Moving Services Buyer's Guide

You've signed the lease on your new office space or manufacturing plant, and guess what? Suddenly you're in charge of organizing and executing the move. Learning how to conduct a business move isn't easy: an office move involves major purchasing decisions, multiple interdependent projects, and months' worth of ongoing scheduling and communications. With all that on your plate, choosing office movers can seem like a minor point - but you shouldn't treat it that way.

The right office movers can make your move faster and easier than you would ever expect, while the wrong movers can be expensive and can potentially damage your equipment. This BuyerZone.com Buyer's Guide will help you learn what to look for in a moving services company.

First, a note on timelines: you don't have to have an exact date for your move to start looking for office movers. Often, lease negotiations can drag out until near the move date, so sometimes it makes sense to start looking for office movers before your new lease is finalized. However, you should have a good estimate of at least the month you plan to move. Choosing an office mover as early as possible lets you access their expertise: they can help you make important planning decisions and better prepare for your move.

To save yourself time and effort, carefully evaluate your upcoming office move before contacting a mover. This includes knowing what you will be moving, where everything will go in the new location, the time of day you want to move, building access (stairs, freight elevators, loading docks), parking issues, and any other important requirements.

Understanding exactly what your office move will entail makes it easier to get an accurate estimate. Furthermore, the better-planned your move, the more you'll wind up saving, since movers often charge by the hour. Having detailed schedules, budgets, and floor plans will make everyone's job easier, including your own.

Getting access to your new space before you have to be out of your current office is an opportunity to save time and money. You can reduce the burden - and therefore your total costs - on your movers by having new furniture or equipment delivered directly to the new office in the days preceding your move.

Of course, paying rent on two offices simultaneously can cancel those savings out. If possible, ask the new landlord about moving some equipment in early before the lease goes into effect.

Paper or plastic?
You'll have to choose between cardboard boxes or renting reusable plastic crates for your office move. We recommend the latter - even some movers who sell cardboard boxes recommend plastic packing crates. They're available from well-known brands (e.g., Rent-a-Crate) and are designed to stack easily on dollies so there's no heavy lifting involved. A side benefit of using rented plastic crates: because they have to be returned, everyone is forced to unpack all their belongings in a timely manner, instead of leaving full cardboard boxes around.

There are a couple of basic considerations when choosing professional movers for your business. Most important is simply that they're familiar with office moves and do them routinely. Movers that spend most of their time on residential moves may not have the right expertise to handle your business move. In addition, if you're moving from one state to another, you'll need a company with appropriate interstate licenses. Not all professional movers have them, so be sure to ask.

• hazardous materials (chemicals, fuel, etc)
• extremely large or heavy equipment (manufacturing machinery, pianos, commercial kitchen equipment, safes)
• sensitive computer equipment (servers, computer storage devices)
• systems furniture (cubicles)
• unusual loading requirements (multiple story buildings with no elevator, hoisting required, etc)

If any of these circumstances apply to you, or if there are any other needs that might increase the 'degree of difficulty' for your movers, be sure to address them as early in your search as possible. Late surprises will always result in additional charges and can possibly delay your move.

How much can you do on your own?
Most professional movers offer varying levels of packing assistance. The most common approach is to have employees pack their own belongings, including desk contents, files, and personal items. Each department is responsible for packing shared files and small equipment. This approach requires only a small amount of time from each employee but drastically reduces overall costs. It also encourages employees take extra care with their most important possessions, avoiding potential problems with movers.

You can have employees do additional packing for further savings. Non-essential equipment and supplies - libraries, break room/kitchen supplies, and decorations - can be packed up days or weeks in advance of your actual move, as can excess inventory or raw materials. If you have a large amount of shared supplies that you don't want your employees to spend time on, you can have movers do the job instead - but it might cost extra.

Note that for manufacturing plants and warehouses, you'll have to do more work. Assembly lines and critical equipment will have to be disassembled by your staffers - you wouldn't want movers to handle that job, even if you could find some that would. For warehouses, your best bet may be to simply rent a truck (or trucks) and move the bulk of the inventory yourself, leaving furnishings and supplies for the movers.

Moving computers
Computers are a special case. If many employees have desktop computers, having professional movers do all the disconnecting and packing can be expensive and time-consuming. Instead, you can save money by having each worker be responsible for disconnecting the various component parts of their machine and packing all the accessories, including keyboard, mouse, and power cords. Actually moving the computers and monitors will be up to your movers. Make sure you ask about their plans for protecting your valuable equipment.

Moving corporate servers and data centers is a much more complicated endeavor. Your internal IT director will have to work closely with the contractors setting up the new location and the movers to coordinate the details.

Once you have some likely candidates, you'll want to run a more thorough evaluation of the corporate movers you're considering. There are, unfortunately, a number of shady or unethical moving companies out there. While they usually target residential moves (see movingscam.org for details), you should make sure you are dealing with a reputable company.

There are some specific steps to take to verify that they're licensed, insured, and reputable.

Get all the basic information: name, physical address (not just a PO Box), and any other names they do business under.

How long have they been in business? Many corporate movers have been in business for decades - stick with companies that have been around for at least three years. Also ask how long they've been in business under the same ownership.

Get their license numbers. Licensed interstate moving companies will have both a Department of Transportation (DoT) number and a Motor Carrier (MC) number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. You can verify these numbers yourself, for free, at SaferSys.org. Intrastate movers aren't subject to the same regulations, but most states have their own licensing requirements.

Ask about their insurance. They should carry insurance that covers your belongings while in transit, as well as any damage the movers cause to your old or new properties. While all movers are required to have basic insurance, check into the limits on their coverage, and consider paying extra for additional insurance. Also make sure they carry up-to-date workers' compensation - if they don't, you might be liable for any injuries their workers receive.

Check with the Better Business Bureau and movingscam.org to see if there are any complaints lodged against the company. A complaint or two is not unusual: even the most upstanding companies encounter the occasional unhappy client. Look for a pattern of complaints before you start to worry.

You can also call FMCSA's Safety Violation and Consumer Complaints hotline at 1-888-368-7238. It's free and available 24/7 - you can check the complaint history of any interstate mover.

Things to look for in corporate movers
Once you're satisfied with the company's reputation, you can start asking more detailed questions about their services and practices. Do they provide boxes? Do they pack pictures and mirrors in special containers? Do they handle computers?

Also ask what they do to protect your offices, both old and new. If you've just paid to get your new space painted, you don't want it scuffed up the first day. Many corporate movers will lay down plastic or masonite to protect rugs and hardwood floors. They may put up bumpers on doorways and corners and cardboard or pads on high-traffic hallway walls.

Some corporate movers use subcontractors or temporary workers - try to avoid these situations. Ask up front who will be doing your move and go with companies who use permanent employees: they're more likely to have good training and perform like dedicated professionals.

Corporate movers can also help smooth your relocation efforts. For example, experienced movers know that you need to provide a proof of insurance certificate to the building management, so they'll give it to you early. They can also help you with often-overlooked aspects of an office move, such as reserving the freight elevator or remembering to get necessary parking permits. Look for a mover who offers you these types of tips and assistance.

Check references

Have the mover provide you with contact information for five recent customers who can serve as references. If possible, ask the mover to provide you with references to companies similar to yours in size and industry. Of course, if they don't have any recent customers that are similar to your business, you may want to look for a corporate mover who is more familiar with your needs.

• When was your move? (Verify that you're speaking with a recent customer.)
• Overall, were you satisfied with the job they did?
• Did they show up and complete the job on time?
• Did the movers do a good job of protecting your equipment and the facilities?
• How accurate was the cost estimate they provided? Were there any unforeseen fees added later?
• Did you need any special services? (Ask about services you're likely to need: hoisting, heavy/oversized equipment, etc.)
• Were there any surprises or problems during the move? How were they handled?
• What could the mover improve about their operation?

Because it's impossible to say exactly how much work is required before a move takes place, an estimate is central to the whole process. Doing grunt work to get an accurate, comprehensive office moving estimate can eliminate surprises later.

Simply do not settle for estimates done over the phone or the Internet. There are too many variables that trained estimators take into account during a walkthrough that you might overlook. If a mover you contact says they can provide an estimate over the phone, move on to the next company.

When conducting the walkthrough of your current location, be prepared to show the estimator the freight elevators and loading docks, if applicable. Take them through your records rooms, spare inventory and supplies, and server closets. Better to give the office moving company too much information than not enough: the object is to avoid surprises on moving day.

If at all possible, take the estimator to the new space, as well. Simply describing your new location as "elevator accessible" is insufficient: they'll want to see the elevators for themselves.

Types of estimates
Estimates can come in several varieties. The most common and straightforward is the non-binding estimate. The only guarantee you have is the rate - per mover and per truck, per pound, or per cubic foot - so your final bill can vary enormously from the original estimate. This type of estimate provides the least security but should result in accurate pricing.

Important: by law, on the day of your move, the office moving company can only require you to pay 10% more than the original estimate before finishing the move, no matter how much extra they add to the total bill. That means you can complete the move and negotiate any additional charges later.

A binding estimate specifies exactly how much the move will cost, regardless of how much the actual weight or time differs from the estimate. This type of estimate is a double-edged sword: you may wind up paying more or less than the actual move would dictate. The trade off is not usually worth it: moving company estimators will deliberately raise their estimates to make sure they don't wind up on the losing end of the bargain.

The most beneficial type of estimate from your point of view is a binding not-to-exceed estimate. With a not-to-exceed estimate, the fees will be calculated based on the actual move - up to a ceiling specified in the estimate. Clearly, knowing the upper limit of what you'll have to pay will help you stick to your office moving budget - but not all movers will provide not-to-exceed estimates.

With any type of office moving estimate, changing circumstances can dramatically affect your costs. If you have a binding not-to-exceed agreement but add a basement full of old records to the move, you'll be invalidating the estimate. The same applies for circumstances beyond your control: elevators out of service or unavailable, for example.

There are several different ways moving companies charge for office moves. Some base their prices on the amount of equipment and supplies you're moving. This can be done either per pound (they'll weigh the truck once your belongings are on board) or per cubic foot.

Other companies will base the pricing more directly on the people and trucks your move requires: one truck and three movers is the small end, and you can add trucks and men incrementally up to a fleet of trucks and a squadron of men for a huge move. An hourly rate per truck and mover is multiplied by how long the move actually takes.

Neither of these methods is significantly better than the other, although some moving experts advise against cubic foot pricing. Since most office moves are local, per mover and truck pricing is the most common for businesses. Base rates start at around $100/hour for a truck and three movers or $150/hour for two trucks and five movers, but your circumstances will impact those rates quite a bit. For interstate moves, you can expect to pay per pound instead of per hour.

Comparing costs for office moves should be done based on the estimates they provide: you'll be able to compare the bottom line, no matter how they arrive at the figure. However you'll want to make sure you get similar numbers of movers and trucks, so make sure those figures are included in the estimate even the pricing is based on weight.

Use common sense when comparing estimates for office moves. If you talk to five movers, and four of them are fairly similar but one is significantly cheaper than the rest, be wary. The lowball estimate probably doesn't include all the services you need or has significantly underestimated the scope of your move.

There are several types of extra fees you may encounter. Difficult-to-move items (pianos are a common example, wide-screen displays are another) will always carry their own charge. Some movers may charge extra for office moves that include walking belongings up flights of stairs. And if any of your equipment is too large to fit in an elevator and has to be hoisted - lifted by crane outside the building and moved in through a window - you can expect to pay extra for that service.

To prevent sticker shock, make sure you have the specifics of how you're going to be charged and all potential extra fees in writing. Also make sure you know what types of payment are accepted - not all movers take credit cards so you may need a corporate or certified check.

Also be prepared to tip your movers. Suggested gratuities are 15% to 20%, but don't hesitate to give a little extra if the move goes smoothly. One inexpensive way to give movers a morale and energy boost is to supply a meal - something as simple as pizza or sandwiches can go a long way for guys who have been lifting heavy boxes all morning. For the bulk of the tip, cash is generally preferred, but most companies will accept the tip no matter how you give it - as part of the check or credit card payment is usually fine.

When in doubt - throw it out. In some ways, businesses are worse packrats than individuals. If no one is specifically in charge of throwing things out, outdated equipment, unneeded records, and extraneous supplies accumulate in closets, under desks, and in storage spaces. Make a concerted effort to throw out, donate, or sell off the things you don't need.

Talk it up. Anytime you hear about a disastrous office move, the problem usually stems from a lack of communication. There are so many interrelated steps to a move that any one delay can influence many other aspects. The point person on the move needs to coordinate communication between moving services, building management for both old and new locations, contractors, vendors, employees, and management.

Cut out the staff. Consider moving on a weekend when the office is empty - or else give employees the day off. They can't help, they won't get any work done, and they're at risk of being hurt by unsecured equipment.

Start early. Reliable moving services can provide invaluable help in planning and executing your move. Choosing a moving service several months before your actual move gives you the best chance to benefit from their expertise. It's also recommended that you set your move time as early in the day as possible to account for likely delays.

Check the calendar. Because moving services get much busier near the end of the month, you can sometimes save money by scheduling your move towards the middle of the month.