Common Repair Shop Pitfalls and How to Take Control of Them

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February 23, 2022[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Common Repair Shop Pitfalls and How to Take Control of Them” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%230091cd” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator align=”align_left” el_width=”10″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Owners and operators of repair shops are in a unique place. Many are faced with navigating the murky waters of multiple industries. Among those, electronics repairs and tech support companies are wedged between the highest touch industries: professional services and retail.

So, when there is an issue common to retail services—like supply chain turmoil—it’s going to affect the repair shop sector. Or, when there are employee shortages, it will affect their ability to serve the customer with timely repairs.

The following blog post covers pitfalls common to repair shops and the solutions you can implement to get control of them.

Slow Wait Times for Customers

One of the most common customer complaints across professional services and retail industries: wait times. According to Zendesk, about 60% of customers believe long wait times and holds are the most irritating of customer experiences.

There are typically a few factors at play, here.

#1 Complex Internal Processing

One of the factors is a matter of internal processing. That includes repair shop employees clicking around multiple programs to check on inventory statuses, create orders, and ensure the proper warranty benefits are in place. Complex processing = long wait times for customers who are simply trying to drop off a product for repair.

The Solution:

Unified software for repair companies that supports every stage of the process, rather than different programs serving multiple purposes and complicating operations.

#2 Outdated Point of Sale Portals

The other factor is related to the point of purchase (or point of sale) step. Malfunction in the point of purchase step is a fast way to frustrate a customer with long lines. That goes for the technical and the interpersonal interactions.

The Solution:

Easy-to-use applications that provide relevant insight into customers’ repair ticket information.

Inaccurate Inventory Records

It sounds simple enough: keep track of your inventory, and you can provide accurate timeframes and pricing for the customer. But this simple measure is easily made complicated by faulty programming and operator error.

In this day and age when retail (especially electronics) companies are vying for a chance at new device parts, keeping stock of what you’ve got in the back room is of utmost importance.

The Solution:

A comprehensive inventory system that helps you manage stock and purchase orders while providing accurate visibility into SKUs for tracking.

Creating Work for the Customer

As you hope to retain long-term customers, one of the worst things you can do is create work for them where it isn’t necessary. Forbes contributor Dan Gingiss had this to say about the customer experience, “…today’s customers are more connected and have access to more information than any other generation of customers in history, but they still can’t read minds (at least not yet). So why do many companies create situations where customers need to figure things out for themselves?”

Gingiss goes on to provide his experience as a customer of a service provider and illustrate the unnecessary steps he had to take to simply have a positive experience.

Repair service providers, in their unique position, should see the customer experience as an opportunity to gain trust with a proactive approach. The best way to do that is through the digital support of competent software and systems.

The Solution:

Provide easier access to product repair ticket statuses through an intuitive customer portal, automated emails for updates, and internal tracking queues.

In other words, once repair professionals have the support to accurately track repair statuses and remove administrative obstacles, they’re in a better position to anticipate customer needs.

RepairQ – Digital Solutions for the Repair Service Industry

From up-to-date inventory management to easy, customer-facing portals, RepairQ provides digital solutions for a spectrum of repair service pain points. Not only that, but we also have a vast network of repair service partners whose needs are always evolving.

What does that mean for your service? You can count on our software to evolve with the industry. Give us a call to learn more, or start an inquiry today.