Computer repair shop customers are a difficult bunch. Expectant of miracles, but selfish on payments. Their sole request to any repair tech caught under their net goes to the tune:
‘Fix my system to the ways of its original sense – to the point where there is no semblance of fault.’
Now, I’m not saying all PC repair clients march to the same song – but the majority trend is like this. And I have good reason to make such a grand claim. Fifteen years in the field are enough to provide anyone with commenting certification!
At this early point, if you’re thinking this narration is a ‘doom chronicle’, you’d be wrong. Because I’m here to spell some good news…too. Computer repair shop software is a good mediator in this picture. While not exactly a complete solution, it does, indirectly, enable high-quality repairs.
And so does the providence of time granted to the working tech. A rush job, irrespective of the technological facility, is always a risk.
So, these two prescriptions make for a general approach to placating customers. Some others – three of which I detail below – are a bit more specific.
Still, there is no guarantee that any recourse, mentioned here or elsewhere, will win. Hundred percent results are hardly the stuff of concrete reality.
But in any case – onward with the business at hand.
My Actionable Pointers on a Resolution
Now, before you get started with the applications, a word of grounding:
Don’t go into the process with unrealistic expectations. Because even after you’ve worked all these fixes just right, there’ll be imperfection. And it’s important for your repair customers to know this. When in doubt, follow the ‘always under-promise, always over-deliver’ formula. You can’t go wrong with it.
Oh – and don’t forget to make use of your trusty computer repair shop software application. You need all the help you can get for the work. And there’s no shame in delegating some to the algorithm. Especially if it means that you or your employed techs would be able to focus on the job. Minus any distracting ‘managerial’ hiccups.
Ok, so now that we’ve got the staging out of the way – let’s get to the meat.
For solving the most acute repair customer concerns, you can:
1. Start with a transparent device audit
2. Ensure repair process visibility
3. Offer giveaways as a last resort
Let’s open each.
A Thorough Device Audit is an After-Repair Failsafe
Working in repair, there are many times when customers bring in their devices in dire straits. They may think they know what’s wrong with their submission. Oftentimes, however, they would be dead wrong – because the ailment would be something else. And sometimes, in the most uncomfortable scenarios, their negligence might be the cause.
Now, one of the best ways for techs to insure themselves against customers here is through audits. Device checks that are both thorough and impartial. Geared toward discovery – without leaving any nook unturned.
This essential step makes the skeptical repair customer cognizant. Made aware of their device in and outs (as they stand), they are less likely to argue.
It’s even better when the system audits are video recorded – with accurate zooms. This documentation, again, is insurance against any eventual instances of client reproach.
In my experience, I’ve seen many lawsuits averted on account of this backup SOP. A large number of clients, I’m sorry to say, don’t mind playing dirty. And so it’s up to the discerning repair tech to have proper safeguards in place. You just can’t be too trusting of people these days (let me add the aside!).
Some types of computer repair shop software, further, can do you good on this front. Because they come equipped with easy repair auditing features.
Repair Process Visibility – Added Psychological Appeasement
Now, this pointer obviously follows from the account above. But I think its inclusion here is justified in lieu of its undeniable impact. A business SOP where the fix process is streamed in real-time offers two-pronged benefits. Transparency for both the involved tech’s supervisors and the submitting customer. A stable means, as it were, to raise and maintain the bar on service quality.
Over the years, I’ve taken special care to make improvements to the documentation. In the late 90s years of dial-up internet connections, my business provided offered recorded feeds. These were distributed to the clients concerned on optical disks. Fast-forward to the era of broadband, and we shifted towards live streaming of repair sessions on Skype. Some shop point of sales interfaces, it needs to be said, certainly make this endeavor easy.
Nowadays, we have integrated Zoom business services as part of our going shop workflow. Here, customers are even given the option to record streamed sessions via a utility in-built feature.
Since my hired techs, who are paid above the industry average, know that their work is scrutinized, they’re careful.
They also understand that the recordings can serve as de facto portfolios. Public feeds, accessible on YouTube, that can act as suitable future employment magnets. And as their current monetary overseer, I’m not too worried that they’ll jump ship. Because I know for a fact that they won’t experience similar levels of comfortable accommodation anywhere.
The Giveaway Incentive: an Ultimate Pacifier
I often liken this recourse to our field’s version of a WMD. A last-resort option. Something that is entirely up to the human agent to deliver; no repair shop software concern. It’s human nature, after all, to experience a rush of serotonin and dopamine on every valuable acquisition. Well, this is exactly what happens when repair customers are offered some unexpected goodies.
Owing to my field immersion, I’ve seen the power of free giveaways firsthand in resolving the most contentious client scuffles.
But it’s important not to go too overboard with this offering. Otherwise, you risk rendering the good gesture to the value-less ‘free zone’.
In conclusion, I would also like to stress the importance of intuition in dispute resolutions. There are times when being non-prescriptivist is the best approach to facing distraught customers. So, wisdom, then, is your over-arching ally in making such situational distinctions.
