Know All About Moving and Packing Profession

Since we will all be faced with a move one day or another, we might also take a slight interest in this profession. The movers and packers will visit our apartment, pack our belongings and transport our furniture: in other words, they will enter our privacy. Around 16,000 removal professionals, 15% of whom are women, work in World. But who are these men and women? How does a moving company work?

Mover / Removal: DEFINITION

A move consists of moving, in part or whole, the goods contained in a home or business premises from one address to another. To do this, the movers are in charge of packing, transporting, and unpacking the client’s furniture, objects, and belongings. It is a profession, and the Ministry of Transport regulates it.

A MOVING COMPANY

The majority of moving companies like GPS Relocations (86%) have fewer than ten employees. Therefore, these tiny structures do not benefit from a competitive advantage. Still, they have the advantage of proximity to customers since the administrative and commercial service is often located in the city center.

Therefore, these small companies know how to adapt their quotes so that they correspond to local demand. It is also with these small moving companies or professional movers that we find the most skilled workers. We take the time to train new employees, build close-knit teams and develop staff. The leaders very often come from the field and transmit know-how.

THE MOVERS

Expert Mover must have physical abilities, but he must also know how to show skill, talent, and thoughtfulness. It is possible to start in the trade with an internship, but anyway, the first level is a moving assistant before moving on to a mover. Then, as the sites progress, it is possible to acquire the responsibility of team leader.

Some also move on to the sales position and carry out technical visits. But whatever the place of activity, a mover enters into the privacy of customers. For that, he must be respectful and endowed with a particular empathy to provide the best possible service.

THE REMOVER’S MISSION

Although upstream, the locating work was done by the sales representative during his technical visit, it is from the first hour on-site that the smooth running of the move will depend. First of all, the team leader will distribute the role of each of his movers and dispatch the necessary equipment. The understanding is essential because from there, it is a ballet that is set up.

Depending on the formula chosen by the client, the movers pack everything fragile or not and put it in the boxes, store the clothes in the wardrobes and protect the bedding and sofas with covers. At the same time, they must dismantle the furniture that requires it and start loading the truck. On delivery, the work is organized in precisely the same way. That’s why, apart from being in excellent physical shape, a mover must be organized, rigorous and meticulous.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT

Thanks to the appropriate equipment, the movers will pack and transport in complete safety the goods entrusted to them. From the most trivial to the most imposing, all are important. For example, although they can easily pick up boxes from traders, they will not be as suitable as those provided by moving companies.

Indeed, there are different formats for each thing to carry: small for books, more remarkable for trinkets, toys or dishes utensils, wardrobes for clothes on hangers in braces for fragile objects, glasses, and bottles. And for reasonable protection of furniture, paintings, or lamps, movers use blankets, bubble wrap, or kraft bubbles, which they secure with tape or string. Sofas, armchairs, and mattresses are put on unique covers.

And in the event of complex accesses, a moving company uses a furniture lift, or even a crane truck, if necessary, but always manages to load its vehicle and remove its customers.

MAKE A REQUEST FOR A MOVING QUOTE BY PHONE

When the decision to move is made, the first thing to do is contact different moving companies to get quotes and compare them. Some people, by choice or by obligation, make their requests by telephone. In this case, you have to be as precise as possible so that the Mover can understand your needs and establish an estimate corresponding to the reality of the move in question.

SPECIFY THE PERIOD OF THE MOVE

The ideal is to plan your move well in advance, but you may also have to move urgently. Anyway, we must give our ideal date and then, as far as possible, open the field of possibilities, at least a few days, before and after this date, for loading and delivery. It is essential to understand, especially in high season (from June to September), that the Mover is obliged to take into account the many requests. To satisfy his customers as much as possible, he must organize a rigorous schedule. For a turnkey move”, It is not uncommon for the preparation to be done 2 or 3 days before the big day, for example, which implies availability on the part of the customer.

ESTIMATE THE VOLUME OF GOODS TO BE MOVED

Before contacting a moving company to have an estimate established, it is necessary to inventory the goods you want to move. First, indicate the dimensions of the most significant elements, such as cabinets, sideboards, or sofas (and are they convertible, angular?). Then, specify if some of them are very heavy or if others must be dismantled and reassembled. Next, list the household appliances, indicating their characteristics (fridge, Miele washing machine, etc.).

Give the size of bookcases and cupboards to help estimate the volume in books and clothes. And specify the surface of the accommodation, its size and the number of people who live there. Thanks to his experience, the Mover will then know how many boxes adapted to the situation he will have to provide.

GIVE ADDRESSES AND ACCESS FACILITIES

The Mover does not just quote based on volume. It considers the distance between the point of loading and the end of delivery because a long journey is more expensive than an inter-city. That’s why it is necessary to give the precise address of each of them and their codes of ‘access. It is also essential to indicate the floors since a 6th floor without an elevator does not give the same workload to the team of movers as a ground floor.

Finally, provide as many details as possible on the accesses, and for that, do not hesitate to make the route that the movers will have to take from the sidewalk to the apartment, to be able to transcribe the carrying distance, the size of the elevator or the width of the stairwell.

Note small features, such as a step or an arch, can be a plus. Then, if you know that a piece of furniture must go through a window because it is too bulky and cannot be dismantled, you must request a furniture lift. In this case, observe the possibility of positioning it in front of the building.

Bear in mind that the quotes provided by telephone are not firm and definitive but are simply a database to allow you to start comparing the different companies. Only the technical visit of a moving professional involves a final estimate (except in exceptional cases or for very small removals).