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Moving agents usually work with moving companies performing several duties and responsibilities. Some moving agents work independently, helping people and businesses find and hire the right moving companies.
Who are moving agents?
Moving agents are various moving experts working with moving companies or all alone to make the entire moving process smooth and stress-free. As soon as you hire a mover, they’ll assign a moving agent to help you with your relocation. Though, some moving agents work all alone and they connect people to different moving companies based on requests.
What Are Moving Agents Responsibilities?
When you’re relocating, chances are you’d work with at least one moving agent. The job of the moving agent would be to make your move easier. As expected, the agent will assist you with key logistics about your move and work as a liaison between you and the moving company you’ve hired.
While moving agents can help with any type of move, their services are mostly required during a long-distance move. But all moving agents are not the same and their services depend on your type of move.
Moving agents’ primary responsibilities are logistics, planning, and acting as a liaison officer between you and the moving company you hire. Moving agents’ responsibilities is to make your moving as stress-free as possible.
Types of Moving Agents And What They Specialize On
There are four major types of moving agents with various responsibilities. Here they are:
The Booking Agent
The booking agent is often the first moving agent you’ll have to do business with during a relocation. This agent could be someone working for the moving company you hire or a moving expert working independently.
The booking agent is responsible for telling you about all the moving services available, giving you an estimate of your moving costs as well as helping you with filling out all the pre-move documents.
This moving agent will work with you to agree on the date and time for your relocation. The booking agent is responsible for ensuring that your move works out as planned. The moving agent also assigns duties to the moving crew on the moving day. The booking agent is one of the most common types of moving agents.
The Origin Agent
The origin agent is responsible for planning how to pick up your household items from your home. But this responsibility is somewhat related to the duties of the Booking Agent and sometimes just one agent could handle both.
The origin agent will specifically plan and arrange the precise details of the key aspects of the move. He or she will work closely with you to discuss the moving costs and how payment should be made.
Also, the origin agent will prepare the bill of lading and other necessary documents. Even more, the origin agent is responsible for determining the time frames for packing, loading, shipping, unloading, and unpacking your household items.
If you intend to use a self-storage unit for some or all of your household items, the origin agent can help you plan for it at the point of origin.
In the event of any problem on a moving day, the origin agent can advise the booking agent as well as the moving company’s customer representative on how to settle the dispute amicably. The origin agent is an important type of moving agent.
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The Destination Agent
The destination agent is responsible for taking good care of your household items as they arrive at your new home. If you’re having a long-distance or an international move, the destination agent will be responsible for hiring moving labor to unload and unpack your household items.
Should you need storage units close to your new home, the destination agent can assist with making all the necessary arrangements. Even more, this agent is responsible for resolving any problem that may arise at your new home.
Once all your items are delivered, the destination agent would sign all necessary paperwork and close the move making them a crucial type of moving agent.
The Freight Agent
The freight agent will make sure all your household items are shipped across the sea and delivered in one piece.
The freight agent is responsible for the transporting of your household goods by ship. The core responsibility of a freight agent is to oversee and supervise the freight shipment.
This moving agent will collect relevant information about the freight and pick the best method for shipping it. The agent is also responsible for making all plans including the date and time for the freight pickup and delivery.
Also, the freight agent’s responsibilities include handling all custom documents, licenses, and all other required paperwork. Even more, the freight agent must track the progress of the shipment and give you updates accordingly.
The freight agent is responsible for collecting payment as soon as the shipment has been delivered making them a significant type of moving agent.
If you’re planning to relocate, we can connect you to licensed moving companies once you request for our free moving quotes. We’ll provide you up to six free quotes so you can compare movers carefully before hiring any.
You can also calculate your moving costs using our free Moving Costs Calculator tool to figure out the cost of your move.