The Ultimate Guide to Office Moving in Hawaii

Whether you’re planning an intrastate office move in Hawaii or relocating your business to the mainland, you’ll need a reliable moving company. Office moving and storage services require a different approach than residential moves.

Even if your office space is small, you might find it challenging to pack everything and transport it safely. However, hiring the first moving company you find won’t ensure your items are safe either. Therefore, searching for a company specializing in office moving is essential.

If you’re a business owner relocating to Hawaii, you’ll benefit from knowing how to search for a professional and trustworthy office moving company. This guide will help you narrow your search for the office mover for Hawaii that will work best with your company.

What Is Unique About Office Moving Services?

You might wonder why commercial office moves are so different from residential relocations. The idea is the same – you pack up and move all your belongings and transport them to the new location.

While that’s indeed true, office relocation services usually require specialized teams, equipment, and protective tools.

Keep in mind that offices usually contain a lot of bulky furniture and expensive but fragile technology. To better understand what moving office services entail, consider the following factors.

Moving and Installing Furniture

We’ve touched on the fact that office moving includes relocating furniture, but let’s go into further details. The office mover company that works perfectly should be able to handle any challenge, including moving very bulky items, modular shelving, and even fine art and diplomas and certification hanging on the walls.

Also, many modern office spaces have pool tables, video game consoles, leisure equipment, and similar amenities requiring special attention. The mover you choose should know how to transport these items without damaging them and unpack and install them correctly when they arrive.

Staff Moving Services

While some moving companies only focus on commercial office moves, many offer residential moving services. So, what does that mean for a business owner relocating their offices?

If some of your staff is relocating to the new office HQ, you can ask the company for a team moving discount. Therefore, the full service the company provides combines office and residential moving, making it even more convenient to relocate your business.

White-Glove Packing

An office moving company should offer specialized white-glove packing services. Essentially, the company has a customized approach to packing particular objects to ensure their safety is not jeopardized.

Some items might be safe in bubble wrap, while others will need blankets and require a very careful loading and unloading system.

For example, you may have an expensive copier machine in your office, which is heavy and easy to drop. Some moving companies may even have padded moving trucks to facilitate safer transportation.

How to Choose the Best Office Moving Company in Hawaii

There is a lot to consider when choosing office movers. Company with the right experience can offer comprehensive and customized services. While no company is perfect, you can certainly make the right selection among many available options in Hawaii.

Knowing what to look for can make searching for a commercial moving company easier. So, when starting your research, consider the following factors.

Types of Commercial Moves

When discussing “office” or “commercial” moving, the terms are used interchangeably, but they don’t always have the same meaning. Compared to residential services, the commercial moving industry is broader.

Therefore, it’s vital to ask the moving company what types of office or commercial moving services they offer. For example, if you’re moving your medical practice to another location in Hawaii, you’ll need a crew that knows how to handle medical equipment.

Relocating a small office with several computers and a few furniture pieces is vastly different from moving an ultrasound machine or a dentist’s chair.

Proper Licensing

If you don’t have experience with any kind of moving, you might not know that all moving companies need to have special licenses to operate. Most movers will claim on their websites that they are fully licensed but verifying that claim is a prudent strategy. It’s a pretty simple process and will only take several minutes.

Search for the Department of Transportation (DOT) issues license numbers, which are usually listed on the moving company’s website. If you can’t find one, ask them about it directly. When they provide it, go to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website and search for the DOT number to verify the company’s information.

However, it’s also essential to keep in mind that the DOT certification is only necessary for companies that also offer interstate moves.

If the company only provides Hawaii-based moving services, it will need a state-issued license. For the state of Hawaii, you can inquire about the company’s moving license by contacting Public Utilities Commission, the dedicated regulatory body.

Estimate Details

Most companies that offer moving office services will offer either binding or non-binding quotes. A binding quote typically includes a comprehensive inventory of all the office items.

The movers can give you an accurate quote by going through all the belongings. A binding quote means that the suggested sum will not change if there are no changes to the inventory in the meantime.

A non-binding quote is not as detailed and relies more on the overall cargo weight. It also means that the final price may change depending on different factors.

Regardless of what type of estimate works better for you, request a customized approach, as every office move is unique and has specific challenges.

Perhaps the movers may miss that some equipment requires white-glove treatment, which can change the price later.

Online Reviews and References

Nowadays, many people research products and services online before purchasing. There’s no reason it should be any different when looking for office relocation services in Hawaii.

Check the moving company’s online reviews and ratings, as they can provide the insight you otherwise couldn’t obtain. Inevitably, you’ll run into less-than-informative reviews and non-constructive criticisms, which is the nature of online reviews and comments.

However, you will also likely find that customers have left valuable information about the company’s services and why they were pleased or dissatisfied with them.

If you look hard enough, you may find out that their trucks tend to break down or that their crew is exceptionally well-trained.

You can also ask for references directly from the office moving company. You can talk to the moving company’s representative and ask them about references they can provide. A great sign that you’re dealing with a professional office mover is them happily obliging your request.

Dedicated Office Moving Manager

Some moving companies have managers that specialize in residential, military, or office moving services. An experienced commercial moving manager can be your point of contact when planning your relocation.

It’s immensely reassuring to have a person you can reach with questions and concerns as the planning progresses. Not every moving company provides this service, but if that’s something that would benefit you, consider focusing on companies that do.

Office Move Coverage

Whether your office move is intrastate or interstate, you will need some type of moving coverage. You’ll maybe focus on searching for the “moving insurance” rather than coverage, but movers are not permitted to offer insurance specifically, since only insurance companies can do that.

However, coverage and insurance have basically the same meaning in this context. Companies that offer office moving services from one state to another are required under federal law to offer two types of coverage, full-value protection, and release value protection.

However, most local movers will offer the same protection as the industry standard practice.

Full-value protection means that the mover is fully liable for the current value of your belongings. While this type of coverage is more comprehensive and expensive, it’s still not perfect.

According to FMCSA, the movers will offer cash settlements for damaged or lost items only at their current value. So, if you spent a small fortune on something five years ago, but its price has decreased significantly, the movers will rely on the current price.

However, full-value protection also means that the movers may repair damaged items or replace them with something similar.

The second option is the released value protection. Usually, this type of coverage comes with no extra charge, which means that protection is not comprehensive and essentially minimal. Under released value protection, every lost or damaged item is covered with $0.60 per pound, regardless of the actual value.

IT Integration

Office relocations typically include moving a lot of technology like computers, printers, modems, TVs, and anything else one might find in a modern office. But that also means that these units require installation and setup once the items arrive.

If you and your staff need to reconnect all the IT equipment in the new office, it might take too long and run into a few problems. Consider asking the commercial moving company if they offer seamless IT integration.

They may have a team trained to get your Wi-Fi and computers active in no time. Also, some office moving companies partner with specialist firms that offer expeditious IT integration.

Junk Removal

Another important service you may want to inquire about is junk removal. Are you leaving your Hawaii office with old furniture, broken down equipment, or stained carpets?

If yes, your landlord will still require you to remove them. Instead of hiring a junk removal company specifically, ask your office movers if they offer these types of services. The odds are they do, especially if they offer a wide range of services.

Storage Services

If you need to move out of your current office in a rush, but the new office isn’t ready, ask movers whether they offer storage.

Office moving and storage often go hand in hand, as it’s sometimes challenging to plan the relocation without delays due to weather and other factors. Depending on the client’s needs, storage services can be short-term or long-term.

Additional Questions for an Office Moving Company

We’ve discussed what to look for when researching an office moving company, but there is always more you can ask. Relocating your office is stressful and tiring, and working with a fantastic moving company can make all the difference. Therefore, it’s important to include as many questions as possible during the search. Here are a few additional questions you may want to consider asking.

1. Are you a broker or a mover? (Brokers are only intermediaries.)
2. How long will the move take?
3. How do I contact the driver during the move?
4. Do you subcontract your moves, and why?
5. Are there any undisclosed charges for your services?
6. What is your cancellation policy?
7. Do you offer any discounts?
8. Do you offer specialty moves?
9. How do you calculate your prices?
10. Are there any restrictions on what you pack?

Of course, you can also come up with questions that connect to your specific situation. Once you have all the answers you need, take some time to consider them before making a final decision.

A Few Important Tips to Keep in Mind

Consider a few crucial tips when interviewing office movers. Company relocations are often complicated, and business owners are in a rush to finalize the move. It’s easy to skip a few steps in the process, so note the following advice.

Have All Your Questions Ready

Don’t hesitate to have a complete list of questions and requests before talking to the potential mover. Having them all written down on your mobile device or on a piece of paper will allow you to quickly check items off the list.

Shop Around

Even if the first moving company you talk to feels like you’ve found the right service, take your time interviewing a few more prospects. You may learn that the following company has even more comprehensive services and more affordable prices. Or you may realize that you were lucky on your first search.

Watch Out for Red Flags

What does this mean? For example, suspiciously good estimates are often unrealistic and hide lousy service. A lack of proper licensing should be an automatic deterrent, even if the moving company fees are hard to resist. Finally, a plethora of bad reviews, testimonials of unprofessional conduct, and usage of unmarked trucks are all notable red flags.

Relocating Your Hawaii Office Safely With Reliable Commercial Movers

There are many trustworthy moving companies that will fail to move your office properly and safely. Is your current Hawaii office no longer a fit, and you’ve found another location in the state or mainland?

Your office moving company should know how to assist you correctly and provide peace of mind. Your best strategy is to arm yourself with well-researched questions and stay alert about potential red flags.

If you’re searching for affordable and reliable office moving services, contact Movers Hawaii and allow us to do what we do best.