Relocating your home is considered one of life’s most challenging activities. During a move, customers are often at their lowest ebb; stressed, fatigued, and emotional. There are things customers can do before and during a residential move to make their move better and things they can do before and during which can make things worse. Based on Arpin of RI’s vast experience, here are the top 5 positive and negative behaviors.
5 ways to help ensure a move is successful
- Have areas of your residence 100% ready to go 1st thing on moving day. Getting ready to move is a lot of work. Depending on the size and scope of the move, it may take weeks to get ready. Often, customers haven’t completed everything by the time moving day arrives. The best option at this point is to have the areas nearest to the entrance 100% ready to go rather than every room 95% done. If the rooms closest to the door are done, the Arpin crew can jump right in and get to work while you finish the other areas.
Create good signage for the move. While verbal instructions are the primary way information is transmitted to Arpin crews, having signage as a back-up if you’re not available to ask is always a good idea. Moving day is hectic and you will most likely not be able to answer all of their questions verbally. Better to let the Arpin movers know with a note on the wall. There are only two pieces of info a mover needs to know: if an item is going and where that item is going in the new home. Clearly mark areas or things that are not going. For those items that are part of the shipment, label where you would like them to end up in the new residence.- Explicit communication about your schedule. Customers who give the Arpin crew all of the needed information about their schedule, appointments, family requirements, time conflicts, or any scheduling issues upfront will get a much better outcome in the end. Arpin crews are very experienced and well trained so they know babies will need some quiet time to nap mid-morning, kids get home from school around 3 pm, dogs need to be let out often to pee. Properly communicating your needs and schedules allows the Arpin crews to create seamless workarounds in their process to ensure everyone’s needs are met.
- Keep visitors to a minimum. The inter-personal dynamics on moving day between customers and the Arpin crew can be complex. Having friends, realtors, neighbors, or family members weighing in on matters that they don’t really concern them can be very counterproductive. Pass the word beforehand that there are two ground rules for folks dropping by your home on moving day. Only stop by if you’re prepared to work very hard…and leave your opinions at home.
- Show respect and empathy for the crew. The customer’s actions and demeanor will set the overall tone for the move. If they talk and behave professionally, they can demand the same professionalism from the crew. Customers who take a moment to consider the Arpin crew’s comfort, hygiene, thirst, hunger, and safety will instantly earn reciprocal respect from the crew.
5 ways you could also derail your moving experience
- Little to no preparation. Planning, preparation, and organization are keys to a successful move. We know that because Arpin has been moving folks for 120 years. Take away one of these activities and the move can still be done OK, but everything is going to be harder than it has to be. Take away two of these and it is very, very difficult to work through to get a good outcome. Take away all three and you have an unmitigated disaster. Give yourself time to get ready. A good rule of thumb for preparation time is one-half day of prep for each room. Garages, basements, and attics may take considerably more time to get ready. The Boy Scouts were right; be prepared.
- No one is in charge. Having no one in charge doesn’t mean no one is present to manage the move. Rather, there are people there, except no one is empowered to make critical decisions. Determining who will be the move manager and make the thousands of decisions required on moving day has to be decided well beforehand. The person making these decisions can vary from room to room, but that person has to be the last word on furniture placement, budget items, and tasks for that area. If you try the committee approach, the move can degrade into an endless argument, bickering, and negotiation. The Arpin crew needs a solid partner to make the move successful.
- Pets are wonderful, just not on moving day. Please have your pet boarded or removed from the premises for the move. Locking them in a room, or in a yard does not work; especially for dogs. If I had a dollar every time an Arpin crew member was bitten by a dog that “doesn’t bite”, I’d have a lot of dollars. Cats run away or hide and dogs sniff, poop, and get in the way…all of which can ruin a move.
- Surprises. No one likes to be blindsided on moving day. Especially surprises that will negatively affect the move like an excavator digging up the old septic system or the house cleaners showing up to shampoo the carpets. As with reason number 3, good communication can help make a move great, poor communication regarding time or service conflicts can derail a move in seconds. Make notes and reminders for the Arpin crew. Moving day has a way of overwhelming your brain and make you forget critical items.
- Family conflict.
Because moving causes stress and agitation by its nature, many relationships can fray on moving day. Piggybacking on number 7, Arpin of RI feels it may be better to limit the number of family at the residence during the move. Develop a strategy where errands are run, and tasks are completed that keep people busy and productive, yet apart. And yes, as with number 8, sometimes it is better for “some people” to be absent for the move altogether.
