What is computer repair shop software?

Computer repair shop software is a tool that helps small and midsize computer repair shops generate and manage repair tickets, track the parts inventory, assign tickets to technicians, and schedule assignments. In addition, the accounting features let you generate invoices, statements, and financial performance reports.

The benefits of computer repair shop software

• Detailed inventory control: With barcode labels for all items in your inventory, you can easily append the parts and materials used in repairs to the ticket history. The inventory database can then be configured to flag parts that need to be re-ordered.
• Improved customer service: By assigning ticket numbers and technicians to the work orders, your customers and you could ascertain the current status and history of a job ticket. You will also have access to the entire history of work performed for regular customers. In the case of customers who have multiple devices, each device can have a barcoded ID tag linked to its repair history.
• Automated accounting and reporting: The accounting database can help you track the automatically generated invoices and statements. This will allow business owners to forecast receivables and other key performance indicators (KPIs) using the easy-to-use reporting features.
• Customer relationship management (CRM): With a detailed customer database, shop owners can distribute marketing materials and incentive programs to both current and potential customers.

Typical features of computer repair shop software

• Inventory management: Track and manage the quantity of parts and materials on hand.
• Repair ticketing: Generate tickets for repair requests and assign these to your technicians.
• Accounts receivable: Create invoices and statements for work completed.
• Reporting and analytics: Calculate the performance metrics and generate reports on your shop’s KPIs.
• Barcode labeling: Manage your inventory by generating adhesive barcode labels for parts and materials.
• CRM: Keep an up-to-date record of current and potential customers, including past work.

Capterra’s computer repair shop software directory lets you filter by feature(s) to view only those options that meet your business needs, so that you narrow down your software shortlist.

Considerations when purchasing computer repair shop software

• Field versus in-house service: Although most shops perform the required service in a traditional brick-and-mortar space, many shops employ third-party service technicians to complete the required work at the customer’s location. However, an important consideration is software access for your technicians in the field. This is possible if you choose a cloud-based software that also offers a mobile app.
• Out-of-the-box industry specificity: While it’s common for computer repair shop software to offer pre-configured features and customized data fields, countless generic business management applications offer features such as inventory control, ticketing, and billing. These generic products, although cost effective, require a lot of customization from the end user.
• RMA-specific software: If the bulk of your shop’s work is contracted to you by a larger hardware manufacturer, there are specific repair shop apps that will help you manage return merchandise authorizations (RMAs). As these types of transactions are between the shop and the manufacturer, the need for a CRM database may not be a priority.

Relevant computer repair shop software trends

• Conversational chatbots will streamline troubleshooting: As conversational chatbot technologies become more affordable for small and midsize businesses, we may likely see computer repair shops integrating this technology into their ticketing systems. Customers will be able to communicate with an intelligent chatbot that will assist them in identifying the source of the issue, schedule service appointments, and check the inventory to ensure that all the parts and materials are available for the scheduled repair.
• 3D-printed computer parts to eliminate long wait times: The ability to 3D print conductive materials will soon be a reality. As consumers continue to embrace 3D printing technology, small and midsize computer repair businesses will likely integrate the 3D printing of computer parts with the software’s inventory management feature. Printing parts on demand would eliminate the wait times for back-ordered parts and reduce the repair ticket completion times (as well as inventory costs).