall,
Toronto, ON M8W 4W5
416-604-9904

Tips for Preparing Toronto Office Moving Plan

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The most logical way of avoiding the pitfalls that could arise during Toronto office moving is to hire professional Toronto office moving services – and our company just happens to provide exactly that! This article, however, is for those who are more prone to DIY. We have broken the office relocation planning process down to 8 key periods to help make your Toronto office move get properly organized and run smoothly.

Preparing Your 8-Point Office Moving Plan

  1. 6 Months Before
    This is the ideal time to start getting the wheels in motion, with plenty of time before you Toronto office moving day to sort out any complicated issues. The key steps at this initial stage are:

    • Establish an Office Moving Committee – You can’t do it all (don’t even try), so select a small number of staff to oversee the various aspects of the move. Usually 2 people is enough, but you may need 3-5 people.
    • Select a Space Planner and Interior Designer – A space planner can organize the layout of your new Toronto office in advance so your Toronto office movers will know where every desk, chair and filing cabinet are going to be. An interior designer can assess design aspects. It may not seem important, but everything that affects the space available needs to be considered.
    • Consult your IT staff – You want to make sure communications systems, including internet connectivity, suffer a minimum disruption in the build-up to, during and immediately after your office move. So you need to discuss how best to achieve this.
    • Request cost estimates – Get your Office Moving Committee to start looking for the best-value professional Toronto office moving companies. Keep in mind that low cost can sometimes translate to low standards, so don’t make a decision on cost alone. Check Yelp and Homestars to review Toronto office movers.
    • Identify initial layout of computer facilities – One of the most important elements of any office moving plan is identifying the best computer set-up infrastructure. Ensure power points are close to desks and computer cables can be tucked away neatly.
  2. 3 Months Before – Get your Office Moving Committee again to get updates on how things are progressing. Each member should prepare a complete report on their specific area of responsibility. Some of these areas include choosing the new telecommunications system, necessary office design changes identified and an adequate computer infrastructure designed.
  3. 2 Months Before – With 60 days to go before the move, it’s time to nail things down. So, you need to have supply, telecommunication and floor plans confirmed, like the telephone service, stationery supplies, copier service, and plant service. Now’s also a good time to make a final decision on a Toronto office moving company.
  4. 1 Month Before – This is when the nuts and bolts of the moving day plan needs to be decided, like the packing procedure and prioritizing items for unpacking and re-assembling. It’s also when you start to brief the staff on what is happening and their responsibilities (packing their own desk items). You should also notify customers of the impending move. Appoint a customer liaison officer they can contact with any queries.
  5. 2 to 3 Weeks Before – Time to check on the status of parking spaces, that security is fully briefed and that all of the relevant keys are available. Also, meet with your selected Toronto office moving services provider should be fully aware of the floor plan layout and furniture removal strategy.
  6. 1 Week Before – Update your staff on the events of moving day and their roles to play. It’s a good idea to provide them with guides on good packing techniques, and to timetable the packing process. You can also start to label office furniture and double-check office floor plans.
  7. 1 Day Before – The final packing and labeling should be done, but at the new premises make sure the phones are up and running. Post floor plans up on the walls so staff can check out where their new desks and workstations are located.
  8. Moving Day – Keep non-essential personnel away on moving day, so only moving teams and members of the Moving Committee should be on-site. IT staff should be there too to make sure that the computer systems are set up and are running. Everything should be unpacked and in their proper place in time for the first day’s operation in your new office.

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to our residential or commercial moving and storage services in Ontario and across Canada.

Tips for Toronto Office Relocation Plan Preparation

By

The most logical way of avoiding the pitfalls that could arise during an office relocation is to use professional Toronto office moving services. And our company just happens to provide exactly that! This article, however, is for those who are more prone to DIY.

So, how and when should you get started? Well, we have broken the process down to 8 key periods to help make your office move get properly organized and run more smoothly.

Drawing Up Your 8-Point Toronto Office Moving Plan

  1. Six Months Before
    This is the ideal time to start getting the wheels in motion, with plenty of time before moving day to sort out complicated issues. The key steps at this initial stage are:

    • Establish a Moving Committee – You can’t do it all (don’t even try), so select a small number of staff to oversee the various aspects of the move. A small number is best because it reduces the chances of confusion over responsibilities, but the actual number can depend on the size of your operation. Usually 2 people is enough, but you may need 3-5 people.
    • Select a space planner and interior designer – A space planner can organize the layout of the new office space in advance so the movers already know where every desk, chair and filing cabinet is going. An interior designer can assess design aspects. It may not seem important, but everything that affects the space available needs to be considered together.
    • Consult your IT staff – You want to make sure communications systems, including internet connectivity, suffer a minimum disruption in the build-up to, during and immediately after the move. So you need to discuss how best to achieve this. Keep in mind the need for both ‘exit’ and ‘entry’ strategies.
    • Request cost estimates – Get the Moving Committee to start looking for the best-value professional office moving services. Keep in mind that low cost can sometimes translate to low standards, so don’t make a decision on cost alone. Check Yelp and Homestars to review potential candidates. Even if you haven’t decided on using professional movers, we recommend getting a couple of quotes anyways. You can weigh the quotes against the cost of paying your employees plus the potential for lost productivity.
    • Identify initial layout of computer facilities – One of the most important elements of any office moving plan is identifying the best computer set-up infrastructure. Ensure power points are close to desks and computer cables can be tucked away neatly.
  2. Three Months Before – Get the Moving Committee again to get updates on how things are progressing. Each member should have a complete report on their specific area of responsibility. Some of these areas include choosing the new telecommunications system, necessary office design changes identified and an adequate computer infrastructure designed.
  3. Two Months Before – With 60 days to go before the move, it’s time to nail things down. So, you need to have supply, telecommunication and floor plans confirmed, like the telephone service, stationery supplies, copier service, and plant service. Now’s also a good time to make a final decision on Toronto office moving company.
  4. One Month Before – This is when the nuts and bolts of the moving day plan needs to be decided, like the packing procedure and prioritizing items for unpacking and re-assembling. It’s also when you start to brief the staff on what is happening and their responsibilities (packing their own desk items). You should also notify customers of the impending move. Appoint a customer liaison officer they can contact with any queries.
  5. Two to Three Weeks Before – Time to check on the status of parking spaces, that security is fully briefed and that all of the relevant keys are available. Also, meet with your selected Toronto office moving services provider should be fully aware of the floor plan layout and furniture removal strategy.
  6. One Week Before – With D-Day (M-Day?) around the corner, update your staff on the events of moving day and their roles to play. It’s a good idea to provide them with guides on good packing techniques, and to timetable the packing process. You can also start to label furniture and double-check floor plans.
  7. Day Before – The final packing and labeling should be done, but at the new premises make sure the phones are up and running. Post floor plans up on the walls so staff can check out where their new desks and workstations are located.
  8. Moving Day – Keep non-essential personnel away on moving day, so only moving teams and members of the Moving Committee should be on-site. IT staff should be there too to make sure that the computer systems are set up and are running. Everything should be unpacked and in their proper place in time for the first day’s operation in the new office.

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or commercial moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

How to Choose a Toronto Office Moving Company

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There are so many horror stories circulating about unprofessional office movers that customers find it difficult to trust any Toronto office moving company at all. So how can you avoid being the next victim of unprofessional Toronto office movers?

More importantly, how can you make sure that Toronto office moving company you hire is on the up and up and won’t engage in illegal tactics to steal your money? As with everything in life, there are no guarantees, but the following four guidelines can help ensure you find a credible, professional company that can provide you with a stress-free office moving experience:

Check Out the Company on the BBB

Your first stop in researching your prospective Toronto office moving company should be the BBB (Better Business Bureau) website. The BBB is a 3rd party organization that aims to provide accountability for businesses. This agency reviews, rates, and gives accreditation to businesses that have shown to conduct themselves at the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.

Are They Insured?

One question you should be asking any company you speak with immediately is whether they carry proper insurance coverage for their workforce. In Ontario this is governed by the WSIB (Workplace Safety Insurance Board).

If employees are working illegally for a company, or the company has not properly set up coverage for their workers, you could potentially be sued if anyone is injured on your property or in the course of carrying out your move.

This is an issue that is not as well publicised but also important to look out for. Asking questions about workers’ insurance is a good way to avoid this issue and also speaks to the overall professionalism of the company.

How Are Their Reviews?

The best way to determine if a Toronto office moving company is providing great customer service is by researching them online. There are many independently audited 3rd party websites that allow users to post reviews of Toronto office moving companies (both positive and negative) such as www.yelp.ca and www.homestars.com. Chances are if the company is doing something right (or wrong) somebody has taken the time to log on to one of these websites to write about it.

If a company is well reviewed, has a high volume of reviews, and the reviews are recent, you’re probably looking at a professional organization.

Evaluate Their Prices

Pricing is always a factor when deciding on hiring a moving company, however it can also serve as a great indicator of the level of service you can expect.

One of the hallmarks of disreputable Toronto office moving companies is offering extremely cheap hourly rates (sometimes ½ or ¼ of the price of the competition), and this is the primary way these Toronto office moving companies market themselves.

That doesn’t mean that you should simply hire the most expensive Toronto office moving company you encounter in order to ensure you get a good experience, but if a company’s rates are significantly cheaper than the competition something is very wrong.

About Europa Moving & Storage Toronto

Europa Moving & Storage Toronto is a professional moving and storage company operating out of Toronto, ON, providing high quality local and long distance moving services throughout Toronto, GTA, Ontario and across Canada. Thanks to our country-wide network we are also able to service our clients’ long distance moving needs throughout Canada.

Call Europa Moving & Storage Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.