Repair shops the world over organize around a central operation:
The tracking – or pegging – of broken devices to their depositing owners (shop customers).
These ‘tethers’ enforce accountability. Exemplified by shop tickets, they reveal a retinue of (additional) important information. Things like:
- Technician Name
- Hours Worked
- Equipment/Parts Used (Types/Quantities)
- Turnover Period (Tentative/Actual)
- Date & Time of Submission
- ETA/Time of Delivery-Pickup
Modern-day repair shop software tends to top these basics with more strings. The aim of the enterprise, of course, is to enable business systematization. Bridge any sales gaps that may impede. Make the repair process more efficient – more transparent – from start to finish.Â
Ticketing Software: The Organizing Edifice for Repair Shops
In this (functional) sense, perhaps no repair shop facility beats having a solid ticketing utility. Responsible for generating tickets vis-a-vis repair submissions, these applications are a staple of the scene.
The best ticket-issuing applications are eclectic. Because in addition to their basic function, they are merchant-value-adding. Their immediate facade, of course, is geared toward ticketing. But the corollary software features include a host of other things. Added utility issues such as:
- Point of Sales (POS) integration
- HR/Employees Appraisal Module
- Inventory Check Interface
- Marketing/Outreach Enablers
- Customer Service/Retention Management
Among other all-in-one conveniences.
What’s More (or Less?): You can subscribe to individual repair ticket management utilities at a lesser price point.
One more thing that’s important for field unaffiliates to understand:
Modern-day repair applications come in software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription frameworks. These are typically meant for B2B arrangements; although they can be used in low-key B2C settings.
When considered in any depth, these utilities – in the final analysis – are meant to facilitate good customer service.
Repair clients, more so than any other consumer demographic, don’t want to put up with service lags. Further, they can’t bear any workflow disorganization that is seen to impact their submissions.
Before the advent of formal ticketing, repair worker errors were a business bane to put up with. Proper, serialized tags, the mainstay of present-day workflows, have largely done away with this concern.
Repair tickets also make the fix process both predictable and accountable. The business is held to task for completing the repair work within the period committed. At the same time, customers (depositors) can pick up their submissions at a stipulated time. Repair delays, further, can come with the risk of having to provide full or partial refunds (one of the many mistakes that repair shop sales reps are constantly warned from making).
More Ticketing Detail Corresponds with a Better Client Experience
Which, in turn, though not in mathematic proportionality, pairs neatly with higher sales.
Some repair utilities make good on this front. Their default orientation yields tickets with a lot of ‘inscriptional load’. Think all the pointers listed in the first bullets list above, plus:
- Tracking Codes – To enable real-time repair status checks
- Tech/Client Messaging Channel – Important for communicating any service changes/submissions-specific input
- Discount Offers – Based on Customer Loyalty Points or Compensation for Service Delays
This list, obviously, can be endless – which may not altogether be a good thing. You don’t want to bombard your customers with a lot of extraneous info; only the most relevant concerns.
More-than-asked-for repair particulars, however, do clarify and extend the clients’ vantage. It makes them more comfortable from the professionalism-delivered standpoint.
Based on my field interactions, many repair vets have confirmed this observation. They generally seem to link detailed information provision with greater client retention. And it is a well-understood truth in business circles that repeat customers make for better ROI prospects than newcomers.
Ticketing Applications Provide Universal Repairs Appeal
We’ve already pretty much established that proper ticketing is essential for every repair outfit. So, in principle, a paid or free subscription of this sort would probably be the first thing for business owners to consider. If this recourse is not an option, repair techs may need to resort to the manual recording approach.
In either case, clear repair order tracking is the priority.
Even in the simplest business models (devoid, even, of point of sales software use), its implementation and follow-up are imperative.
Amped Sales Require a Holistic Trade
Repair tickets on their own only provide so much sales leverage, however. They require a complete customer-centered experience around them to lure big and sustained currency sums. This means that you can’t do much with the words (commitments) printed or scribbled on the ticket.
As a repair business, you need to deliver on the letters. Doing so, as can be expected, is crucial to your service integrity. The consumer psyche, in large part, is very unforgiving. And so you want to minimize, and ideally check, all instances of a service lapse that may irk it!
Repair – & Its Associated Utilities – Have Come Of Age
Nowadays, the repair field, especially with cell phone and computer repair, is dealing with unprecedented saturation. On the back of a wealth of free, online resources/tutorials, people from all walks of life are adopting the trade in droves.
The learning curve associated with repair field immersion, as such, is relatively low. Its prerequisites call for basic computing and technical know-how. Individuals hailing from hardware engineering backgrounds, a sizeable population bunch, fare very well in the domain. Others can catch on fast and start earning. I know of many people who have taken on the work for passive (side) income generation.
Repair finesse, however, is a function of hands-on experience. This is because there are many things, pertaining to the work, that cannot be learned from articles and videos. These trade nitties need to be handled personally. After a certain season of work internment, repair techs eventually build their own fix methods. Their approach of ‘going in’, at this stage, can differ substantially from their industry peers – rendering their unique trademark.
RepairDesk, being a longstanding pioneer in the repair management software field, considers powerful ticketing integration as part of its core subscription framework. And our clients, as evidenced by the myriad of testimonials published in many places on this site, wholeheartedly endorse the inclusion.
Many, in fact, consider the solid ticketing provision as a central consideration for going with the utility.
Want to see our ticketing software in action?
Sign up for your free trial account today 🤓 – and become our latest claim-confirmee (with your name and review inserted in an upcoming piece by yours truly! 💃).
