Jewelry repair tracking: how to stop losing jobs and missing due dates
By the JewelTrak team ·
Repairs bring customers back through the door, and they are also where things go wrong. A ring sits in an envelope on the wrong desk. A job goes out to the setter and nobody writes down when. A customer calls to ask if it is ready and nobody knows without digging through a drawer.
Most of these problems come down to the same thing: the job only exists on paper, and the paper is in one place at a time. Here is what a good repair tracking process looks like, whether you use software or not.
Take the job in completely at the counter
Write down everything at drop off: the customer, a clear description of the piece, the metal and stones, the condition (scratches, worn prongs, missing stones), and exactly what the customer asked for. Take a photo. Quote the price and the due date before the customer leaves. Have the customer sign the ticket. A complete intake protects you if there is ever a question about what came in.
Give every job one owner at a time
At every moment, one person or one vendor should have the job: the counter, the bench, a setter, the engraver, an outside caster. When it moves, record who has it now and when it is due back. This is the step that keeps jobs from disappearing.
Keep a single board of every open job
Everyone in the store should be able to see every open job, where it is, and which ones are late. A board sorted by due date shows the problems before the customer calls about them.
Keep the customer informed
Customers worry less when they hear from you first. Let them know when the job is in progress, when it is ready, and if anything changes. A text message is usually enough.
Get approval before costly work
Custom work and larger repairs need the customer's approval on the design and the price before work starts. Record the approval, and take a deposit on custom work.
Close the job properly at pickup
When the customer picks up, check the piece with them, collect the balance, and have them sign. The job should turn into the invoice so the payment, the sales tax and the sale are recorded together.
Review what is late every week
Once a week, look at every job past its due date and every piece that has been sitting at a vendor. Late jobs that nobody is watching are the ones that become lost jobs.
How JewelTrak does it
JewelTrak puts every repair and custom job on one work order board that shows who has each piece and when it is due back. Customers can approve CAD designs by link, get status updates by text or email, and sign at drop off and pickup, and the job becomes the invoice when it is picked up.
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