August 31, 2010

Know A Good Moving Company?

That’s right, we are moving.  No kidding.  Like a website design firm redoing their website, we’re moving ourselves into a new space October 1st.  Yes, we are well aware of a great place to order moving supplies and we’ve already downloaded our inventory checklist.  We are well on our way to being prepared for our moving day – and we stand a good chance of saving money with a superior quality relocation company (wink, wink).

As we prepare to move, we chide ourselves that we must now swallow all of the information we feed our customers, to settle their nerves about moving.  “Prepare early, be as organized as possible and have some confidence in the fact that you’ve chosen a moving company with integrity and experience…no need to worry.”  But there’s plenty to be concerned about.  We need our phone system wired and computers networked at our new location on our moving day, at latest – unencumbered communication with our customers is imperative!  Like our clients, we have a massive numbers of details to contend with, and like we tell our clients…we will breathe deeply and remain calm (“inhale, exhale…it’s all going to be okay”).

The truth is, like we also say frequently, moving is a great thing, a new start to create a workspace superior to the one we’re leaving.    In our case, we are moving into a state of the art warehouse where we can store our clients’ belongings, offer enhanced local services throughout all of South Carolina (specifically the midlands) and roll out a host of new programs for clients nationwide.  The large warehouse space will allow us to inventory more of our own moving supplies, allowing us to purchase larger quantities…and pass along bulk purchase savings to our clients!  Everyone wins.

As we’ve grown over the past several years, we have dreamed of the day that we could upgrade the office space for our hard working employees, who often put in long hours.  Building out brand new work stations and break rooms, and ordering new furnishings is a great feeling − one that we hear echoed by our clients every day.  Perhaps the most rewarding part of this relocation is that it signifies a milestone, proving that our commitment to a high level of service and integrity has led to a new stage of growth for our company.

As we take pride in our success, we also realize that the past three years have been a difficult time, economically speaking, for most Americans and we are saddened by that reality.  However, if our company can thrive, then there are many other American companies that will thrive as well.  To our loyal customers, we thank you!  We’ll be sharing pictures of our new offices shortly after our October 1st move – stay tuned.

August 13, 2010

Keeping it Real

Pssst…don’t tell anyone, but we are not the cheapest moving company.  But, we’re also far from the priciest.  If all moving companies were equally capable and service-oriented, being the least expensive would equate to being best.  However, we all know that moving companies are not created equal.  That’s why we take great pride in what makes us different from the competition.

What’s the most important difference?  Honestly, it’s honesty…and trustworthiness.  This is not to say that we are the only honest moving company (that would be dishonest).  However, our clients share stories of previous relocating experiences that often include moving companies that took them for a ride – sometimes charging significantly more than what was estimated when they quoted the job. 

We tell our prospective clients to shop around, because we want them to be educated and comfortable with their selection.  We do caution people about moving companies that are eager to tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear – quoting a significantly lower price than they’ll actually charge.  When a moving company quotes an unusually low price, it should send up a red flag.  Scrupulous moving companies take into account the estimated weight of the items being transported and charge fairly for the service required.  Another way to be confident about your moving company is to research their rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) & their affiliation with The American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA).

At America’s Moving Services, we share a mutual respect with our clients.  Quality service, attention to detail, honesty and a fair price are the ingredients that make for successful recipes in our kitchen!  If you’re looking for true value from a high quality moving company, then you’ve come to the right place.  We welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

July 26, 2010

Top 10 Benefits of Moving Your Home

We know that moving a home has its share of stress and obstacles, but at America’s Moving Services, optimism is our middle name (we shortened it, because ”America’s Optimism Moving Services” was a bit  long…even for our trucks).

In keeping with our tradition of focusing on the best reasons to move, we’ve developed a list of comments we hear most frequently from our clients regarding what they find most exciting about moving into a new home.

———————————————————————

Here’s the Top 10!

  1. The Purge – “Why didn’t I get rid of all this extra stuff a long time ago?  This feels great.”
  2. Organization – “Now that we’ve inventoried our belongings, we have a fresh start at placing everything where it properly belongs in our new home.”
  3. Change – “Life was getting stale in our all-too-familiar routine.  We really need this move.”
  4. New Restaurants – “Even though we’re only moving across town, we’ll be discovering new restaurants closer to our new home.”
  5. Decorating – “My wife’s creative energy needs an outlet and for the next three months, this it.”
  6. Fresh Bedding & Linens – “Moving is just the excuse we needed to get some.”
  7. Closet Space – “Our new house has tons of closet space!  Don’t know how we lived without it…”
  8. New Kitchen – “Love the granite counter tops and open design of this new kitchen.”
  9. Family Growth – “Now there’s room for the three (or four, five, six…) of us.”
  10. Closer – “…to the school…park…work…highway…family”

Feel free to let us know if we’ve missed your favorite aspect of moving your home.

July 4, 2010

Gratitude

It’s hard to appreciate something you’ve never had to go without.  If you’ve lived in the U.S.A. your whole life, then freedom is one of those things that’s easy to take for granted.  For children, July 4th may feel like a summer holiday that’s observed simply as an excuse for people to get together, barbecue, celebrate and watch fireworks – just for the sake of it.  As adults, we owe it to ourselves to remember how fortunate we truly are to be Americans and what it means to be American.

Our country’s founders were great men and women with the vision and courage to build a homeland where opportunity and freedom abound.  If they were alive today, they would have to be proud of how this country continues to emerge, steadfastly focused on the important words of the constitution and the principles set forth 234 years ago.  All Americans should be proud to participate in a country that works so hard to preserve the rights of each and every citizen.  Though many of us are fortunate to have never known life to be any other way, we must never take for granted how truly special it is to live in the United States of America.

Our company, America’s Moving Services, has the privilege of relocating Americans all over this beautiful nation.  We move people into the homes that they’ve always dreamed of owning.  We move thriving businesses into larger quarters to accommodate their growing staff.  We move members of our brave military, being reassigned, so that they are where they need to be in order to keep our nation safe.  And, we move students, educators and administrators, attending some of the finest educational institutions the world has to offer. 

We take great pride in being American and being America’s Moving Services.  We wish all of our customers and their friends & families a joyous July 4th holiday!

June 15, 2010

World Cup Soccer

If you read our blog posts, you may notice that we make a fair number of references to sports.  Sometimes it’s a metaphorical comparison – “being America’s best moving company takes athletic level focus and effort” – and other times, it’s about how sports fans see the calendar year differently in terms of seasons…sports seasons.  And sometimes, we blog about how being a sports fan is just plain fun.  This is one of those times.

To be honest, most of us at America’s Moving Services are traditional basketball, football, baseball, hockey and racing fans.  But, every four years, for one month…we are soccer fans.  While it’s hard to believe that we can turn on our soccer interest as infrequently as we do – and still be considered serious fans – it’s just the plain truth. 

As much as we love sports in America, there’s one element this tournament has that domestic competition lacks…worldwide competition.  A whole month of Olympic style competition focused on a singular sport!  It makes you think twice about a couple baseball teams from separate U.S. cities playing each other every October in the “World Series.”

We have to give FIFA props!  The idea of watching Japan versus Cameroon, followed by Italy playing Paraguay, as part of the same tournament is mind-blowing.  It’s worth making the adjustment in terms of limited offensive production and the allowance of a tie as an outcome of a match.

As Americans, we have to ask ourselves, “Are we missing something…that we have limited interest in a sport that captivates pretty much every other nation worldwide?”  As a nation comprised almost entirely of people with family trees that took seed in a foreign land, it’s interesting to see firsthand how passionate many of our neighbors are about soccer teams from their ancestral homelands (who knew?). 

Most of all, at America’s Moving Services, we are excited about World Cup Soccer because we believe in the U.S. team…and we relish competing in worldwide competition as an underdog.  Whatever the outcome, we’ll gladly take an extra dose of competitive diversion to help us temporarily decompress from the pressure we put on ourselves to be the world’s best moving company.

May 23, 2010

A Good Cause

“Life isn’t always fair.”  These are the words that ran through Howard’s mind after he hung up from speaking with a woman who called to ask for help.  The woman is a single mother with two teen-age girls, who was struck by a hit and run driver as she waited to cross the street in a suburb of Atlanta, GA.   At the time of the accident, she was visiting (from her home in Ohio) and was excited about a new opportunity being presented to her – to have her own cooking show on the Food Network.

Four months later, partially crippled from the accident, she’s looking to move on with her life and is looking for any help she can get, as the accident has left her unable to perform her trade as an accomplished chef.

When Ms. Moore first received a returned call from Howard Snijders, president of America’s Moving Services, she was astonished that the president of the company was calling her back.  However, she was unenthused, as she felt reasonably sure that he was calling to tell her, “sorry” just like each of the other companies she called previously.  Sorry to hear about your problems and sorry that we can’t help you right now.  What she heard instead was, “no problem.”  After calling some of the biggest moving companies in the country and being turned down, Ms. Moore was astonished that America’s Moving Services was willing and able to help.

Mr. Snijders was saddened, but not entirely surprised, to hear that Ms. Moore was turned down by so many other companies, including some of our nation’s largest movers.  This is the moving industry’s busy season and it’s a tough time to take a truck out of rotation for your paying clients.  “That said, this was a no brainer for us,” says Mr. Snijders.  “This woman is so nice and has been through so much…I couldn’t imagine not helping.”

Ms. Moore’s relocation is scheduled for later this month and will be done free of charge, thanks not only to the management of America’s Moving Services, but also to the individual relocation team that has volunteered their time to help Ms. Moore and her family.  If you live in the area of Atlanta, GA and would also like to help Ms. Moore, please contact us at 1-877-708-6683.

May 7, 2010

On The Spot – Eric Witteborg

At America’s Moving Services, we take a great deal of pride in our people.  Today’s blog post is the first of its kind for us.  It’s our spotlight interview series, called “On the Spot.” If this post is popular, we’ll continue the series and we may even include this content as a permanent section of our website.  So, you are witnessing history in the making (Lucky you!).

Today, we’re interviewing Eric Witteborg, our National Relocation Director.  Eric, you are…On the Spot (cue to overly dramatic theme music)

Q 1 – Aside from America’s Moving Services, what’s the best job you’ve had and why?
Eric W. -
I played drums in a semi-successful rock band during & after college.  We toured throughout the country, recorded and released a couple of albums on our own.  It was a blast!  It was hard work (we were serious) and it didn’t really pay very well, but I had a great time doing it. 

Q2 – What is your proudest accomplishment?
Eric W. – That’s a tough one.  Over the last two years, I got married, bought a house and had a baby.  I’d say that hitting this “trifecta” is my proudest accomplishment.

Q3 – What is the best meal you’ve ever had?
Eric W. – I recently went to a Brazilian steakhouse, named Rioz and it was one of the most amazing dining experiences I’ve ever had.  The food was outstanding and the entire dining experience was memorable.

Q4 – Where have you been that you would most like to return to and why?
Eric W. – Charleston, SC.  It’s one of my favorite places to go for a quick day trip or even for a long weekend.  I love the history and architecture, and there is really no other place quite like it.

Q5 – What skills or interests do you possess that you think would surprise your co-workers?
Eric W. - I think anyone who meets me now would be surprised that I play drums and toured in a rock band.  I also played baseball, football, and wrestled during my high-school years, so I was pretty athletic. Sadly, that would probably surprise a few people these days as well!  (Eric laughs)

Filed under: On The Spot — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:33 am

April 19, 2010

Surprise!

“Nothing could be finer…than to be in Carolina…and receive a referral.”

In our service industry, there is no better compliment!

After all, who are our customers and housing industry associates referring us to?  Their friends, relatives and valued clients!  That’s why, at America’s Moving Services, referrals do more than fill us with pride, they make us work even harder.  A relocation referral is a compliment that brings with it some serious responsibility.

Just like a highly acclaimed theatre production, our moving service must live up to the high standards expected from customers referred to us from a trusted source.  At America’s Moving Services, this is how we’ve developed a top-notch reputation.  In addition to rating their unique relocation experience, referral customers report back to their friends, family members and associates, to compare notes and most often to express their gratitude for the great advice.

At America’s Moving Services, the fun doesn’t end when the move is complete.  We love reaching out to customers and housing industry contacts that refer us, thanking them for remembering us and frequently surprising them with a little something.  Most of the time, the referrals we received are from sources that have no idea that we have a referral programand that a check is on the way.

Amongst our customers and housing industry contacts, we’ve developed a reputation for doing a few things habitually − telling it straight (even during the sales process), working diligently and surprising people.  That last quality, surprising people, is one of our favorites.  Sometimes we surprise people by telling it to them straight, when they’re expecting a snow job.  Other times we surprise people by rewarding them for something they would have done anyway…like referring our service.  In either instance, we hope to put a smile on someone’s face, which always puts a smile on ours!

April 1, 2010

How is Moving Like Golf?

We know what you’re thinking, “Where could they possibly be going with this analogy?”  Comparing the skill of a golfer to that of a mover?  Moving difficulty compared to “par” on the golf course? A comparison of psychological strain for event participants?  No, no and no (good guesses though!).

At America’s Moving Services, the golf analogy that rings home to us is that of “competing against ourselves.”  Golfers will tell you, the toughest part of the game is satisfying one’s own expectation, more so than how their score compares to others in their foursome.  In our business, we’ve become quite confident that our customers will be satisfied, because they generally are.  We don’t measure our service levels against other moving companies – we measure success against our own standards.

Taking into consideration that every relocation is comprised of wholly unique parameters, we can still easily evaluate whether we did our job up to our own standards.  Our evaluation criteria include rating each move with regard to how well we:

  1. Anticipated & alleviated every customer concern that we could have?
  2. Estimated price?  (Preferably higher than or equal to actual price.  We love the look on a customer’s face when the price is lower than the estimate)
  3. Communicated all known customer needs with our relocation team?
  4. Employed strategies learned from previous similar moves?
  5. Created a customer experience that exceeded expectations?

Like a good game of golf, relocating is a serious and thoughtful undertaking.  Moving day is like tournament play…little room for error and no chance to drop a mulligan.

March 17, 2010

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You…

Happy St. Patty’s Day!  At America’s Moving Services, March 17th shows up each year at just the right time for a celebration.  Spring is in the air, the NCAA basketball tournament is ready to kick off, moving season is heating up, and it feels like the whole world is Irish for a day.  Having grown up in cold-weather states, mid-March also reminds us that we’ve made it through another winter in one piece, and the warm days of summer are right around the corner.

Perhaps this year, we are especially boisterous about the season.  After all, business-wise, the first quarter of last year was uneasy for most industries around the country, as economic uncertainty was at an all-time high.  Even the remainder of last year − as the economy vacillated, and being flat meant you were doing pretty well − the climate was less than rosy.

For America’s Moving Services, the last six months have been a terrific upturn!  While we like to credit our recent success as the result of our hard work, dedication and increased word-of-mouth customer referrals, we also feel encouraged that the country as a whole is doing better.  When our phones are humming, we know that more homes are once again being built, sold and rented.  We remain well aware that the U.S. is far from being out of the woods, economically speaking, but apparently everyone is working harder and we are making strides…together.

Today, we are reminded of an Irish saying that can be applied to our country’s current economic challenges, and it also speaks to the service we happily provide our customers every day − “The longest road out is the shortest road home.”

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