How to Manage Your Inventory

How to Manage Your Inventory

Save time, money, and frustration by developing and organizing your stock of inventory. Ordering on an as-needed basis may work for some technicians, but having an organized stock of parts on hand will make all the difference in putting your business ahead of the rest!

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” –Benjamin Franklin

Each time I speak with a technician new to the repair business, there are a lot of questions about which parts to stock and how much to stock. Though this varies greatly between each business, I give the same advice to each technician: be prepared. Developing an organized inventory of parts can eliminate a great deal of stress if an unforeseen problem arises during a repair, and can save you time and money in the long run. We are fortunate enough to receive great discounts on shipping through our relationship with FedEx, which allows us to offer low-cost shipping to our customers. This makes it possible for many repair shops to operate with very low overhead and order parts on an as-needed basis. However, being prepared with back up inventory enables the technician to anticipate and fix future issues, and also allows businesses to offer same day repairs. No one wants to be without his or her device for long, and offering same day service in today’s industry is the best way to separate your business from the competition. A prepared technician is a happy technician – and happy customers! So, what parts should be kept on hand as back up? Luckily for those wondering, we have a new section of our eTech Parts website dedicated to help you build an inventory of parts. Listed below are the parts we frequently advise our customers to carry:

• Headphone Jack Cables
• Charging Ports
• Top Microphone
• Proximity Sensor Covers
• Specific Adhesive/Universal Adhesive
• Home Buttons and Home Button Flex Cables
• Power/Volume/Mute switch Cables
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Cables
• Screw Sets
• Frames and Bezels

With screens and batteries leading the way, it’s obvious you would need a couple extra on hand for the most common repairs. However, smaller parts, like screw sets and cables with multiple functions such as headphone jacks and power/volume cables, can come in handy when small mistakes are made. Even the most talented technicians can make mistakes, and having these parts on hand will give you peace of mind. This may sound like a lot, but no warehouse is required to have a good inventory system in place. With a couple hundred dollars and an organized inventory system, you can change your business today! This is simple as setting up an Excel worksheet with your common items, noting what you have in stock, and checking inventory on a regular basis. Knowing what parts you’ll need for the amount of repairs you average weekly can help you set up a regular ordering system as well. Next time you place an order, consider grabbing a few additional parts. Most of these small parts are well under $10, and you never know when you’ll need them! So what steps have you taken to get your repair shop inventory under control? As always we’d love to hear from you! Keep checking back for more industry news and updates from your favorite parts supplier, eTech Parts.