What is a Move Manager?

Move management, is a form of project management which focuses primarily on the planning and execution of a relocation.  Professional move managers generally operate in the commercial space where their presence (and associated expense) is a better fit.  Most move managers are directly employed by moving firms and often times function as a sales agent for their company.

The move management profession came about primarily out of 3 factors: 

1. commercial relocations tend to be significantly more complex than residential relocations; 

2. most organizations move on average less than once per decade (and therefore have a lack of experienced employees to manage a relocation in-house); and 

3. planning and executing a relocation requires time that few companies can spare without impacting operations. 

A move manager assists the client with understanding best practices associated with a commercial relocation, develops a relocation plan to efficiently move all items from their origin to destination location, and manages the move crew and any other associated vendors to ensure everything is placed in the correct location.  Move managers generally limit the role of their scope to items directly relating to moving your items, however they may take on managing additional scopes such as FF&E installation or select decommissioning scopes if requested.  

Experienced move managers will have experience relocating a variety of businesses.  Be sure when interviewing a move manager to ask about their experience with similar sized companies within your industry as the needs and challenges of moving a manufacturing space and an office space are very different. Always ask about past project experiences and get references, any reputable move manager will have these readily available. 

In general, move managers are engaged 2-6 months on a commercial office move depending on its complexity and size.  Industrial and institutional relocations are often times multiphase projects and larger may take years to fully plan and execute. Regardless of your project size, the impact to your organization is still significant. Finding the right partner(s) is essential to your relocation’s success.   

What is a Relocation Guide? 

At Voyage Relocation Services, our guides take move management a step further focusing not just on the relocation of your organization’s physical possessions, but all aspects of your organization that are affected by your relocation.  There is much more required than simply getting your stuff to a new location.   

Consider just a few of the areas of potential impact that are not addressed by a traditional move manager:

• How will people find your new location? Where does your business address appear online that needs to be updated (Google, Yellow Pages, Chamber/Professional Directories)? 

• What marketing collateral needs to be updated? What about business cards, stationary, letterheads, envelopes? 

• Who will update all of your customers, vendors, supplies, and stakeholders to change service addresses?

• What regulatory documents need to be revised? Business Licenses, Tax Accounts, SEC filings, Contracts, Banking Accounts.

• How will your new location effect your IT network environment? Does your new location have enough available bandwidth?  Is there network & power redundancy? Does the structure allow for sufficient Wi-Fi & cell signal? Should you reassign your IP addresses?  

• How will the change in location effect employee morale (positive or negative)? Will their commutes be significantly impacted? Is there enough parking available? How does your space plan and office design impact productivity? How will they find their workspace and the tools they need day one in their new location? 

Partnering with an experienced relocation guide allows your organization to address all of these other items effectively and efficiently and ensure that there are no surprises along the way.  Whether you choose to perform some of this work in-house, utilize your existing vendors, or partner with one of our vendor partners, your relocation guide will help you develop a comprehensive relocation plan, track progress, generate accountability, and deliver the results you need to be successful. 

Voyage Relocation Services is an independent relocation services firm dedicated to finding the best solutions for our client’s needs.  As a management company, we rely on a network of vendors to execute our relocations, and since our guides are not paid based upon a sales commission nor are limited to promoting the services of a singular company, we are able to provide our clients with unbiased opinions, cost savings solutions, and provide a wholistic approach to address the full impact of your relocation, not just the logistics of getting your stuff from one point to another. 

When should I consider a Relocation Guide over a Move Manager? 

Relocation Guides are often considered a premium service and may not be the best fit for every organization.  With Voyage Relocation Services, we offer customized solutions for organizations big and small to provide you with the level of assistance that is right for your organization.  

Generally, we recommend that you consider a relocation guide over a traditional move management service if your relocation involves any of the following: 

• General office moves over 50 employees

• Technical moves involving equipment or instruments which require special handing, install support, and/or calibration 

• Data Center and large-scale IT moves

• High-Density record storage, libraries, or physical archives.

• Industrial moves involving assembly lines, automation, or complex utility needs.

• Warehouse & Storage moves over 10,000sqft. 

• High-valuation moves 

• Multi-phase or multi-location relocations

Interested in learning more about move management and the role of a relocation guide?  Contact our office today or schedule an assessment to get started.