This month I had the pleasure of sitting down with Greg Abbott to discuss organization during a move. We focused on the best way to communicate furniture and box placement between movers and customers. Greg used to be a driver and he’s now a dispatcher so if anyone knows the drill, it’s him!
Greg told me that the best way to start the process is for the customers to do a walk through with the moving crew at both the home the customer is moving from and the home they’re moving to. Doing this allows the crew to get an understanding of where furniture is currently placed, so they’ll have an idea of where to place it in the new home, and it allows the movers to see the layout of the new home and to identify the rooms. Greg told me it’s important for our customers to know that they use the same crew, whether it’s a short or long-distance move.
Below are a few tips and tricks:
- Label the boxes: Either write the room names on the top and sides of the boxes or have a color code system (i.e. blue stickers for the living room boxes).
- Create a diagram: Draw a simple diagram of the new home and hang it near the front door. That way the movers will know which room is which and will have an easier time sorting where to unload items.
- Provide Directions: Designate a family member to stand, or sit, near the front door and tell the movers where the furniture should go. This allows our movers to ask less questions and to complete the move more efficiently.
- Ask for our advice: If you’re not sure where the sofa or television should be placed, ask us! We do this on a daily-basis and, let’s face it, at this point we could be interior designers!
- Old boxes: If you’re repurposing old moving boxes, that’s fine, but be sure to cross out irrelevant information.
- Sticky notes: To use them or not use them? Sticky notes are fine to use BUT make sure they’re easy to see and are securely stuck to the boxes. An extra piece of tape or two should do the trick.
- Need something right away? No problem! If you have items you’ll need the first night in your new home, write “First Night” or “Open First” and which room you’d like it in on the box(es) and we’ll make sure they’re left in a convenient location.
- Loading the truck: We load the items that we need last in the truck first and vice versa. For example, we put area rugs in last so we can move them out of the truck first and lay them down before placing the furniture.
- Garages, Attics, and Sheds: These areas tend to be used for storage so our movers will stack the boxes with aisles next to them, that way customers can easily sort through the boxes at their convenience.
- Crew: We use the same move crew, whether it’s a short or long-distance move. This way the movers are familiar with our customers’ items (i.e. where they were located in the old home and where they should be located in the new home, etc.).
Would you like to have a well-organized move? Call Beltway Movers today! We look forward to working with you.
