What’s the difference between corporate movers and a usual household goods moving company?
When an employee moves for work, there are several parties involved. Understanding the role of each company can be confusing. This article explains the characteristics and value of a corporate mover, a traditional moving company, and a corporate relocation company.
If you are an employee moving for work or an employer planning a corporate relocation, we explain which companies you should work with at each stage of mobility.
What is Corporate Moving?
Corporate moving refers to a moving company’s services specialized for corporate relocations. Moving companies gear corporate moving towards the needs of employees relocating for job assignments, their employers, and the relocation company managing and paying for the move.
Unlike traditional moving services, movers tailor corporate moving services to align with company relocation policies and budget constraints while ensuring a good employee experience. The corporate mover may also be working with the relocation management company or employer, not just the relocating family.
Types of Corporate Moving and Relocation Companies
Understanding the different players in the corporate relocation ecosystem is key. Here’s how moving companies, corporate movers, and corporate relocation moving companies compare:
What is a Moving Company?
A standard asset-based moving company owns its own trucks and employs movers who handle packing, loading, and transporting household goods. These businesses may operate locally, across states, or internationally. Most work directly with residential customers and may or may not offer corporate moving services.
Because quality can vary widely, it’s essential to vet moving companies by reviewing licensing, credentials, and customer reviews, especially on resources like ProtectYourMove.gov.
Standard movers may lack the experience or infrastructure to manage the specific needs of a corporate relocation, especially if policy compliance, speed, and communication with multiple stakeholders are involved.
What is a Corporate Mover?
Corporate movers are also moving companies, but one that specializes in employee relocations driven by job transfers or recruitment.
Employers or relocation management companies (RMCs) frequently contract corporate movers to provide services for employees. However, movers can also work directly with employees who receive a lump sum relocation benefit.
Corporate movers adhere to rigorous service standards and often operate interstate and internationally. They train their staff to understand corporate expectations, documentation needs, and service consistency.
What is a Corporate Relocation Company?
A corporate relocation company, or RMC, isn’t a mover with trucks and drivers. Instead, it’s a full-service management firm overseeing every aspect of an employee’s move: from housing and immigration to moving and tax services. Moving household goods is just one aspect of what a corporate relocation company manages.
RMCs assign vetted corporate movers to transport the employees’ household goods, which is just one component of a much broader relocation strategy.
A corporate relocation company’s purpose is to simplify corporate mobility for employers while offering a consistent and supportive experience to transferring employees. In essence, RMCs are strategic partners that provide visibility, control, and scalability to talent mobility programs.
Why Employers Hire Relocation Management Companies Instead of Corporate Moving Companies
While some employers contract corporate movers directly, most partner with relocation management companies to oversee employee moves. This approach offers comprehensive support for relocating employees and strategic advantages.
Corporate Moving Service Area
Many corporate movers are only located in one or a few regions. This regional focus can limit options for employers with national or global operations. In contrast, RMCs tap into a vast network of corporate movers across the globe, allowing them to match each move with the best provider based on origin and destination.
This flexibility ensures employees receive consistently high service levels, regardless of where they’re relocating.
Additional Relocation Services
Moving is only one piece of the relocation puzzle. Employers must also manage relocation services like home sale, corporate housing, visa processing, and destination services. RMCs handle all these elements under one umbrella, streamlining coordination and eliminating the burden of managing multiple vendors.
This integrated approach to corporate relocation reduces complexity, enhances the employee experience, and keeps the entire process on schedule. It also allows for faster issue resolution when relocation services intersect, such as when an international corporate moving shipment must align with temporary housing availability.
Outsource Relocation Management
Relocation programs require a significant investment of time and resources from human resources. By outsourcing to an RMC, HR teams can focus on strategic workforce planning instead of corporate move logistics.
RMCs bring expert knowledge, established vendor relationships, and proven systems to manage everything from policy compliance to exception handling. They are experts in finding and managing the best corporate moving vendors, which ensures accountability and transparency throughout each relocation.
Differences Between Corporate Moving Companies vs. Standard Moving Companies
Corporate moving companies’ expertise, structure, and processes set them apart from standard movers.
Advises Best Corporate Moving Services
Corporate movers do more than move boxes. They also help employees optimize their relocation packages. They can identify which employees can utilize moving services such as full-service packing, custom crating, furniture disassembly, and appliance disconnects.
Corporate moving companies guide employees on maximizing convenience or staying under budget, based on their relocation benefit structure. This consultative approach leads to better decisions and outcomes.
For example, a corporate mover may advise an employee if their estimated shipment weight exceeds their employer’s relocation package allowance. This gives the relocation management company an opportunity to request an exception from the employer, or gives the employee time to reduce their belongings before the move. These insights save time, money, and stress.
Works With Shipper, Relocation Management Company, & Employer
Corporate movers serve a unique triangle of stakeholders: the relocating employee, the employer, and often the RMC. Balancing these relationships requires excellent communication skills and coordination.
They maintain open channels with all parties, ensuring transparency, resolving issues proactively, and keeping everyone informed throughout the process.
Provides Relocation Data and Documentation
Accurate documentation is essential in corporate relocation. Corporate movers are adept at providing detailed inventories, estimates, condition reports, shipment statuses, and invoicing.
Corporate movers must know how to use RMC platforms to upload reports, track shipments, and share real-time updates. This technology-enabled visibility helps employers forecast costs, monitor quality, and comply with policy.
Corporate move data also supports post-move auditing and reimbursement processes, making life easier for employees, payroll, and finance teams.
Stays Within Relocation Policy
Corporate movers are deeply familiar with relocation policy requirements. They know which services are covered, what documentation is needed, and how to avoid exceeding budget caps.
Corporate relocation policy alignment helps prevent surprise costs and keeps the move consistent with expectations. This is essential for compliance, cost control, and employee satisfaction.
Coordinate with Other Corporate Relocation Services
A move rarely happens in isolation. Corporate movers coordinate with the other relocation services in progress, such as real estate, corporate housing, transportation, and immigration.
This orchestration is critical in international moves, where delays in one area, like visas or temporary housing, can cascade into changes for the corporate move.
Certified Relocation Professionals
Many corporate movers hold the Certified Relocation Professionals (CRP®) credential. This respected industry certification reflects in-depth knowledge of mobility best practices.
CRPs are active in industry organizations like Worldwide ERC, which ensures they stay current on trends, legal requirements, and relocation service innovations.
Working with a CRP-certified corporate mover gives companies added confidence that their provider understands not just the logistics, but the entire lifecycle of the employee relocation process.
Interstate Corporate Moving and Global Mobility Network
Corporate movers often belong to large van lines or international networks well-versed in corporate relocations. These affiliations allow corporate movers to maintain service standards across long distances and borders.
Whether your move is domestic or global, these corporate moving networks ensure consistency and reliability from origin to destination.
Prioritized Quality Corporate Moving Service
RMCs and employers thoroughly vet corporate movers. For high-level or repeat relocations, service quality is paramount.
Top movers understand that their performance affects the employee experience and the employer relationship. A single poor experience could jeopardize future contracts for a corporate mover, so they always prioritize quality and responsiveness.
This commitment often translates into shorter response times, better-trained crews, and more accountability in corporate moving services, which is necessary for critical talent moves.
How Hiring Corporate Movers Works
Hiring Corporate Movers via a Relocation Management Company or Employer
If your employer partners with an RMC, that company selects the best corporate movers for your relocation. Relocation management companies base their choice on factors like move complexity, destination, policy allowances, and special requirements.
Once assigned, the corporate mover contacts you directly to gather inventory details, timelines, and needs. This data helps them create estimates and coordinate logistics. Communication is ongoing via phone, email, or digital platforms.
Importantly, the employee is not responsible for payment. Instead, the corporate relocation management company manages the billing.
Using Employer-Provided Lump Sum or Reimbursement to Hire Corporate Movers
The employee will hire the corporate mover directly if they’re using a lump sum or reimbursement benefit. Lump sum relocation gives employees more responsibility, but also more control.
Employees hiring their own mover should ensure the moving company understands the benefit type, budget limits, and required documentation. Reputable corporate movers are used to these arrangements and can provide formal receipts and reports to help you get reimbursed. Many will even offer direct billing to your employer if permitted.
Why You Should Hire a Corporate Moving Company
Whether you’re the one moving or managing the move, working with a corporate moving company can significantly improve the outcome of a relocation.
Corporate movers reduce stress and increase efficiency for employees. They understand the nuances of relocation benefits and policy rules, helping employees avoid surprises and stay focused on their new role, not the logistics.
For employers, corporate movers offer policy compliance, cost containment, and consistent service delivery. When paired with an RMC, they create a structured, scalable relocation experience that boosts employee satisfaction and speeds up onboarding.
If you’re being relocated, or managing moves for your team, make sure you work with specialized corporate movers. The right partner can turn a disruptive transition into a streamlined success.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your corporate move from start to finish.