Moving your office can be one of the most daunting tasks in your corporate life. Apart from all the planning and packing that comes with moving, you’ve got the leases to negotiate, consider how the new office may affect employee morale, renovation costs, amongst many other issues that will keep you awake. Hence, the last thing you want is a mess on the day of your move. This is why you need a professional office moving company to provide a trusted and assuring service, one who not just physically moves your properties, but a pro who can sit, plan and advise you on how best to execute the entire moving process.
So, how do you go about looking for THAT moving company? Here’s our rundown of 7 tips on how to hunt down your office mover in Singapore.
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You want to find movers who are experienced in commercial and office moves.
Moving an office often requires a different set of skills than moving household items. Too often, run-of-the-mill house movers claim to be professional office movers when they do not understand the nuances associated with office moves. These include knowledge of the loading / unloading logistical issues, the moving hours stipulated by your building managers, and most importantly, your needs to ensure minimal downtime for your business. As a professional office mover, we give thorough considerations to all your concerns, plan and propose our moving plan and offer one-flat rate for our services so that you will not be met with nasty surprises on the big day.
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Do background checks on your movers.
All authentic movers would have built their credentials and integrity as professional movers.
A quick search on Google and the many social media platforms should give you a decent review of the moving company that you are considering. Google reviews and ratings come from genuine users and give you some insights into the company’s reliability. For example, a website with 4+ stars and genuine-looking reviews can be trusted. Do not miss their 1-star to 3-star reviews because most people speak some truth while giving these reviews.
In addition, you should check their track records (the companies and organizations that they have served) and testimonials sent by their clients. -
Ask a friend!
The traditional word-of-mouth hardly fails.
Getting opinions from a family member or a close friend who has engaged the services of a professional mover will help you increase your chances of finding that reliable moving company. This is so as a professional mover always believe in building strong rapport with their clients to provide a trusted and assuring service.
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Insist on a site visit.
Unless you are moving a small office where you can easily list the items you have to move, always insist for your moving company to view your office and the assets that you have to move. This site visit will allow professional movers like us to better understand your move requirements so that we can help you plan and organize your move, in addition to just providing the muscles for the physical move on the move day.
Very often, fly-by-night movers don’t bother to come by your office. Instead, they ask what you have to move over the phone and give you a verbal quote. These are all classic warning signs of a potentially disastrous move. Afterall, how can they know what they need to do for you without having seen your assets? And if they do not know what they have to do for you to ensure a seamless move, how can they price their service accurately?
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Beware of hidden costs
If you have asked for multiple quotes from different moving companies, you may wonder how some movers can price their services significantly below others. Herein lies the dark side of “hidden costs”.
All professional movers have similar cost structures. The cost of hiring skilled crew, reliable trucks, quality packing materials etc are similar in this country. This means all professional moving companies have a fixed cost to cover so that they can sustain their business and provide the reliable service you deserve. Consequently, they need to charge a baseline amount.
So, if a moving company offers a rate well below others, chances are they will come up with nasty surprises on the day of your move. So often we have heard our customers recount their horrid experiences with moving companies who ask for more money on the move day because they “didn’t expect you to have so many things to move”. And if you don’t pay up, they will leave your assets strewn out on the loading bay and leave. Doesn’t that sound like a threat for a king’s ransom? As cliché as it is, if an offer is too good to be true, it often is.
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Professional movers don’t ask for a deposit.
In Singapore, moving companies who ask you to make a deposit prior to your move should send some alarm bells ringing. It can be a sign that they are poorly managed firms and therefore need to live off deposits to sustain their business, or that they do not trust you as their client. Why should you, as a consumer of a professional service, part with any money when you have yet to receive any benefit?
At CYC Movers, we have never asked for a deposit since the day we commenced business in 2003. -
Insurance policy
Professional movers provide trained and skilled crew who are adept in protecting and moving your assets. In addition, they provide certain assurances in their service via insurance. While different movers provide different coverage amount on a complimentary basis, all pros will be able to offer you a coverage for the value you wish to insure, often at a premium. These coverages are always backed by an insurance company licensed to operate in Singapore so that you can be sure you can claim your insured amount should that becomes necessary.
Suffice to know, insurers will only work with professional movers. If your moving company cannot arrange for a coverage of your desired amount, chances are they are not a professional.
We hope you find these tips useful. Give us a call or write to us and let our professional relocation advisors help you plan your next move.