Mobile phones are fragile devices that can break due to impacts or software errors. The demand for smartphone repairs is growing steadily along with the number of people embracing new technologies. Phone repair shops are opening in different cities of Russia, with queues forming. It is quite possible to establish your own profitable business in this niche if you choose a suitable area and hire good craftsmen.
More about business
Gadget repair shops are found everywhere. Because of this, budding entrepreneurs have the idea that opening a phone repair service center is very simple. This is partly true - the main advantages of the niche are small investments and quick payback. Phones break down every day, and their owners rush to contact a reliable service center.
But businessmen who decide to bring this idea to life should take into account several details:
- The gadget repair niche is considered one of the most highly competitive;
- in the first stages of business development, the client base is replenished slowly;
- In the absence of authorization, the service has no right to issue warranty cards from the equipment manufacturer.
To successfully make money repairing phones, you need to offer reasonable prices for services and do your job well. This will require experienced craftsmen who know the secrets of how mobile phones work. The situation is further complicated by the fact that each manufacturer has its own characteristics.
Reference. Entrepreneurs who have already tried themselves as repairmen will be able to profitably start phone repair from scratch. Their investment in hiring employees will be minimal, since they can do all the main work themselves.
Outcall service
Training in modular phone repair for beginners.
It was with him that I started my business, while still studying at the university at the Department of Robotics and Automation, but before that, having worked for a year as a telephone repairman in a stationary service. With this model, you do not need to rent premises and costs will be significantly reduced.
Prospects of the idea
A mobile phone is a necessary item for most modern people. As technology progresses, gadgets improve but become fragile. Fragility affects the frequency of breakdowns, due to which gadget owners turn to repair services. Therefore, the points where phone repairs are carried out are provided with customers.
The advantages of this business niche include the following:
- low barrier to entry. The repair industry does not require special knowledge or large start-up investments from the entrepreneur. It is easy to master it from scratch if you conduct a competent PR campaign and organize the purchase of parts from good suppliers;
- no need to undergo inspections. Providing smartphone repair services does not require obtaining certificates. Thanks to this condition, the businessman saves money and time;
- independence from the cash register. To pay clients, an entrepreneur is not required to purchase cash registers. Repairs are among household services, and therefore allow for the absence of cash register equipment;
- high demand for the service. Phones are often purchased and also often broken. The first thing customers ask for is screen replacement. Popular jobs include replacing the charging socket or headphone slot;
- versatility. The phone repair business pays off in any city in Russia. It is being developed in large and small cities. Residents of small communities have the advantage of reduced competition;
- prospects for growth. Phone repair shops can expand by increasing the list of services. This happens through hiring new craftsmen with special skills or certifying existing ones. In the process of development, the repair center is able to sell franchises and expand into new regions.
It is important for an entrepreneur to take into account the high competition in the repair business. The ease of starting this business makes it an easy target for anyone to target. New competitors are constantly appearing. Therefore, the repair service should focus on the quality and speed of the work performed.
How to attract customers to an electronics repair service center
Hello. This article is devoted to how to create a large flow of incoming service center clients and measuring key indicators.
Let's figure out where money comes from in business. Money in business comes from your customers. No clients - no money. Everything is very simple.
Task number one is to create a large flow of incoming clients. We will do this with the help of an advertising message that you will broadcast everywhere. Only I ask you, do not use the sickening advertising messages of the majority. Emergency computer help, reinstalling Windows. Urgently. For 50 hryvnia.
This is a waste of time and money.
First, let's review the sites where you should be located.
Hungry client
First of all, you need a website. Without it, it is difficult to organize a stable addition of new clients to your business. Now a website can be made in seven days without the knowledge of a web programmer. Take only paid domains and hosting. You don't need free ones. There is a lot of advertising and unnecessary garbage.
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make a website:
1. Select a domain name, for example supermaster.com.ua. Let's buy it. costs - about 100 UAH per year.
2. Choose hosting. Let's buy it. Costs are about 400 UAH per year.
3. Select a CMS engine for the site. It can be free. It could be Joomla, WordPress or something else. Many hosting providers offer to automatically connect an engine to your domain.
4. Create an administrator account, open the administrative panel, create menus with services and write text for each service.
5. Repeat this until you describe all the services.
IMPORTANT! Each service should have its own article, such as iPhone repair in Odessa. Your website should not just have mobile phone repair in Odessa, but mobile phone firmware in Odessa, mobile phone screen replacement in Odessa, mobile phone repair after flooding in Odessa, and so on. The most important feature is the detail of each service. Don’t waste your time on this, it will be rewarded to you in the form of client requests to your service.
The second is free message boards, such as Slando and OLX. There you describe each service in as much detail as possible by type of work, such as replacing a laptop matrix, cleaning a laptop from dust, but also by brand, Asus laptop repair, Samsung tablet repair.
How to write advertisements? The most important thing is the disscript, or heading. Do not write repair of all laptops of all brands. The effectiveness of this ad is low. But if there is a disscript
Acer laptop repair in Kyiv
- that's another matter.
Next, you must arouse the client's interest. Write what
Service center “Electronic” specializes in repairing Acer laptops in the city of Kyiv.
And you make an offer - diagnostics are free until the end of the week.
Next, list in a column what you can do with this Acer:
matrix replacement, keyboard measurements, motherboard repair, etc.
After that you make a deadline.
For example, the first five customers with Acer laptops receive laptop wipes as a gift.
After that there is a call to action.
Call now!
And a phone number.
The third is VKontakte and Facebook groups. A lot of people hang out there regularly, and the audience is different. Yes, there are notorious youngsters and trolls, but there are also people who are really interested in services and goods. Create groups, describe them, invite people, add at least 1 news every 2 days.
Fourth is contextual advertising of Google AdWords and Yandex Direct. Set it up and launch it. The main thing is that you have a working website. Pay per click. I pay through a private bank card. There were no problems with payment. And don't forget about detail. Each service has its own advertisement. Anyone who ignores this rule loses money.
Fifth are city forums.
There are always a lot of people hanging out on the forums in your city. there they discuss gossip, share impressions, buy, sell. It is highly advisable for you to use this traffic for your benefit. If you advertise stupidly, you will most likely be banned, it makes sense to buy a branch. On the Odessa forum I now pay 600 UAH/month.
Then you can put business cards, flyers, prints in elevators and on walls, YouTube videos, your personal connections, a request to distribute business cards to friends at work or at a university, and much, much more.
After this, when you do everything correctly, people will call you asking for service.
A complete list of points of contact with the client is given in the article 107 points where a person can see your advertising.
Numbers in my head
But you have to think in terms of metrics. Statistics are your main trump card over other businesses. I am sure that 90% of other service centers do not do this, which is why they are interrupted from order to order, and complain that the client is not the same, the orders are not the same, and so on. Remember, what you don't measure, you can't control. You are required to measure. This is your task as a businessman, first and foremost.
But what about dying? For example, let's take a period of time - 1 day. This:
1. Number of calls
2. Number of clients served
3. Money in the cash register
4. Average check per client. We divide the proceeds by the number of clients served.
5. Find out where the client found out about you. In the future, develop exactly the direction from which the person came to you.
6. Clean money that you can spend on yourself.
That's enough for a start. There will be even more indicators in the future.
These statistics will give you a clear picture of how you are developing, how much money you earn, what advertising to invest in, and so on.
What kind of work does the workshop do?
The range of services that the service provides depends on its specialization. There are workshops that cover laptops, tablets, computers, etc. If we take highly specialized companies as a basis, they provide:
- replacing gadget software;
- update and flashing;
- Russification (for those models that do not provide this option);
- unlocking;
- replacing a cracked or broken display;
- battery replacement;
- cleaning from corrosion;
- replacement of slots for charger and headphones;
- replacement of device body elements;
- replacing the cable/chip;
- speaker/microphone replacement;
- restoration of the phone after contact with water;
- recovery after a fall.
Broad-based workshops service the following categories of equipment:
- Cell Phones;
- smartphones;
- cameras;
- tablets;
- laptop and computers;
- game consoles and consoles;
- video cameras;
- e-books;
- navigators and car recorders.
The greater the range of services that a workshop offers, the more equipment and specialists it requires. Therefore, the scope of specialization of the centers should be expanded gradually - with the advent of financial stability.
Reference. In addition to device repair, the services provide additional services. For example, they offer to buy protective glass or films for phones. Cases made from shockproof materials are also in demand. Selling accessories that are related to repairs is profitable, since customers often make related purchases at service centers.
What services can be provided
Typically, the equipment repair business can be divided into two categories:
- Software-block repair services are repairs without physical intervention, this includes reinstalling the system, installing programs, cleaning phones from garbage, etc.
- Physical repair service – involves directly repairing components and replacing gadget spare parts.
Services that can be provided in the workshop:
- Reinstalling the operating system.
- Installing programs on your phone.
- Gluing protective glass and film.
- Resuscitation of a phone after liquid gets into it.
- Replacement of components.
There is also a phone problem analysis service. Sometimes clients come to services dissatisfied with the operation of the device, but they do not find any visible reasons for the breakdown. Inspect your gadget for free or charge money for it – it all depends on your choice.
Home appliance repair
Include home phone repair in your business plan - this is a service that is very popular among the population. It is necessary to hire an employee who will go to clients’ homes and repair, if possible, equipment directly at the client’s home.
People are encouraged to use such services by various factors: some do not want to leave the gadget for a long time in the wrong hands, others simply do not want to go anywhere, and so on.
Business organization
To launch a smartphone repair service, an entrepreneur undergoes standard registration. It can stop at a legal entity or an individual (IP). Individual entrepreneurship is considered the preferred option due to the ease of registration. A businessman can register himself or entrust it to registrars for an additional fee (he receives all documents in finished form).
Self-registration involves several steps:
- filling out an application on form P21001 and selecting activity codes according to OKVED (for repair shops this is code 95.12. If desired, you can add other codes to the list);
- payment of state duty. For individual entrepreneurs, the fee is 800 rubles;
- choice of taxation system. For the service center, the best option would be a simplified system, which involves relaxations in the rate. To switch to the simplified tax system, you must fill out a separate application;
- collection of documents for registration;
- receiving a letter confirming the successful completion of the procedure. The letter contains a sheet of the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs and a certificate of registration with the Federal Tax Service.
Registration is carried out at the tax office at the place of residence (or registration) of the entrepreneur. This occurs during a personal visit to the branch or online through the official website of the Federal Tax Service. The number of documents that a businessman will need is small and includes:
- statement P21001;
- a receipt confirming payment of the duty;
- copy of passport;
- notification of the transition to a simplified taxation system.
If a businessman registers online, he will need an electronic digital signature. The average cost of obtaining a signature is 1,000 rubles. All required documents are sent as scans from paper. The main problem with this registration format is the Federal Tax Service website - users have repeatedly noted interruptions in its operation.
Reference. Some regions of Russia provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity not to pay taxes for the first two years. This assistance is aimed at developing small businesses.
Hand tools
Let's start with the most basic and simple - with classical instruments. In the list we present the main types that you really can’t do without: 1. You will need to purchase screwdrivers. Moreover, flat and cross-shaped options of several “running” sizes will be required. Don't forget to order torx screwdrivers. As for the size, it must comply with standards from T5 to T7. It’s also a good idea to purchase a kit with interchangeable nozzles. In this case, there will definitely be no problems with disassembling the case or other components of the device. 2. When collecting a set of repair tools, do not forget about such an important thing as a scalpel. It is with its help that you can very easily clean tracks and wires. Try not to skimp on the accessory—jags will appear on a budget item pretty quickly. 3. You will definitely need a pair of tweezers. Look for a standard sample and one curved one that will allow you to reach hard-to-reach elements. 4. An eraser pencil, made in the shape of a classic pencil, will definitely come in handy. With its help, it is easy to clean oxidized contact coatings. You will need a little time to tidy up your badly neglected contacts. 5. Don’t be surprised, but experts often use toothbrushes to deal with minor oxides when working with “recessed” smartphone models. Great efficiency can be achieved in combination with a special liquid, called a wash by service specialists. 6. The holder in which the board is firmly fixed greatly facilitates the work process. It is easier for a person to do delicate work when a small fragile element is fixed.
Registration of an enterprise
Launching a phone repair center consists of several points:
- business planning (a business plan for telephone repair includes calculation of expenses and income and addresses organizational issues);
- selection and rental of premises;
- purchase of equipment;
- hiring employees;
- carrying out promotional events;
- authorization.
Authorization is an important stage in the development of a phone repair business. This procedure involves concluding a contract with manufacturers. The contract gives the entrepreneur the right to provide customers with a repair guarantee. Smartphone owners trust companies that issue warranty cards. Manufacturers have the following requirements for services:
- compliance of the premises with certain standards (these lists include different items, depending on the company);
- completion of specialized courses by employees that provide information about the operating features of specific devices;
- obtaining relevant licenses and certificates.
Reference. It is believed that opening authorized repair services will be beneficial in large cities. To launch such an enterprise, a businessman invests $10,000 or more.
The entrepreneur chooses between two ways of developing the center:
- creation of an independent repair service
- organization of a dealer point (in partnership with a large mobile service).
Having patronage from a successful mobile service helps a businessman make a successful start. The company organizes marketing campaigns and attracts an already formed target audience to the new workshop. The businessman gives part of the profit to this company as payment for the assistance provided. An independent repair center does not require such payments, but is based on independently attracting customers.
Investment calculation
Investments at start will be:
| Expense item | Average amount, rubles |
| Paperwork | 10 000 |
| Purchasing furniture and equipment for renovation | 73 000 |
| Tools for work | 71 000 |
| 30 000 |
Thus, capital is required in the amount of 184 thousand rubles.
Monthly expenses:
| Expense item | Average amount, rubles |
| Purchasing spare parts | 25 000 |
| Renting premises | 20 000 |
Every month your expenses will be about 45 thousand rubles.
Room
The repair shop is located on an area of 10 m2, which reduces rental costs. When choosing a room, you need to rely on the crowded area. Most services open in shopping services or near the metro. Alternative locations where repair centers are opening include:
- business centers;
- Universities;
- large hypermarkets.
Successful placement of the workshop determines the further financial success of the business. The client will not waste time looking for a center that is located in the outskirts. Therefore, large investments in rent at the initial stages should not confuse the entrepreneur.
Renting an outlet in shopping centers is expensive. Therefore, entrepreneurs open points of acceptance and return of equipment that do not involve an actual workshop. The service does the bulk of its work elsewhere.
This location could be a businessman's home or an area that is located in an area with more affordable rentals. This option will allow you to combine work from home and interaction with clients. The delivery point will require an area of 4 m2.
A full-fledged service center consists of two premises:
- exhibition hall for working with clients;
- repair room where work is carried out.
There are three main requirements for a telephone repair shop:
- access to high-speed Internet;
- equipment grounding function;
- availability of ventilation.
Reference. The estimated cost of renting a room of 20 m2 per month is 25,000 rubles. The exact figures depend on the location of the center and the price level of the region in question.
In the workshop you need to provide a place for the so-called. consumer corner. It includes the following items:
- stand with information on consumer protection;
- book of complaints and suggestions;
- price list;
- center operating hours;
- principles of customer service.
Standard set of tools
In the standard set you can find everything you need to repair cell phones and equip a mid-level professional workshop. It also includes a compact, ergonomic and very convenient Lukey 702 hot air station, with which you can solve many important problems without having to deal with the device settings and setting complex operating parameters. In addition, the kit includes an optical microscope, which greatly facilitates precise work with the smallest parts of devices, and a machine for disassembling sensor modules. The latter device is indispensable when dismantling broken displays, when the separation of glass fragments cannot be accomplished by other available means. All other traditional tools for electronics repair are also present in this set: reliable screwdrivers, needle files, wire cutters, wires, tweezers, knives, as well as tape and sealants for gluing will allow you to work with any gadgets.
Equipment purchase
The types of equipment and its focus depend on the format of the service center. Authorized items require the use of tools supplied by the partner company. The standard set of specialized devices consists of:
- programmer for changing software and unlocking the smartphone;
- electron microscope;
- universal power supply;
- ultrasonic bath;
- antistatic brush and bracelet;
- vacuum tweezers;
- digital oscilloscope;
- soldering station with hair dryer;
- a set of measuring instruments;
- a set of improvised tools for opening devices;
- stencils for microcircuits;
- large magnifying glass with clamps;
- Supplies.
Costs for devices depend on the company whose products the service is going to repair. If he aims to cooperate with Apple, then the equipment will cost more than similar equipment when working with Chinese manufacturers. The cost of tools ranges from 10 to 30,000 rubles.
Important. The peculiarity of repair centers is that they constantly need to purchase parts. Buying large quantities is pointless, since they will soon become outdated and will not need repair. Therefore, already at the beginning of work it is necessary to establish relationships with reliable suppliers.
In addition to repair tools, the entrepreneur also purchases office equipment. It consists of the following mandatory items:
- laptop;
- Printer;
- software for systematizing orders;
- stationery (paper, ink, stamps, etc.).
Equipment costs also include furnishing the service. The workshop should be furnished with the following items:
- cabinets for storing parts and tools;
- counter for payments to clients;
- smartphone repair table;
- safe to ensure the safety of expensive items;
- chairs/armchairs/sofas.
List of necessary tools and materials for repairing mobile phones
Naturally, to repair phones you need tools and equipment. Moreover, the more complex the repair is, the more complex and expensive equipment will be needed. You can't get by with screwdrivers alone. So, I'll start with the bare minimum: 1. Screwdriver Set. To begin with, you will need ordinary flat and figured (Phillips) screwdrivers, preferably small ones + at least 3 star-type screwdrivers. They have exactly the same shape and differ only in size. First we need sizes T5, T6, T7. These are the most popular screw sizes for mobile phones and similar equipment. You can also purchase a set of screwdrivers, which immediately contains all the necessary types of replaceable attachments. The inconvenience of such a set is that you often have to change the attachments. 2. Scalpel. An indispensable thing for stripping wires, tracks, etc. You can buy it at any pharmacy. It is preferable, of course, to use old domestic scalpels, since they are practically eternal. The current ones become dull very quickly and all sorts of nicks appear on the blade. 3. Set of tweezers. It is advisable to have at least 2 types: straight and curved. You will appreciate the advantages of each during the renovation process. You can get by with just one, but in some cases you just need to crawl into a hard-to-reach place with the help of one or the other. 4. Pencil-eraser-brush. A very convenient thing. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary pencil, but instead of the usual rod, it has a rod made of an eraser (eraser). Designed to clean contact surfaces from oxides, dirt, stains, etc. After this treatment, the contacts look like new – shiny and beautiful. On the back side of the pencil there is a brush, which is very convenient for sweeping away “erasing products”, as well as regular saws and similar dirt that accumulates during the use of the phone. 5. Toothbrush – new or used (most importantly, not vice versa). Designed mainly to remove small oxides resulting from moisture entering the phone. Used in conjunction with special liquid (“wash”). 6. Multimeter - a very necessary device. The method of different measurements allows you to learn a lot about the condition of the phone and is one of the main devices in diagnosing faults and repairing the phone. The multimeter model is not critical, since all have the necessary functions. I’ll just say that you shouldn’t buy the cheapest “China” ones, as they are unreliable and the measurement readings are not always accurate. 7. Universal mains charger. Also a must have in your arsenal. Allows you to charge any battery of a cell phone or digital camera, which is very important during the repair process. After all, devices often arrive with discharged batteries and without their standard charger (over time, of course, you need to acquire all possible chargers, preferably original ones). This is where this SZU, popularly called “crab”, “frog”, etc., comes to the rescue. 8. Hot air soldering station. Required. Without it, complex repairs (with resoldering of chips, filters, etc.) cannot be done. Designed for dismantling and subsequent installation of chips in a BGA case (and there are practically no others in a modern phone) by heating it with a stream of directed hot air with adjustable flow force and temperature.
9. Microscope. It is necessary for a thorough visual inspection of the mobile phone board and its components during the repair process, as well as when performing delicate work using soldering, the accuracy of installation of BGA chips and other elements (positioning) into their seats, as well as subsequent control. You can select a suitable microscope on the website optical instruments in Rostov-on-Don.
10. Card holder. An indispensable thing when repairing complex microelectronics. Allows you to securely hold boards of different sizes, thereby facilitating the work of the master, since there is no need to hold the board with your hand. Structurally, they come in a variety of configurations and sizes. 11. Ultrasonic bath (USB) . Without it, about repairing cell phones that have been exposed to moisture, water, beer, J coffee, etc. you can forget. We all know that electronics are not friendly with water and its derivatives. Numerous oxides with their miracles instantly appear along all circuits (especially the supply ones). It is impossible to clean such a board using the usual dry mechanical method. You have to resort to special cleaning. liquids using a rough brush. By the way, I’ll say right away - all kinds of colognes and alcohol are not suitable!!! But, more often than not, this cleaning method is ineffective, since moisture penetrates into all possible and impossible places and brings us, repairmen, many problems. But not everything is so bad if you have an ultrasonic bath. Again, a warning - the well-known “Retona” is not what we need and has nothing to do with our business. Very easy to use and relatively reliable under normal use. It works something like this: either only distilled water is poured into the bath itself, or the same water is poured into it, but with a small addition of various products that make washing the board a little easier. These are different solvents like “Mr. Muscle”, “FAIRY” and the like. The level fills approximately a little more than half of the bath. Next, the previously soaked and oxidized board is placed in the bath, and then the ultrasonic cleaning process itself is started. Such RAS most often have two fixed power levels - usually 30W and 50-60W, which are turned on separately. The ultrasonic cleaning process looks like this: a radiating element (piezoquartz) is rigidly attached to the bottom of the bath itself, which emits vibrations with a frequency of approximately 40 - 60 KHz and mechanically transmits them through the bottom of the bath itself to the liquid that is poured into it. Further, due to cavitation (cavitation is the propagation of sound waves in a liquid), the board is washed, as well as the splitting and destruction of the formed oxides and sulfations on the surface of the board and elements. The ultrasonic bath does not require special care. The main thing is to prevent liquid from spilling inside the case, otherwise failure is inevitable. If the case is not sealed, it is advisable to do this in advance with a regular sealant. It is also not recommended to turn on the RAS idle or with a liquid level much lower than average, since the piezoelement will be heavily loaded and may fail prematurely.
12. BGA - stencils and BGA - paste . It’s unlikely to be a useful necessity for beginners, but if you plan to seriously engage in reballing BGA chips, then you simply need these materials. And here’s why. The design feature of microcircuits in a BGA package provides for the absence of the usual contact pins, which can be soldered with an ordinary thin soldering iron. Flat contact pads are located on the bottom of the case, and soldering of such a chip to the board is carried out by applying solder to the contact pads. As a result, they look like small balls, which must be the same size and shape. After which such a microcircuit is installed in its place and, after the solder melts, it settles a little, as a result of which the gap between the microcircuit and the board remains very tiny - just the size of the settled solder balls. The fact is that if it becomes necessary to dismantle a BGA chip, then the molten solder balls will break off when the chip is removed. One part of the solder remains on the board, the other on the chip itself. It is impossible to install such a chip back without preparing (rolling) new contact solder balls. For this we need stencils and solder paste for BGA reballing. As for solder paste for rolling new balls on BGA chips, the choice here is made after testing several brands and types. As they say - to each his own. Some people need it thicker, others more liquid. 13. No-clean flux-gel . Used for soldering radio-electronic components. It has a high boiling point, so it is excellent for mounting chips in BGA packages with a short distance between the contact ball pins and the board surface. No-clean means it has no chemical activity after soldering and, accordingly, does not cause corrosive damage to the soldered elements in the event that it is impossible to remove flux residues. Also, after hardening, the flux forms a certain film on the elements and between them, which provides additional protection against oxidation and moisture. 14. Braid for desoldering . Designed for preparing soldering areas and used to remove excess solder on contact pads. Ideal for preparing solder joints for BGA chips. 15. Electric soldering iron 25W and 40W. For soldering massive discrete elements with large heat dissipation. They are used less frequently in mobile phone repair, but they are definitely needed. For example, they warm up the seats of charging connectors, headsets, etc. well. 16. Power supply (PSU) . When repairing phones, and not only, it is simply necessary. When diagnosing and repairing, it becomes necessary to power the device from the power supply in order to monitor certain processes, as well as in the event of a complete discharge of the battery or its absence. For our purposes, an adjustable power supply with an output voltage of 0 - 15 Volts and a current of 1 Ampere or more is suitable. When choosing a power supply, you should pay attention to the presence of voltage and current indicators in it, since during diagnostics and repairs we need to control these parameters. PSUs with digital and analog (arrow) indicators are sold. So, it is preferable to have a power supply with analog indicators, since they are visually much more informative, especially with rapidly changing processes due to their very low inertia. Digital indicators are not always able to display changes in one or another parameter and, most often, display only extreme values. Most often, power supplies are supplied with only a power cord, and at the output there are only terminals-clamps for connecting the connecting wires with which the consumer will be connected. It is very convenient to connect red and black wires to the “+” and “-” terminals, respectively, at the ends of which fasten small alligator clips. 17. An oscilloscope is an electronic device that is designed to measure and subsequently visually display on the screen a wide variety of quantities and signals, their amplitude and shape. There are many different types. There are no special requirements for this device, the main thing is that it is in good working order and has a bandwidth of at least 50 - 100 MHz. Well, which one to choose - on a cathode ray tube or with an LCD, large or small - is up to you. Here the question is the price and your capabilities. 18. Computer with Internet access. It all depends on your preferences. As for the computer, it is for repair that high performance is not required. The main thing is that programs load quickly and it is comfortable to work in them. There is only one caveat: to work with phones that require updating or restoring software, the computer must be protected from accidental power surges in the network or even shutting it off. For these purposes, you must use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or, preferably, a laptop. For software repairs, it is recommended to have a separate computer on which only programs for working with the appropriate programmers are installed and, of course, a set of all the latest firmware for the maximum possible number of phones. In any case, if the computer is connected to the Internet, downloading this or that firmware will not be difficult. 19. A set of programmers for software repair of cell phones. There are a large number of programmers, both universal - with support for a large number of phone brands, and designed for a specific brand (manufacturer) of phones. There is no single best one. Therefore, before purchasing, you need to familiarize yourself with the capabilities of several and choose according to your financial capabilities and, accordingly, your repair needs. And if necessary, purchase the necessary programmers.
Helpful information.
— More pages from the mobile phone repair training .
— Related training program for mobile phone salespeople.
— Tips for setting up mobile phones .
— Additional reference information on digital technology.
—
Radio online for a good mood.
Hiring staff
The number of employees who will be involved in the work of the workshop is regulated by the entrepreneur himself. If he has experience in gadget repair, he will be able to save on hiring a technician. If an entrepreneur does not want to participate in production processes, then he will need employees for two positions:
- serviceman;
- administrator.
The tasks of the repairman include performing the most important part of the work. The cost of such a specialist’s services depends on the number of his skills and abilities. The wider the master’s profile, the higher his salary will be. In 2020, the salary of repairmen starts from 30,000 rubles and reaches 80,000 rubles. “Universalists” that work with phones, tablets and computers are even more expensive.
The functions assigned to the repairman include the following:
- repairing gadgets and soldering SMD components;
- installation and configuration of software;
- block replacement of components;
- board restoration.
The range of tasks of an administrator is much simpler. He is required to perform two main actions:
- interaction with clients;
- tracking orders using a laptop.
The administrator's salary ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 rubles. At the initial stages of development, the entrepreneur often takes over the administration. This allows you to significantly save on wages. There are also the opposite situations, when a businessman repairs gadgets on his own and hires an employee to work with clients and organize data.
Important. When hiring personnel, it is necessary to conclude an agreement with future employees that confirms their financial responsibility.
As the business grows, additional employees will be required. These include accountants, managers responsible for receiving goods and additional craftsmen - as orders increase. As the flow of clients increases, the entrepreneur will not be able to track all financial transactions on his own.
Case: Promotion of a service for repairing cell phones and laptops
PROJECT PREVIEW
There is a service center for repairing cell phones, tablets and laptops. The service center wants to solve a number of problems:
— get new customers from VKontakte (increase profits);
— get new subscribers to the group;
— gain a higher level of fame and compete with the city’s leading service centers.
The relevance of the task lies in the fact that it is quite difficult to find the target audience (with the exception of girls who write posts on their pages like: “I broke my iPhone, sadness, sadness”), but they are an overwhelming minority and were not taken into account.
The obvious audiences are subscribers of competitor groups; the rest of the target audience is determined by testing.
There is very little information about promoting a cell/laptop repair service on the Internet, so I think my experience will be useful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi all! My name is Alexey Gorokhov, in addition to targeted advertising, I also do video editing and motion design.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The service technician repairs equipment in Kemerovo (smartphones, iPhones, tablets and laptops). This service center is a division of a larger company that repairs office equipment, refills cartridges, maintains local networks, etc.
Geographically, this unit is a small workplace for repairing cell phones and laptops in a large shopping center.
The VKontakte group existed, but initially it was tied to the service of the company itself, and not to cell phone repair.
The main task was to attract clients and subscribers to the group.
Target audience: owners of cell phones, tablets and laptops with malfunctions.
ABOUT WORK
Worked on the design of the group:
— cover, avatar, corporate identity;
— opened a discussion (questions about repairs, reviews). Before this, you could only contact the service by leaving a comment in a post;
— cleaned the group of old useless stuff and filled it with new thematic content (articles, reviews) + some photo design to recognize the group;
— added a widget for requests;
— added new photos of the service center to the album;
— made video reviews from clients;
INTERESTING INFORMATION: initially I came to take some high-quality photos of the service center, but later the idea arose to take a review and communicate with people live, talk about problems and pains, and get feedback. The girl in the video was the very first, she agreed and gave a very laudatory review. After she left, the master grabbed his head and said that he did not expect such an answer from her. She comes for the third time, she has a very complex malfunction, and at one point I even wanted to return her money, but I did everything the 3rd time.
Interestingly, none of the clients who spoke to me expressed criticism of the service. Everyone was quite friendly. I don’t know, maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe my appearance played a role))
— made a video review of a new product.
At the same time, I began to study the market for competitors and their groups on social networks. I collected all groups of competitors with a parser using keywords, analyzed their content and promotional posts. Approximately 90% of communities had extremely low activity, with almost no content. Of the remaining 10%, only 2 communities provided high-quality content and one of them provided targeted advertising on VKontakte (I checked the promotional posts, of course).
I also checked the presence of 2gis groups in the city, all new groups were checked for content and promotional posts. As a result, a dozen more large groups of competitors were identified.
During work we used the TargetHunter service.
During the test I chose the following audiences:
1) Audiences of competitors’ communities
— We collected the largest communities of competitors in the city through a search.
2) Audiences of thematic communities with words (iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.), then VKontakte filtered the participants by geolocation.
3) Audiences of urban communities of Kemerovo type (“overheard”, “spied on”, “incident”, etc.).
4) University students (collected through the VK RK) + groups in one way or another connected with these universities (“overheard by the university”, student council, university interest clubs - music, volunteers), etc. As a result, a fairly impressive group of groups was assembled.
5) Participants who have re-entered competitive communities (narrow audience).
6) Participants who have shown activity among competitors (narrow audience).
7) Geo settings in the Republic of Kazakhstan
We also made settings in the advertising account by type of mobile device: android, iPhone, iPad, Android tablets.
Audiences 5 and 6 were placed on a car case in order to immediately show them an advertising promotional post with a more profitable repair offer.
We decided not to use the side format and concentrate entirely on promotional posts.
During the advertising campaign, different settings and options were taken, the basis was men and women from 18 to 45 years old. The client also had a promotion: everyone who joined the group received a 10% discount on repairs.
ADVERTISING ADS
Before the start of the advertising campaign, a promotion was held. It didn't go very well, because... According to the terms, only 50% of the cost of repairs or goods could be paid with a certificate.
The promotion brought 18 clients to the customer.
Promotional posts that worked best:
A promotional post was designed for students with an appeal and a photo of the institute. Initially, I wanted to make a 15% discount for students, but I decided to try 10%; if that doesn’t work, increase it to 15% or 20%. But in the end it turned out that the 10% discount worked well.
RESULTS OF THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
Advertising budget – 11,000 rubles (rounded).
Transitions —2 244.
Introductions —584.
The average cost per click is 4.9 rubles.
The average price for joining is 18.83 rubles.
Number of applications – 127 (from requests to community messages).
The average application price is 86.6 rubles.
A request means an appeal to community messages for the purpose of repairing/clarifying a malfunction or price for replacing equipment.
Conclusions:
SMM is well suited for the niche of repair and service of smartphones, tablets and laptops, because... These devices are in first place in terms of distribution and the need for their maintenance will only grow.
The audiences that performed best were:
— students;
— new entrants into competitive groups;
— active in groups of competitors;
— there were fewer requests when setting up for Supergeo.
However, there are a couple of significant points that are very important for the promotion of the group:
- Quick response to client requests in community messages. You need to answer immediately whether it is business hours or not. Not all clients are ready to wait for an answer for hours; some do not like it and leave, which was evident in the first few days of the group’s work.
- Group content. High-quality content will greatly raise you above your competitors, because... The groups that produce quality content can be counted on one hand.
- Competitions. The competition with a 50% discount on repairs performed poorly. Either the offer was poorly organized, or the target audience was selected incorrectly. The issue with competitions is still open, but in my opinion there is no need to use raffles for sushi, sweets and other food. The raffle was a discount on repairs, 18 people came, but these were target clients, with whom the issue of repairs was then resolved in a personal meeting. With sushi or sweets, I think this amount would not have come.
4. Design. The group must at least somehow stand out (in general, this applies not only to repair groups). A little branding always goes a long way. High-quality photos of your content, interesting videos of the work process. And in general, video has recently been far ahead of static pictures in terms of conversion.
5. Discounts. Discounts are required for those joining the group and students. It is better to agree on the value with the customer.
WHAT'S NEXT
Create a block of products (the service center also sells accessories in addition to repairs), make posts describing these products, mount video reviews (for example, on a magnetic charging cable).
Use accessories as an additional bonus when renovating or highlight them as a separate product for sale. Identify and work on a target audience for laptop repair (there were very few applications in this part).
Source
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Business advertising
Advertising activities to attract customers for a service workshop do not require large investments. The main methods of making yourself known include three strategies:
- distribution of business cards in the area where the service center is located;
- posting ads on social networks and purchasing targeted advertising;
- creation of an official website or community on social networks.
Particular attention is paid to the creation of business cards and flyers. This promotional item contains the following information:
- types of repairs carried out;
- workshop location;
- contact details (telephone numbers and address).
Renting billboards to advertise your service will be a waste of money. The main method of “PR” for the center is word of mouth. Previous satisfied clients will help you attract new clients. Therefore, the main way to attract audiences has been and remains high-quality smartphone repairs. People will go to those workshops that are recommended by their friends, relatives, etc.
Reference. Before launching the service, it is recommended to analyze the prices for similar repair services in the area. At the beginning of work, the center may slightly lower the average price for repairs in order to ensure an influx of customers.
Organization of an advertising campaign
How to advertise your service point? If an authorized center has more than enough marketing opportunities, then for a private service the most effective advertising strategy remains the quality of its work.
“Word of mouth” is the most effective way of advertising for a small private workshop. A base of 40-50 regular customers can increase the flow of clientele by 3-4 times - this has been verified by the experience of working workshops. Do not neglect traditional methods of advertising:
- large signs and pillars placed near the workshop;
- distribution of leaflets and business cards;
- holding promotions and discounts on phone repairs;
- advertising on social networks.
We recommend reading:
- minor household repairs, “husband for an hour” –
- computer training –
Material costs
When calculating the costs of starting a gadget repair business, you should start from the purchase of equipment. All expenses for this item are presented in the table.
Table 1. Equipment costs for a service center
| Product | Amount (rub.) |
| Table + chair | 15 000 |
| Rack (2 pieces) | 20 000 |
| Desk lamp | 2 000 |
| Safe for valuables | 15 000 |
| Wardrobe for storing personal belongings | 5 000 |
| Laptop for order tracking | 35 000 |
| High precision instruments | 7 000 |
| Soldering installation | 20 000 |
| Ultrasonic bath | 15 000 |
| Oscilloscope | 10 000 |
| power unit | 5 000 |
| Soldering consumables | 6 000 |
| Set of wires | 1 500 |
| Vacuum tweezers | 2 000 |
| Programmer with wires | 8 000 |
| Total | 155 500 |
The costs of running a business are divided into start-up and regular. The starting ones include registering an individual entrepreneur, purchasing equipment, renovating premises, etc.
Table 2. Start-up capital for starting a phone repair business
| Expense item | Amount (rub.) |
| Business registration and paperwork | 10 000 |
| Arrangement of the premises | 75 000 |
| Buying tools | 70 500 |
| Promotional Events | 30 000 |
| Total | 195 500 |
Regular costs include the following:
- purchasing parts for gadgets;
- payment of salaries to staff;
- deduction of taxes to the Federal Tax Service (6% or 13% of the amount of income);
- payment of rent;
- promotional events.
Table 3. Regular costs of running a phone repair business
| Expense item | Amount (rub.) |
| Buying parts for smartphones | 25 000 |
| Renting premises | 30 000 |
| Payment of salaries to staff | 70 000 |
| Advertising campaigns | 20 000 |
| Total | 145 000 |
Reference. One of the main ways to save on opening a service is to host a workshop at home. The point for receiving and issuing orders does not require high-quality equipment.
What was done?
The first thing you start with when setting up an advertising campaign is a mind map. Using it, we can collect all the logic of customer search queries.
Thought Map
Thought map
What was worked out:
- Phone model names
- Synonyms for “telephone”
- All parts and parts of the phone
- Words denoting a breakdown or problem
- Selling supplements
We collected keyword masks and, using KeyCollector, collected all possible variants of user search queries. After the minus, we ended up with an impressive list of keywords.
Selection of keywords
As you can see, after cleaning up the garbage queries, we ended up with more than 7,000 keywords with a base frequency of 10.
Keyword grouping
The next item was grouping keywords. To avoid the “low impressions” status in each group, the total frequency exceeded 250 requests per month.
Another important point when grouping keywords is similarity in semantic meaning.
Keyword grouping
So I ended up with over 596 ad groups.
Writing advertisements
As I said above, the important point was the specified location. It was decided to add the name of the metro to the second heading. And take advantage of other advantages of the service center.
Example ad
Analytics system connections
In order to have an idea of the effectiveness of the advertising campaign, it was decided to use Google Analytics and dynamic telephony. Using these tools, we can track all requests left by people from an advertising campaign and telephone calls.
How much can you earn by repairing phones?
The income a businessman receives comes from markups. For consumables used, a standard markup of 100% is established. Repair work to eliminate defects is approximately 50% of the cost of parts, which is reported to the client.
A separate income item is dedicated to services that are not directly related to repair procedures. Such actions include updating the operating system, cleaning contacts, etc. If these services allow you to earn an additional 40,000 rubles, then the profitability of the enterprise is calculated as follows:
- monthly revenue: (25+100%) +(25+100%)*50%+40 = 110,000 rubles;
- net profit: (110 – 50) – 14% = 55,000 rubles.
If an entrepreneur retains a profit of 50,000 rubles, he will be able to pay for the service center within six months.
Table 4. Price list of the phone repair service center
| Name | Cost, rub.) |
| Diagnostics of a phone or tablet (if you agree to repair, the service is free) | 200 |
| Replacing smartphone connectors | 800 – 1 500 |
| Replacing tablet connectors | 1000 – 1 800 |
| Cleaning your smartphone | 800 |
| Replacing the gadget's touch glass (+ spare parts) | 800 – 8 000 |
| Replacing the gadget display (+ spare parts) | 1 000 – 5 000 |
| Replacing the device speaker | 800 |
| Smartphone component repair | 800 – 1 200 |
| Replacing the gadget cable | 800 – 1 500 |
| Software replacement | 800 |
| Technical conclusion after diagnosis | 1 200 |
Reference. For repairs of Apple equipment, different prices are put forward - they exceed the standard ones due to the high cost of parts. For example, replacing the display on iPhone 8 models costs gadget owners 15,000 rubles.
Expanding coverage, ways to optimize
We have already done the most important thing: we have optimized current campaigns and created a minimum flow of clients. Ahead of us lay regular, but no less important, support for campaigns, and in parallel with this, we gradually expanded requests and created new campaigns, trying to cover the entire range of services of the service center.
In the first month, we focused on Yandex.Direct and paid insufficient attention to Google Ads, which is why the cost of a lead in Google was too high: 1,576 rubles. Reducing this indicator became one of the important tasks for the next month.
First of all, we added to Ads those campaigns that were already in Direct. We not only transferred them, but also adapted them to a different advertising system: we added more titles, descriptions and extensions that Google supports.
The result was immediate: in the second month we were able to get 86% more leads while spending the same amount of money.
And the price of a lead decreased by 676 rubles, from 1576 to 900 rubles.
We achieved success not only in Google, but also in Yandex: with the same expenses, we were able to get 25% more leads, reducing the cost of a lead to 745 rubles.
Project payback
The phone repair business is based on a customer base. More visitors lead to increased sales, and vice versa. The return on investment of a service center is influenced by several factors:
- workshop location;
- dissemination of information about the opened center;
- quality of work of craftsmen;
- price level for services;
- quality of service from the administrator.
With a stable flow of clients, an entrepreneur will be able to break even in 4-5 months of continuous work. If at the first stage of development he needed unforeseen expenses, this period increases to 6-8 months. The maximum profitability of repair services per month is 80,000 rubles.
Reference. When the company's income begins to increase, the businessman may think about expanding his profile. This step will require additional costs for equipment and personnel, but will increase the reach of the target audience.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Which workshops are more profitable - authorized or unauthorized?
Many entrepreneurs choose an unauthorized type of service for a simple reason - to increase the number of potential customers. When choosing a specific manufacturer as a supplier, a businessman cuts down the target audience. But it also improves the quality of the services provided and offers only original parts. Authorization itself is a complex process that requires effort and time.
What are the risks associated with opening a smartphone repair shop?
Risks that an entrepreneur may face when starting a workshop include the constant emergence of competitors and the loss of a client base. Two criteria will help ensure a constant flow of visitors:
- availability of a highly professional repairman;
- acceptable price level for a particular region.
Therefore, before opening a phone repair business, it is necessary to analyze the existing market. You can inflate prices only if the service offers unique services that are not offered by competitors.
What is the most profitable method of advertising a service center?
When promoting a service center, it is recommended to focus on the Internet. People who are looking for a workshop make a request on Google or Yandex. In order for a potential client to see an advertisement for a specific workshop, it is necessary to set up targeted advertising. If you have a website, you should take care of SEO promotion of the resource so that it is visible on the first page. It is not practical to promote the center through newspaper ads or television advertising.
Yandex Polygons as a way out of the situation
In order to be shown only to people with a certain residence, it was decided to use Yandex Polygons. The idea is to mark a specific area on the map and, using bid adjustments, show our ads only to people who live in that area.
Yandex Polygon
Location-specific bid adjustments
Bid adjustments
The cost of a click on other ads does not exceed the amount of the guarantee
Cost comparison
Thus, we have excluded showings throughout Moscow and will only win the auction in the place we need.
