I started my current business, One Bite Technology, about 4 years ago by repairing and flipping broken MacBooks found on the local buy and sell. It quickly turned into a full-fledge sales and repair business, with a need to track inventory and sales using some sort of repair shop software. At the time, RepairDesk and RepairShopr were two available options that were recommended.
When I was invited to consider RepairShopr, I was drawn to the fact that they offered a free account at the time. This seemed good! So I signed up and started using it.
I was just starting out as a hobby business and didn’t need to process more than the 25 free tickets/invoices provided in the free account. Growing and scaling a professional business did not seem like an immediate concern.
My Journey With RepairShopr
RepairShopr was simple and fairly basic. It was a good solution for starting off slow or the home-based repair tech with high volume sales. So, I used it for about three years.
In late 2020, I started planning to transition out of my home-based business to a storefront. Unfortunately, the Point-of-Sale module in RepairShopr was appalling at the time (unsure if they have updated it).
This was also when my full-time employment outside of my repair business was sales and account management for a software reseller (specializing in retail point-of-sale solutions). So you could say that I definitely was aware there was better software available for other industries.
What was I missing out in the repair shop industry regarding inventory management and point-of-sale repair shop software?
I knew I would need something that offered more as my business grew, so it was then that I decided to take another look at RepairDesk. As mentioned earlier, I had joined initially RepairShopr for the limited, yet free invoices and tickets. That got me going for the first several months while I was starting out. But now it was time to put on the big game gear and get my business some real deal of a solution.
Here’s a visual comparison of Repairhopr and RepairDesk.
RepairDesk – A Simple And Easy Solution For Repair Businesses
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Right away, I could tell RepairDesk is more robust repair shop software in its options and customization. Moreover, I could picture fitting right into a professional retail storefront because of its modern user interface.
The more I dug into it, the more I was impressed with the ability to customize, get advanced functions, handy integrations, and expandability as my business grows, both in locations and staffing.
When I go over this review, keep in mind I’m not going over every single feature and function of RepairDesk. Instead, what I’ve written out in my review are specific perks and comparisons I’ve noticed directly against RepairShopr. In addition, it includes my own workflows in my business which deals specifically in Apple product repair and trade-ins of Apple products like MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads.
Features That Make RepairDesk Stand Out
Let’s talk about some general functionalities of RepairDesk that don’t sit in any of the other areas I’m going to talk about that I’ve noticed that stand out against RepairShopr.
1. Internal Wiki
The wiki is accessible from any place in RepairDesk from a popup at the bottom. (RepairShopr has a wiki as well, but you have to navigate through the settings to the “Internal Documentation” page to access it)
2. Employee Clock In/ Clock Out, With Payroll Timesheet
With easy access from the settings menu, employees can clock in and out for shifts and breaks. And the report is available for the owner/payroll admin.
3. Solid Referral program
Once you’re on team RepairDesk, it’s hard not to share the love!
You can refer other shops to RepairDesk through the “Tell a Friend” link in the settings. Send them an invite or share your referral link. The exact page shows the status of your referral.
4. Customer Loyalty Program
The RepairDesk loyalty program is pretty great. Customers earn points on purchases/repairs. In addition, you can set up a customer referral bonus, both customizable to the value of your choosing.
5. Gift Cards
Offer gift cards to your customers. Not always something we use a lot of in a repair shop, but nice to have.
6. Support & Bug Reports
I can’t say enough about RepairDesk support. RepairShopr had email support and a decent user guide. Still, it was usually 24+ hours to get a reply to an email inquiry.
With RepairDesk, there is a big “Need Help?” button at the top. This button brings up options for Live Chat, Phone, Email, or Bug Report. The live chat support has always had an immediate response in my experience, even outside of the listed hours.
Github for reporting bugs. Anything I wrote so far was resolved between 24-72 hours.
Amazing!
7. Improvements With Input From Their Customers
I mentioned in the intro that I have worked with several Retail specific POS software developers in a previous career. But, unfortunately, none of these software companies ever seemed to consider any input from their customers.
There was no communication unless by tech support, and certainly, no timely updates/bug fixes. However, RepairDesk has an incredible team of enthusiastic people. Their customer support team takes the time to reach out, and listen to our (myself and other customers) feedback on problems and requested features. And their team is always there in case of issues or questions.
Hands down the best support from a software company I’ve ever experienced.
Reasons That Made Me Shift To RepairDesk
The initial “area” of RepairShopr I knew wouldn’t make it in a busy shop was the POS, and this is the thing that caused me to look at what RepairDesk had to offer.
1. Intuitive And Professional
The Point of Sale is the most crucial area in any inventory management and repair shop software. It is the primary point of focus for your staff when a customer is standing at the counter.
It needs to be clean, easy to use, and grant quick access to whatever you are trying to do. Whether this is selling an accessory, checking in a repair, setting up a warranty fix, or looking up an old invoice to print for a customer, RepairDesk nails it.
2. Layout & Function
RepairDesk POS covers every core function I could compare to the “Retail” specific POS solutions I had worked with previously. Thus, it outperforms the big AAA monster solution that runs tens of thousands to purchase.
3. Search Customers
It lets users search customers by invoice/ticket by name, phone, email, etc. It searches the customer database by whichever info you type and drops down a list of potentials you will select from
4. You Can Hold & Resume A Invoice
You can create an invoice or a repair ticket from the POS. If you take advantage of the “Self Check-in,” resume it from the POS to quickly finish up with the customer.
5. Scan Barcodes
You can scan barcodes to add items or navigate through the menus (which include pictures (awesome!)
6. Real-Time Inventory View
You can see on-hand inventory when adding an item. You can add notes to an item on the invoice. And you can discount a line item by amount or percentage and indicate the reason.
7. Cash Calculations
Upon checkout, it has built-in denominations for cash payment (Click $20 & $5 if the customer hands you a 20 bill and a 5 bill). This is great to avoid needing a calculator handy and making mistakes with cash.
After checkout is complete, a popup appears with options to email an invoice or request a review (and more).
8. Easy Refunds
The refund process is excellent. View the list of invoices (you can filter/search for the right one), and click the “Refund” button to begin the process.
