A Tulsa-based software company, RepairQ, is merging with ServiceCentral Technologies to improve the quality of life for small business owners around the globe.

Traditional brick-and-mortar retail is evolving every day and small, local businesses are  painfully realizing that it’s time to adapt or slowly slip into obscurity. RepairQ and ServiceCentral have banded together to make that overwhelming concept a bit less daunting by equipping retailers, who see the potential of device repair, with the tools and resources to connect big brands with local consumers.

Local brick-and-mortar retailers suffer year over year in an ever-changing market where the customers’ focal point is no longer the product, but rather the service experience. However, one industry that isn’t floundering is the device repair industry. Why is that? A study shown by SquareTrade explains that one in three smartphones will either encounter repairable hardware issues or become damaged over the period of their usage. That, paired with the increased cost of consumer electronics over the past five years, encourages consumers to hold onto their devices for longer periods of time, which in turn positively affects repair industry growth. Even Dish Network has started to branch out from its traditional satellite installation offerings by offering a delivery-based device repair service.

The cell phone repair industry is booming, with an estimated 4 billion in revenue last year and an expected three percent increase by the end of this year. The merge between RepairQ and ServiceCentral is embracing and harnessing that growth to help OEMs, like Apple and Samsung, connect with more local, authorized repair companies. If fact, Apple has recently announced they are expanding the availability of it’s “Horizon” machine to more authorized repair centers. Not only does this help the brick-and-mortars with their supply chain network, but it also supports the end user by providing a cost-friendly and convenient alternative to OEM specific retailers, like the Apple store. According to an article in the Economist, “Authorized dealers are often far-flung, much more expensive than independent ones and often cannot fix a problem.”

“Authorized dealers are often far-flung, much more expensive than independent ones and often cannot fix a problem.” 

RepairQ and ServiceCentral’s partnership is focused on alleviating those issues for both customers and the local brick-and-mortars servicing them. Every two seconds, somewhere in the world, a smartphone breaks, cracks, or malfunctions. iPhone users alone have spent 14 BILLION dollars repairing their devices over the past ten years – and that’s ignoring the opportunity cost of travel, time, and energy! Our goal is to influence the market by enabling any level of business in the retail space to compete with the “big guys”.

This merger enables shops to simplify their processes required to offer repair services and their ability to serve consumers more quickly with OEM services, saving them (and their customers) time, effort, and money. For the many manufacturers of consumer electronics, this access to local retailers is unprecedented and brings proximity to end users like never before.

“For the many manufacturers of consumer electronics, this access to local retailers is unprecedented and brings proximity to end users like never before.”

As the repair industry continues to grow and the world’s reliance on consumer electronics deepens– people will need access to high skilled repair services and the original manufacturers will want more control over how their devices are repaired. As recent history has shown, the retailers who see the writing on the wall and make the moves to adapt to an evolving industry are the ones who will be left to serve the needs of the consumer.