Running a Moving Company: 7 Common Issues and How to Deal with Them

Moving stuff on a truck may seem like a pretty straightforward task. When you’re running a moving company you soon learn that there are a lot more unseen details that require complete coordination. Moving companies have to plan everything, right down to the disruptions or possible delays in the route.

Running a moving company can be stressful. Most professional moving companies take precautions to avoid any problems on the way. That said, there may be an unexpected event or a missed detail that could create difficulty in the middle of the move.

Let’s look at the most common issues faced by moving companies and how to avoid them.

1. Weather Plays Havoc with Moving

Moving companies can plan every last detail to perfection, but missing out on taking note of the weather can be the biggest blunder. Sometimes, there may be an unexpected shift in the weather to which the moving company has to adapt itself with presence of mind and keep the goods safe. 

A truck can get stuck if there is a sudden heavy snowfall and the driver isn’t prepared. Nobody wants to end up with their company truck prominently featured on the evening news, causing a traffic jam. During such unexpected situations, there will most likely be a delay in the delivery, which can cause issues with the customer.

The Solution

Always check the weather before giving the final delivery date and time to the customer. If it is a long-distance relocation, you must also take the weather at the destination into consideration. The truck and the driver should be ready for any possible problems with the weather.

For example, the drivers can have shovels, chains, and a plan to store the truck until the snowfall stops.

2. Running a Moving Company at 100% Capacity

When a big job comes in, moving companies tend to exert themselves to the maximum. They put every last truck and every last mover on the job. The problem with working at full capacity is that there is no room for even a small error. This is almost impossible to achieve when running a moving company where the external situations can influence the move.

Sometimes a shipment goes astray, a truck breaks down, or a mover has a bad fall. If you’re at full capacity there will be no ability to recover from these issues.

The Solution

No matter how big the new contract is, keep a minimum of 2-3% spare resources on hand. This ensures that you will do an excellent job for all the other customers who have hired you.

3. Last-Minute Resources

When you push your business to the maximum, you may need help from outside resources. You might hire a contract mover or freelance driver. These last-minute replacements are very risky and have a high chance of complicating the problem they were hired to solve. 

These contract resources may not have the experience to handle the job, and they won’t know your company or procedures. They may not care about the good name of your company and could portray your business in a bad light.

The Solution

Avoid hiring last-minute contract resources and rely only on those removalists who are familiar with your company. It is best to have a reserve of movers and drivers, or contract resources that you trust, so they can pitch in during emergencies.

4. Traffic Problems

This is one of those problems that moving companies can do nothing about. There can be traffic accidents on the way that blocks the route or traffic jams that delays the delivery. Sometimes, moving trucks can be involved in these traffic accidents themselves. You need to send another truck to shift the cargo and carry on with the relocation without incurring too much delay. 

The Solution

It is best to factor in these unexpected scenarios while estimating the time of the delivery. Make sure to add buffer time to ensure that the customer doesn’t get worried about any potential delays.

When your moving truck gets into an accident, send a new truck to carry on with the relocation. Also, send an experienced representative of the company to address the issue.

5. Movers Who Overestimate Their Capability

At times, we tend to be overconfident and take relocation work that is too large or complex for your resources to handle. When the job demands more than the capability of the resources, it will obviously cause problems. Movers may struggle to attend to the details required on the job if pressured. Small mistakes can amount to a massive delay in the delivery.

The Solution

Set a limit based on your team’s abilities and availability. Make sure never to cross it, no matter how enticing a new job can look.

6. Customer Service Issues

Customer service is a priority for any business. For moving companies, providing complete care and attention to what the customer needs is of utmost importance. Some companies are so busy running their day-to-day operations that customer service suffers. They get too involved in the labor and can ignore customer calls or give an inadequate response to the customers.

A few collective instances like that and the moving company will create a bad reputation. 

The Solution

Make sure to hear the customer’s requirements clearly and take measures to solve those needs. It is vital to have a team dedicated to attending calls and keeping customers informed and happy.

7. Difficult Unloading Circumstances

It is the duty of the customers to let the movers know beforehand about any difficulties at the destination. That said, some customers may fail to inform you of relevant obstacles like stairs. In that case, the moving company is faced with an unloading work full of unpleasant surprises.

Like what? Crooked staircases which are half the size of the boxes they carry. Apartments above the tenth floor with non-working elevators. Or any other inaccessibility on the path of carrying the boxes to the door.

The Solution

Even when the customer fails to mention it, the movers should extract every possible detail of the site from the customer after they are hired. Explain to the customer the importance of these details. The movers should check in with the customer again a day or two before the relocation to cross-check the information one last timer.

While there will always be details that can present challenges during moves, proper preparation on the part of moving companies will prevent or solve most of them. Be prepared for any situation. Have remedial measures ready to avoid delays or damages.

Want to learn about moving company software can help you manage and grow your business? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo.