Three screens for a model you rarely see, none for the one you do
A customer needs a battery for a common phone. The technician looks in the drawer where batteries are kept. None. The repair system says two in stock. They were used last week but never booked out. Meanwhile, in another drawer, there are three screens for a model the shop has repaired once this year, bought because they were on offer.
Staff also reorder parts that are already on the shelf, because the shelf and the system disagree and it is quicker to order than to search.
Parts move at the bench, not the till
Parts are small, many look alike, and they are taken out of their bags at the bench in the middle of a repair. Booking them out is a separate step in the repair system, done later or not at all. Faulty parts returned to suppliers and parts used in refurbishing your own stock leave without a record.
- Parts are not booked out against the repair ticket.
- Similar-looking parts for different models share a drawer.
- Parts for booked repairs are not reserved and get used on walk-ins.
- Reorders are based on what someone notices is low.
- Parts returned to suppliers or used in refurbishments are not deducted.
Stock errors cost you twice
When a part is missing, the repair waits and the customer is told it will be longer. When a part is duplicated, money sits in a drawer. Parts can also age on the shelf: batteries in particular are best not kept for long periods, and screen suppliers change their versions. What the right stock level is remains your decision; the problem is not knowing what you have.
Stock that does not match reality also makes quoting harder. The counter cannot promise a same-day repair if it does not trust the stock figure, so it plays safe and quotes a longer time. Customers who wanted it done today go to the shop down the road that said yes.
Parts tracked from delivery to the ticket
We build parts stock tracking alongside your repair management system.
- Every part has a label with a barcode and a bin location. Deliveries are booked in by scanning, which also records the supplier, cost and date.
- At the bench, the technician scans the part against the ticket before fitting it. It is booked out in one step.
- When a repair is booked in advance, the part is reserved for that ticket, so it is not used on a walk-in.
- Parts sent back to suppliers, used in refurbishments or found faulty are scanned out with a reason.
- A short weekly count of a few bins keeps the numbers honest without a full stocktake.
- Reorder suggestions come from actual usage by model and repair, for you to approve.
| Part | In bin | Reserved | Suggested reorder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery, common model | 0 | 1 for tomorrow | Yes, usage steady |
| Screen, rare model | 3 | 0 | No |
| Charging port, popular model | 2 | 1 | Review |
A shelf that matches the screen
Technicians can trust the stock figure, so they do not waste time searching or order parts that are already there. Booked repairs have their parts waiting. Money is spent on the parts you actually use. And every part is linked to the repair it went into, which helps with warranty returns and supplier claims later.
It also makes supplier comparisons possible. With every part linked to its supplier and the repair it went into, you can see which supplier's screens come back under warranty and which batteries last, and use that when deciding where to buy.
The scan at the bench takes seconds, which is the difference between a stock system that gets used and one that is ignored.
Does your parts stock match reality?
- The repair system says in stock but the drawer is empty.
- You find parts you forgot you had.
- Parts for booked repairs get used on walk-ins.
- Reorders are based on memory.
- Parts used are not linked to the repair they went into.