Depot repair of point of sale (POS) & IT hardware - choosing a vendor:
#2 Experience
Part 2 of this series explores the questions you should ask around the experience of depot repair vendors if you are considering this method to compliment your operation.
How long have they been trading?
Stability is crucial when outsourcing. Vendors with an established history will have traded through many business cycles and this gives a strong clue that they will continue to do so. They will be comfortable when talking in these terms and sharing their business continuity methods.
What skills do the technicians possess?
With experience comes knowledge. An established company will have built up a tremendous amount of technical expertise over the years within its technical department. So ask about this team:
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Find out who the longest serving staff members are.
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Press for an average length of service.
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Learn about the qualifications the technicians possess.
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Understand what internal training is taken.
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Transparent vendors will be accommodating if you wish to speak directly to the members of staff who will be completing the actual repair work on your behalf. You should be striving for a relationship where the links between you, your in-house colleagues and an external repair team is seamless.
Are you knowledgeable about my hardware?
The skills of the technicians should help you answer this question, but do go further. You can ask about model numbers or the type of equipment that is generally present in your particular sector.
However, do not be put off if a vendor is unable to supply precise repair prices because they are not overly familiar with your hardware. Many familiarities exist between the manufacturers, and so repair techniques are similar. For peace of mind, simply send in a sample of devices from your range for repair and see how they come back. Reputable vendors will carry out these trials free of charge and will then supply prices for future work.
What resources are at my disposal?
Along with being able to speak to a vendor’s technicians directly, you can ask about what else they can provide to aid your running. For example, if you are managing an in-house team and seek a vendor for some component-level repairs or for overflow work in times of high demand, ask if they have anything to share. The vendor may publish a tech blog, provide guidance sheets or instructional videos on repairs for example, all of which you could put to use. They could also go a step further and assist with inventory management.
Can you tell me more about your customer base?
Perhaps the most revealing indicator of a vendor’s credentials is the work they are already carrying out. So obtain case studies from them or ask to speak directly to some of their customers. Length of custom is also important here, as you can take a lot from a relationship that extends over many years.
Once again however, do not discount a vendor who is unable to provide an example from your specific field. Repair work that they carry out will be very similar across industry ranges. So again fact-find with a trial. This is specific to both you and your equipment and will allow a vendor to highlight their potential worth.
What is your geographical coverage?
If you are a retailer for example, you will need to determine whether a depot repair center can assist all of your locations. This could number thousands of stores. So ask how the potential vendor handles logistics and how they assist with others who share your profile. In these cases, established depots can quickly explain how they regularly rival the service provided by on-site support vendors at a fraction of the cost.
