Scheduling and Installation

The Installation point is where all aspects of your move, remodel or addition come together. After the intricate selection process, your shiny new cubicles are finally going to find a home. Be sure to consider these three factors in planning for the big day. First, how is the remodel or new construction proceeding? These projects are fraught with delays, so you or your dealer should stay in close touch with your contractor or the building management to get a realistic move-in day. If you can afford to hold off a little bit, building a contingency time into your schedule is a good idea and will reduce your stress level when incorporating your new office furniture.

Next, consider the availability of the cubicle systems furniture. The manufacturer usually quotes a shipping date from the factory, which your dealer can use to estimate the time of arrival and any pre-preparation work that needs to be done prior to install. Be aware that snowstorms, trucking strikes and other unforeseen occurrences could delay the delivery of your office furniture. Finally, coordinate the move with the needs of your business. If you are moving to a new location, working with the installer or moving company to determine the time it will take to pack-up and move your office is necessary. Careful coordination with the Telephone Company, internet provider, and IT department is critical in order to minimize the disruption to your business operations. A logistics meeting, with all of the parties present, is the best way to insure that everything will be well coordinated. Also at this time, you want to start to prepare your staff for the move. They should go through their cubicles and desks to recycle or dispose of anything that they will not need to move to make way for the new cubicles.

Get Ready: The Building Logistics

Cubicle installation is a big project and at this point you will need to do a walkthrough of your building with your dealer and the building management. Look at where the furniture is being delivered – Is there a loading dock? If not, then the installer will bring a truck with a hydraulic gate. How big are the doorways and what is the best path for entry? Where will the packaging of the panels, worksurfaces and files be broken down and removed from the building? Be sure to ask your dealer to recycle the cardboard used to protect the cubicles systems from damage. Your dealer and the building management will make sure that the building is protected during the cubicle installation process to be sure that your new office furniture continues to look new.

Get Set: Scheduling and Tracking

Your office furniture dealer will set up a project schedule and keep careful track of how everything is proceeding. Adjustments in one area will often drive necessary changes in others. They will advise you of when your staff will need to be packed up and ready to move. Remember to let your staff know of any disruptions to electrical, telephone and IT services before or during the move itself.

Go: Cubicle Installation

You shouldn't need to worry about most of the details happening on moving day with the exception of its impact on your current office. If you are moving office furniture to your new location, the professional moving company will pick-up and transfer it to the new location. They are experts at moving general office furniture but if you are moving any of your existing cubicles, make sure that a qualified office furniture systems installer does the installation. The installer will also take care of all the new systems furniture and coordinate with the building trades to make sure that the install goes quickly and smoothly. Then you will get a call from your dealer with the news that you've been waiting for – the installation of your new cubicle system is complete and you are ready to move in. You will want to do a complete walkthrough with your dealer to make sure that everything is as ordered. If you see things that are not quite right, the dealer will add them the "punch list" and place orders for any replacement parts necessary to correct damage that might have happened in transit or during the installation process. Critical replacements can be made in a few days to a week while others might take longer. This is also the time that you can see exactly what the cubicle system and any other office furniture you ordered actually looks like and how it will function. Work with your dealer at making any last minute additions at this point. When the initial cubicle furniture installation is done to specifications, its time to sign off, and move into your beautiful and efficient new cubicles.