Tips to Prepare and Manage Your Move During Busy Season

The physical relocation of an employee’s household goods is arguably one of the most critical elements of any relocation, and the success of the household goods experience may weigh heavily in the success of the overall relocation experience. During peak moving season, when demand exceeds supply, challenges can arise and impact the experience such as driver shortages, lessened flexibility, increased cost, and overall heightened stress levels. Below we discuss how to avoid peak season panic - providing insights and recommendations to ensure your move goes smoothly, whether you are the Global Mobility Manager, transferee, or RMC.

Tips For Global Mobility Managers and Staff

• Book in advance
• Avoid RUSH moves, as they are:
  • Challenging to service in the manner for which we plan
  • More likely to incur damages if additional handling is required
  • More likely to incur increased costs if additional handling is required
  • Less likely to arrive at destination faster than moves planned well in advance
• Keep cancellations or postponing to a minimum
• Consider adding small shipment alternatives
  • Smaller shipments may have a longer transit time and wider delivery spread
  • Full-service container-like solutions offer greater flexibility for smaller shipments and can be added to an existing policy

Tips For Transferees

• Do not make travel plans the same day as the move
• Do a thorough walk through with the driver before and after loading and unloading to make sure you are on the same page and that everything has been taken care of
• The crew needs your attention especially on the day of delivery; if you have small children and pets have someone available to take care of them
• Things will happen very fast once packing and loading begins, make sure you take any valuables/important papers and things you don’t want to end up in boxes and put them in a separate area out of the way the day before packing or the move
• Make sure you understand and sign all the documentation presented by the crews, especially the bingo sheet indicating the items delivered and notation of any residence damage

Tips for RMC's

• Every move has unique challenges – be available and respond in a timely fashion for approvals
• Capacity is an issue and will continue to be – make sure your carriers complement each others’ strengths and geographical positioning
• Build a relationship with key personnel at the carrier so they understand what your expectations are as a customer and can work on your behalf when the “fur” starts to fly… because it will in the peak season
• Have a cliff notes version of your account’s policy that the carriers understand and can execute effectively
• Make sure transferees are advised to not scheduling closings too close or on the day of the move
• Make sure transferees are available for in-home estimates early in the process so we can get that estimate to plan early on services
• Make sure transferees show the estimator everything going so weight and cubes are accurate to avoid flow problems. If there are changes, make sure they tell the moving company ASAP.
• Make sure transferees understand the delivery “spread” so they are available to take delivery to avoid extra costs such as waiting time and storage
• Make sure transferees check off their shipments at delivery to avoid claim hassles and missing items

Key Takeaways to Remember When Planning For Your Move

1. Plan ahead!
2. Be flexible
3. Communicate – especially by phone if the matter is urgent

Interested in learning more? Connect with Drew Coolidge on LinkedIn or directly at Drew.Coolidge@sirva.com. You may also reach out to Concierge@sirva.com.