A Galaxy that turned out to be a different Galaxy
A customer says their phone is a Samsung Galaxy with a smashed screen. The counter writes down the name printed on the box the customer remembers. The screen is ordered from your usual supplier. It arrives two days later, the technician opens the phone, and the connector is different. It is a regional variant, or the 'plus' model, or the version with a different display type. The right part is ordered, and the customer waits another two days.
Tablets and laptops are worse. Two laptops with the same marketing name can have different screens, connectors and batteries depending on the year and configuration.
Model names are not part numbers
Customers know the marketing name of their device, not its model number. Many devices come in variants that look identical from the front. Suppliers each name parts differently, and some list one part for several models when only some of them are compatible. Screens also come in several quality tiers, so 'a screen for this model' is not specific enough.
- Model is taken from what the customer says, not from the device.
- Model numbers in settings or on the back of the device are not recorded.
- Supplier part names differ, and compatibility lists are not always accurate.
- Screen quality options, such as original, refurbished or aftermarket, are chosen inconsistently.
- Nobody records which part from which supplier actually fitted.
Wrong parts cost more than the part
A wrong part means a return to the supplier, a second order, a second delivery wait and a customer told their repair will take longer. Some suppliers charge for returns or refuse opened items. The device sits on the shelf. The customer's opinion of you drops, because from their side you said it would be ready and it is not.
Your technicians lose time too: opening a device, finding the part does not fit, reassembling it and starting again later.
Identify the exact model, then order from a mapped catalogue
We build model identification and a parts catalogue that sit alongside your repair management system.
- At check-in, the staff member records the model number from the device's settings or label, or scans the IMEI. Where an IMEI lookup service is used, the model is filled in from it.
- The model number is matched to your catalogue, which knows the variants and flags the ones that are easy to confuse.
- The catalogue maps each model and repair type to the right part at each supplier you use, including your quality options with your own descriptions.
- The counter chooses the quality option with the customer, and the quote uses the right part and price.
- The order line goes on the day's supplier order with the exact supplier code.
- When a part fits, the technician confirms it; when it does not, they record why. Over time the catalogue learns which supplier listings are reliable.
| Customer says | Device shows | Part ordered |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy with a cracked screen | Exact model number from settings | Screen for that variant, chosen quality |
| iPad, recent | Model number from the back | Digitiser for that generation |
| Laptop, silver | Model and configuration from the label | Panel matching connector and resolution |
Parts that fit the first time
Orders are for the exact model and variant, so fewer parts go back. Customers are quoted for the part that will be used, with the quality option they chose written down. Technicians open devices knowing the part will fit. And the catalogue gets better with every repair because confirmed fits are recorded.
Quality options also become consistent. Every staff member describes each tier the same way, using your wording, which helps customers choose and avoids disputes later.
Do wrong parts slow your repairs?
- You regularly send parts back because they are for the wrong variant.
- Model is recorded from what the customer says.
- Supplier part names do not match each other.
- Staff describe screen quality options differently.
- Nobody knows which supplier listings are reliable for which models.