Last Friday I visited TFix in Mitcham. Business owner Tad has been involved with Restart for several years now. He was a guest on our podcast and joined us for International Repair Day in October.
His business TFix specialises in the repair of all kinds of personal and entertainment electronics, ranging from drones to games consoles. His modern and well equipped repair lab is based in South London. His customers however are from all across the country as the majority of repairs reach him by post.
Tad believes that repair businesses need to take care of customer needs and provide clear information on any repair updates. To make sure that his customers are informed, he has created his own contact management system that automatically updates customers on updates with the repair. He says that this has improved customer satisfaction.
Informing customers also helps building trust with them. Regularly, Tad’s customers have been going to another place for their repair first, but were not happy with the work done. Therefore Tad thinks that a system is needed to ensure repair businesses provide quality service. He sees our Repair Directory as a great first step towards such a system.
Currently, there is no trade organisation for businesses repairing small electric and electronic devices in the UK. Quite a shame, as Tad says. He thinks that such an organisation would benefit the whole repair sector. It could offer training opportunities and support businesses in maintaining the quality of their work. Most of all, it would be an opportunity to network.
For Tad, International Repair Day was a good way to meet other repair businesses. He enjoyed sharing ideas and experiences with others in the industry and keeps up the contact to other businesses now. He is looking forward to similar events in the future, and so are we!