Repair Overflow? How to Manage When Your Jewelry Business is Too Busy
Is your jewelry business receiving more repair orders than you can manage? It’s a great problem to have, but scrambling to keep up can impact your business. You might notice that your repair quality, customer service standards, or turnaround times get compromised in the process. To make sure that your team is still producing exceptional results and performing efficiently while dealing with high volume periods, take the time to strategize about repair order overflow. In this article, we’ll explore how to keep your jewelry business running smoothly when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Reconsider Your Staffing Needs
Receiving an overwhelming amount of repair orders might be an indicator that your business is growing rapidly, and that your team should grow too. Evaluate your staffing needs and figure out if it’s the right time to expand your team to meet the increased demand. Hiring more staff has its pros and cons; hiring can be an arduous and expensive process. But on the other hand, more jewelers and customer service representatives can get more done than fewer, which ultimately means more revenue for your jewelry business. Meet with your human resources department and accountants to determine if growing your team is the right move for your business. If it makes more sense, consider bringing on temporary employees for seasonal work instead of full time hires. This can help you scale up your business during predictable busy seasons, like the holidays, without committing to paying a permanent salary and benefits.
Communicate Clearly (With Everyone)
When your team is overwhelmed with repair orders, it’s important to make sure that everyone’s on the same page. That means everyone — your team and your customers alike. Too much work can make your jewelers stressed, and any ambiguity about assigned responsibilities or turnaround time expectations can exacerbate the issue. Be sure to effectively communicate with your repair team to check in on their due dates and their progress.
Similarly, it’s important for your customer service team to provide accurate turnaround times for your customers. They should check in with your jewelers to get the most up-to-date timing estimates, and then communicate those timelines clearly to the customer. Most customers won’t be upset about a longer repair turnaround than they expected as long as they’re given the information up front. When everyone’s on the same page, you can keep up with your orders a lot more efficiently, and your customers will be satisfied.
Create an Organized System
Putting an organized system in place can save a lot of time, headaches, and frustration when your team is overwhelmed. Build a clear and organized system to process repair orders effectively from start to finish. The cost and time needed for repairs will vary; find a way to categorize or triage your orders based on the types of repairs you tend to see, how your jewelers are specialized, and your jewelry business goals. This might mean that you prefer that your very high-paying customers are bumped to the front of the queue or that your team prioritizes knocking out quick, simple orders before focusing on the longer, more complicated projects. Making a simple system your team can fall back on will help keep operations on track when stress levels rise.
Use Tech Tools to Streamline Your Workflow
Implement tools and platforms that help streamline your work processes and maximize efficiency. The right technology can help your team stay on top of overflowing orders by centralizing information and clarifying responsibilities. Look into software or apps that allow you to organize and manage your repair orders. This could be a shared calendar that your team can use to keep track of due dates and repair details, or project management software that allows you to assign tasks, set timelines, and manage progress.
Additionally, examine your repair process for any redundancies or bottlenecks that slow things down. With more orders coming in, you want your workflow to be as streamlined as possible. Look for ways to expedite steps like batching similar repair orders together. Simple changes like using a digitized system instead of paper order forms can make fulfilling many orders much less chaotic. The right mix of organization and technology will let your team work through a flood of jewelry repairs efficiently.
Find a Trusted Repair Partner
If you’ve done everything on this list and you’re still over your head with repair orders, consider outsourcing overflow repairs to a trusted partner. An experienced provider can take your overflow off your hands, ensuring fast turnarounds and high quality service so you can focus on the aspects of your business that need your attention most. Outsourcing allows you to focus on complex, specialty repairs in-house. When you find a partner you trust, you can scale up capacity and deliver speedy service during busy times.
If you’re ready to tackle your repair orders with efficiency, use a tech tool like Reshyne. Reshyne is an all-in-one, cloud-based repair software for your jewelry and watch business. The platform makes it easy for your team to communicate with each other, assign orders, and manage the repair process. Our experienced repair team can even help you by taking over a portion of your repair orders. Schedule a demo today to find out how Reshyne can help your growing business thrive.
