From our research, for a school of 1000 students, you will be repairing about 25 Chromebooks per week. This can be a cracked screen, fluid got in the device, the software isn’t working, the keys on the keyboard are sticky. Like any device, many things can happen, especially in the hands of students.

Each repair is between $50 and $200. That’s between $1200 and $5000 dollars a week on repairs. At that rate, it would be silly not to manage repairs. Therefore, in this blog, we are going to review why you need to manage Chromebook repairs. This includes going over the importance of inventory management and tracking repair details.

The complexities of Managing Repairs

Managing repairs in any organization is a complex task. It involves multiple individuals, paperwork, processes, and its own policies. Organizations rely on IT to have these systems in place. Without, them the productivity of the company suffers. For schools, it’s the students that suffer. They may not get to participate in class, complete homework, or worse, lose the chance of learning something new. Repair management is therefore extremely important in schools.

Inventory

Having a stock of additional Chromebooks is extremely important in repair management. In an instance where a student breaks a laptop, there isn’t a problem because another laptop is waiting for him or her. The number of Chromebooks you keep in inventory depends on the number of repairs, the types of repairs, and how many students there are. Inventory management, on its own, can get complex. At the bare minimum, know that you need an inventory of additional Chromebooks, a budget for them and to pay attention to the circulation of Chromebooks to determine the ideal number of backup laptops you need in the school.

Repair Details

There are many details about repairs to track. You should be tracking:

• Type of repair
• Cost of repair
• What repairs you can do in-house
• What repairs you need to outsource
• Who is responsible for the repair, if not in-house
• Insurance, warranties

Importance of tracking these Details

• Better estimate costs for repair, for the school and therefore help with forecasts and budgeting
• Build stronger relationships with vendor and manage them properly
• Develop the internal ability to fix some of the repairs in-house
• Decide whether or not it’s worth repairing
• Determine if insurance and/or warranties are serving your school properly or if they need to be adjusted

Detailed Example of Why Knowing the Type of Repair is Important

We can talk about each component of repairs in great detail but let’s hone in on the type of repair. Tracking the type of repair helps you identify trends in recurring damages. That way, you can adjust your budget and how you address them accordingly.

By tracking the type of repair, you also set off a bunch of questions you need to answer. Depending on your school, you may ask them in a different order, but here is an example of the workflow when you determine the type of repair of a broken Chromebook:

1. How much does the repair cost?
2. Is it worth repairing?
3. Does the Chromebook have a warranty?
4. Is this repair covered by insurance?
5. Who is the best vendor to repair it?
6. How long will it take to repair it?
7. Do we have a spare Chromebook to give to the student?
8. How long will the student need the spare Chromebook?
9. Which Chromebook do we lend out?

Conclusion

Each part of repair management leads to more processes and more systems to set in place. That is why it’s so complex.

For beginners, focus on tracking the repair details. That way, when you are ready to create the processes and systems, you have information to work with.

For any help with repair management, schedule a call with VIZOR for Chromebooks – an affordable solution to track who has what, track repairs and manage repairs in the Education sector.