What is a Moving Coordinator?

Once you officially book a professional moving company, your company should assign you with your moving coordinator, who is your main point of contact for your move.

You’ll probably encounter several moving professionals along the way, but your coordinator will be the primary person responsible for making sure your moving services are scheduled correctly and within your established delivery window. In other words, if you have any questions during your move, your coordinator will be the one to answer them.

It’s a good idea to understand which type of moving coordinator you will work with so you know what to expect before they even contact you. Here are the most common types of move coordinators you’ll run into:

A domestic relocation coordinator assists with moves within the contiguous United States (excluding Hawaii and Alaska). So whether you hire professional movers to move you a couple of miles or across the country, your movers should assign you with a domestic relocation coordinator.

An international relocation coordinator can do all the same things a domestic relocation coordinator can do, but also make sure you’ve got the right documentation for customs clearance during an international relocation. Additionally, they’ll ensure that the movers have properly packed and loaded your belongings for seamless export and entry into a new country while regularly communicating with international agents to make sure your things get delivered safely.

Corporate relocation coordinators are often assigned to large business accounts to handle employee relocation packages. These professionals are well-versed in employee relocation contracts and work directly with corporate HR staff to finance employee moves and provide the employee with white-glove customer service.

Moving with the military comes with its own rules and regulations. A military relocation coordinator  works to organize moving services for active service members whenever the government contracts a professional moving company. And because military moves can be both domestic and international, the coordinator will be knowledgeable of both processes.

A moving coordinator is your main point of contact throughout your move from start to finish and should be able to promptly answer any of your moving questions. Additionally, here are a few things we think you can reasonably expect from your moving coordinator:

• Almost immediate contact. Your moving coordinator should reach out to you as soon as your move is confirmed, either by phone or email (sometimes both).
• Confirmation of your inventory. By the time your coordinator contacts you, you should have already had an in-home survey. Your coordinator will go over this again with you to make sure nothing is missing.
• Scheduling of specialized services. If your move requires a shuttle truck, a parking permit, or even crating for high-value or oversized items, your coordinator will be the one to schedule them.
• Consistent communication throughout the move. Your moving coordinator should constantly communicate with you—contacting you the day before your move to confirm crew arrival on move day, providing check-in calls the day of, and confirming delivery ETAs when available.
• A post-move check-in. Once the movers have delivered everything, your moving coordinator should contact you one last time to get your feedback. They’ll also be able to provide you with the information for filing a claim for lost or damaged items, which sometimes happens.

While moving coordinators are the main professionals you’ll be talking to throughout your move, there are still a few things you should know:

• Moving coordinators are not on call. They work regular business hours, which means they aren’t generally available early mornings, late evenings, or on weekends. So make sure you get your questions answered during business hours—especially if you’ve got a move scheduled over the weekend.
• Moving coordinators are not present on move day. In general, most coordinators work exclusively from an office and will not be present on move day. So unless you’ve got an employee-paid move, you likely won’t meet your coordinator unless you go into the office.
• Moving coordinators cannot resolve damage claims. Even though the coordinator is your main point of contact during the move, they must send all damages and lost item concerns to their official claims department (each moving company has one) after delivery. Once they file the claim, your moving coordinator won’t be able to do much else.

A moving coordinator is one of the most important professionals you’ll work with when you hire professional movers. As your moving expert, your coordinator will be the one to answer all your questions, provide timeline ETAs, and make sure you feel supported from start to finish.

Still researching professional moving? Here are a few more topics to consider:

• How to Hire a Mover
• What Goes into a Moving Estimate?
• How to Pay for Your Move
• Your Moving Delivery Day Checklist
• How Much Should You Tip Your Movers?