How to manage repairs in your shop: phones, computers, consoles and appliances
Updated 9 October 2026 · 3 min read
Whether you fix phones, laptops, consoles, coffee machines or e-bikes, every repair follows the same steps. When those steps are clear and always the same, the bench stops filling up with forgotten devices and customers stop calling to ask how it is going.
1. Check-in: everything you need, in one minute
Check-in is where future arguments are avoided. Record the customer with at least one contact, the device with brand, model and serial number or IMEI, the fault in the customer's own words and the cosmetic condition: scratches, dents, missing parts.
Note the accessories left with you (cable, case, charger, basket) and, for phones and computers, how it unlocks or whether the customer prefers not to leave the code. Have the repair terms signed and hand over a receipt with a unique number: it is the reference you will both use.
2. Diagnosis and quote
Before repairing, inspect and write down the fault you actually found: it does not always match the customer's story. The quote should say what you replace, what each line costs, how long it takes and how long the price is valid.
If the price was agreed at check-in (a battery, a clean-up, a descaling) you can go straight to the repair. For everything else, wait for approval.
3. Sending the quote and getting an answer
Customers answer faster when the quote reaches their phone with a link to approve or refuse it. For those who do not use WhatsApp or email, a phone call is fine: what matters is recording the answer, with the date and how it was given (at the counter, by phone, online).
Keep an eye on unanswered quotes: after two days a polite reminder pays off. A device waiting for an answer is shelf space taken and a customer who forgets.
4. Repair, parts and timing
- Mark when you start and when you are waiting for parts, so you always know what is stuck and why.
- Take the parts you used out of stock: knowing what you fitted matters for the warranty and for reordering in time.
- If the device goes to an external service centre, record where, with which document and when it is due back.
- Keep the date you promised the customer, or tell them before it passes.
5. Telling the customer and handing back
When the job is done (repaired, not repairable or quote refused), tell the customer straight away with opening hours, address and the amount due. At hand-back record the payment, give a document with the work done and the repair warranty, and close the ticket.
Uncollected devices cost you money: decide how many days of free storage you offer and send a reminder before they run out.
The secret: seeing today's work at a glance
You can tell an organised workshop by one thing: at any moment you know how many quotes you have to write, how many answers you are waiting for, what you have to repair and what is waiting to be collected. Whether you use a notebook, a spreadsheet or repair shop software, organise the work around these four steps.