Being a small business owner, especially a repair store, ensures that your list is always full of jobs that need to be done. The task roster is constantly in motion from managing, maintaining, and monitoring. Not to mention, if your repair shop is growing steadily and preferably, there is an increasing number of repairs to deal with. Although the effort may be rewarding, it can sometimes feel like a pile-on. And that can even lead to some critical mistakes due to the growing workload and the lack of automation. The daily ordeal of managing employees, inventory, tickets, client communication, accounting, sales reports, commissions, and all the other things can be too much to handle sometimes.
And there isn’t enough time in the day, the week, or the month for you and your employees to get through everything efficiently without a bit of help. This is why you need a repair shop POS software that works for you, just the way you need it.
A good POS system for your repair store should be able to manage all of the above, along with creating, printing, and sending invoices. Truth be told, picking the best one could get tricky. (If you find yourself in such a pickle, use our guide on the criteria you should evaluate your POS selection on)
But here are a few main things that should be present even in the most basic of POS software that you consider for your repair business;
Repair Tickets and Tracking
The most basic yet vital of all functions of a POS system is creating and tracking repair tickets. This process should be completed with as much authenticity as possible, with minimum errors, which is something automation can aid in. This would improve your business’s workflow, services, and trustworthiness.
Pricing Management for Repair
Having to create quotes and estimates manually each time a device is brought in for repair can leave you subject to multiple errors. It can also add unnecessary workload and stress for your employees. This is why getting a cell phone repair shop software that acts as a pricing and payment processor is essential. When the repair job is entered into the system with the appropriate associated parts, the price will be automatically generated on your POS. Once the device is fixed, the payment can also be received through it. At least in the ideal scenario, technicians shouldn’t have to waste their time copy information for clients.
Correspondence Association at Ticketing
Sometimes a mere ticket can’t tell you everything about the quirks of each device that enters your repair store. The best source of information is the owner of the phone. A good POS software for your repair store should allow you to associate comments with tickets while you are checking a device in. The added comments made by the client would make it easier to handle the cell phone with the care it needs.
Inventory Management for Repair Stores
An intuitive way to track your inventory is imperative to the smooth functioning of your repair store. Keeping tabs on the number of available parts and accessories and running out of stock can significantly decrease your store’s downtime. This allows you to order the required items before you run out of them. The automation of the process can make this a straightforward task, especially if your POS system provides alerts for low stock. We’ve got a whole list summarizing the benefits for you.
Report Generation for Performance
Even if your business is still on the smaller side, if it isn’t a one-person show, you’ll need automated systems to keep track of your repair store’s daily performance. End-of-day reports to track your progress and compare it to the overall target to ensure your store is on the right track.
Repair Employee Management
Assigning shifts and repair jobs through an automated system can ensure that your daily operations run smoothly. It allows you to adjust shift timings so that they do not overlap or leave any empty slots. This will streamline the workflow efficiently by reducing any downtime caused by mismanagement. And to help you take your repair shop employee management to the next level, perhaps our employee management guide could come in handy.
Digital Checklists for Repair Jobs
A good POS system for repair shops would allow you to make checklists as you create a ticket for the repair job. The lists would enable you to document the device’s conditions and ensure you have all the necessary permissions from the client on paper to avoid any liabilities. This also helps your employees keep everything organized. They no longer have to worry about missing any details because the POS system has it all compiled compactly.
Cloud-based POS for Repair Stores
The truth is that cloud-based solutions are not just the future but also the present. Having cloud-based POS software for repair shops allows you to back up all your data online. So, any system failure does not leave you open to data loss. The flexibility this would afford you can also allow you to integrate other applications into your POS. You can forget the hassle of updating every application separately or dealing with the liability of losing client information.
The Truth Is…
You could have all this information imprinted on your brain, but the truth is that knowledge is not enough. You would have to dive deep into the internet’s depths to ensure that you aren’t just draining your money with the POS system you’ve chosen for your store. Although a noble cause, it is a tedious one. We understand why you must be putting it off, but no more!
Even if you know all this and more about picking the best POS system and what it should have, you would still need to search, investigate, and compare to know which one would work for you. And we understand that can be a hassle and a half. This is why we have reduced your workload further by making a list of the top four cell phone repair shop POS for you to choose from. Learn about their best features and their most significant pitfalls and decide for yourself which one works best for your repair store. The top four include RepairShopr, RepairQ, Square POS, and RepairDesk. And what they offer varies widely, so you can benefit from knowing what works for your cell phone repair store.
RepairShopr
RepairShopr claims to be the all-in-one repair shop software that promises the ability to serve all genres of repair stores. Whether you run a one-person show or a whole franchise, it has the tools to serve you well. Don’t believe their assertions? Well, you’re in luck! They offer a free trial of 30 days for you to check the cell phone repair store POS category of it for yourself. This ticketing system was explicitly designed to cater to mail-in depots.
Pros:
And best of all, it has a wide array of benefits it offers your repair store.
- Free 30-Day Trail
- Self Check-In
- Online Appointment Booking
- Repair Ticket Management
- Repair Tracking
- Invoicing
- Warranty Management
- SMS Communication
- Email Support
- Inventory Management
- Trade-In Module
- Integrations
- CRM
- Marketing Automation
- Reporting
- Employee Management
- Web, Mobile – iOS and Android Platform Support
- Knowledgebase and Video Training
- Taxation Management
- Multi-Store Management
- and Developer API.
Cons:
Unfortunately, with all these benefits, there are still a few drawbacks because it does not offer the following:
- iPad-Based POS
- Parts Bundling
- Special Parts Order
- Phone, Chat, WhatsApp, or Live Support
- Integrated Payments
- Loyalty Program
- Gift Cards
- MobileSentrix Integration
- Mobile Application
- Phone System
- Email Marketing
- Unified Communication
- and Review Management.
What’s more, the software learning process is entirely self-onboarding, and the customer response time can take over 48 hours. The buyback widget also has to be additionally paid for. And the system seems only to support Auto Printer. The limitations seem plenty, but it is for you to decide with the added features are worth looking elsewhere for you.
Let us know if you find yourself you’re stuck between RepairShopr vs RepairDesk kind of debate.
RepairQ
RepairQ boasts about being the most reliable web-based POS software with management features explicitly designed for the repair industry. The brand suggests that it is built to serve all businesses within the retail, refurbish, repair, or serialized item returns.
Pros:
This self-proclaimed all-rounder does have a lot to offer, like the following;
- Free Trial
- Inventory Management
- Customer Facing Display
- Refunds Processing and Exchange
- Invoicing and Professional Receipt
- Device Buyback
- Repair Ticket Management
- Warranty Management
- Integrations
- Appointment Booking
- CRM
- Marketing Automation
- Reporting
- Employee Management
- Taxation Management
- Repair Tracking
- Multi-Store Management
- Web, Windows, and MAC Platform Support
- Live, Videos, and Knowledgebase Training
- Telephone, Email, and Live Chat Support
- And Developer API.
Cons:
But not everything is rainbows and butterflies because every rose has its thorn, just like every POS software has its shortcomings. And the following are the things RepairQ lacks:
- iPad-Based POS
- Returns and RMA
- WooCommerce
- Parts Bundling
- Low stock updates
- Warranty Claim
With few limitations and benefits, RepairQ seems like the most obvious choice for your repair store. But it is vital to consider that it is not solely centralized towards cell phone repair shops, so you might be getting a little more than you bargained for.
Square POS
Square POS software claims to be the perfect software for small businesses, especially for helping repair stores sell online and in-store effortlessly. It allows for advanced staffing, inventory management, and sales.
Pros:
A fairly small-scale software can do a whole lot of large-scale operations for your repair shops because it offers the following:
- Free Trial
- Commission Management
- Customer Accounts
- Electronic Signature
- Loyalty Program
- Multi-Location
- Returns Management
- eCommerce Management
- Sales History
- Electronic Payments
- Billing & Invoicing
- Order Management
- Sales Reports
- Employee Management
- Inventory Management
- Pricing Management
- Labor Cost Calculator
Cons:
Big-scale applications can mean a lot of small holes for the setup to fall through. And the Square POS does have its fair share of deficiencies to make up for. Such as:
- Desktop-based POS
- Integrated Payments
- Special Parts Order
- Chat, WhatsApp, or Live Support
- Parts Bundling
- MobileSentrix Integration
- Phone System
- Mobile Application
- Email Marketing
- Review Management
- and Unified Communication.
The truth is that Square caters to primarily smaller-scale businesses and therefore has the feature variety to match the demand. With minimal integrations and added features, it allows the repair shop to run smoothly without overcomplicating the software handling too much.
RepairDesk
RepairDesk is a cloud-based software that offers the complete point-of-sale experience to repair stores. It strives to provide end-to-end workflow engineered to keep your entire repair store business within one platform.
Pros:
For a POS system to make such claims, it ought to have a whole roster of features to help back it up. And RepairDesk has quite a few of those:
- Free Trial
- 24/6 Responsive Phone, Live, Chat, Email, and WhatsApp Customer Support
- Customer Support Response Time Within Minutes
- Dedicated Onboarding Service
- Self Check-In
- Online Appointment
- Repair Tickets Management
- Repair Tracking
- Invoicing
- Integrated Payments
- Loyalty Program
- Gift Card
- Warranty Management
- Buyback Widget
- Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, Xero, MobileSentrix, Injured Gadgets Integrations
- iPad and Android App
- PrintNode Printer Supported
- SMS Communication
- Email Marketing
- Phone System
- And much more!
One way to judge the authenticity of claims will be to consult the RepairDesk Case Studies library.
Cons:
Loose threads are everywhere, even in POS software tailor-made to fit repair stores’ needs. Here are some in RepairDesk:
- No Deployment on iPhone and Desktop
- No Printing Support for Apple Computers
Even with minimal negative points, new users often complain that it requires a lot of setup and training. But the highly supportive and responsive customer support teams make the ride as smooth as can possibly be.
Take Your Pick
The top four POS systems have various features to offer their users. But it is for you to decide which ones you truly need. And if you are uncertain, well, they all provide accessible trials. So, go get repairing with a great repair store POS system!
