A phone that will not power on, sent to someone else
A customer's phone died after a drop. You have replaced the battery and tested with a known good screen, and it still will not power on. It is a board fault, and board-level repair is work you pass to a micro-soldering specialist. You post it with a note. The customer is told it will be 'a week or two'.
The specialist emails a diagnosis and a quote a few days later. It lands in a general inbox. The customer rings to ask for an update, and the counter has no idea the quote exists. Meanwhile the specialist has the phone on a shelf, waiting for an answer.
Referral work falls outside the shop's own process
Your repair system tracks jobs on your bench. A referral is a job on someone else's bench, with your customer attached. Postage, the specialist's reference, their diagnosis and quote, the customer's approval and the return trip all happen in emails and phone calls outside your system.
- The specialist's job reference is not recorded on your ticket.
- Diagnoses and quotes arrive in whichever inbox the specialist uses.
- Customers are not told when a quote is waiting.
- Your mark-up or handling charge is worked out differently each time.
- Return postage and tracking are not recorded.
Why referral jobs go wrong
Board-level jobs are often the ones customers care about most, because data is at stake. Silence is hard for them. A quote that waits unread adds days to a job that was already long. And if the device is lost in the post, you need to show exactly what was sent, when and how.
Whether a board repair or data recovery will succeed is the specialist's judgement, and neither you nor we can promise it. The job is to make sure the customer knows what is happening and decides with the facts.
Referral tracking from your counter to theirs and back
We build referral tracking linked to your repair tickets.
- When a job is referred, the ticket records the specialist, what tests you did first, photos of the device, and the customer's priority, such as working phone or data only.
- Postage and tracking are recorded, and the specialist's own job reference is added when they confirm receipt.
- Emails from each specialist go to a shared referrals address and are filed on the right ticket.
- The specialist's diagnosis and quote are passed to the customer with your handling charge added by your rule, and a link to approve or decline.
- The customer's answer goes back to the specialist straight away, and reminders go out if nobody answers.
- Return tracking is recorded, and on arrival the device is tested and the customer told.
| Stage | Customer sees | On your ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Sent | Your phone has gone to our board repair specialist | Tracking, tests done, photos |
| Diagnosed | Findings and quote with approve link | Specialist's report |
| Approved | Repair under way | Approval with time |
| Returned | Ready to collect | Return tracking, final tests |
Referral jobs that feel like your own
Customers know where their device is and what is happening, even though it is not on your bench. Quotes are answered quickly. Your handling charge is applied the same way every time. And you can compare specialists on turnaround and success, which helps you decide where to send work.
If you later bring board-level work in-house, the same records show which jobs you would be taking on and how often they come up.
Do referred repairs go quiet?
- Specialists' quotes sit unanswered in an inbox.
- Customers ring to ask about referred devices.
- You do not record the specialist's reference.
- Your handling charge varies from job to job.
- You cannot say how long each specialist usually takes.