The Repair Network
Monthly
Issue: 1 June 17
OUR LAUNCH! A“Rightto-Repair” “Out of excuses” Or an Apple targeted shakedown?
+ Update on Whirlpool + Asian Supply Chain
Top 10 Apps for businesses + 5 steps to build your own website
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ManageMy Monthly
ManageMy Repairs As well as continuously improving and growing our consumer product, we have plans for the service and subscriptions we offer you too, and we always want to know what you think. We’ll make sure that before we introduce a new feature or service we get feedback from you first. This month we’d like to know what you would consider to be more valuable to your business: Parts exchange: building on the parts exchange area in the forum, we want to bring you a better way of getting rid of your old parts and buying the ones you need. You’d be able to upload an inventory of your available parts to ManageMy and search for parts you need. OR Quotes and booking engine: anyone who can save customers time is onto a winner. Giving customers estimated prices for their repair at the click of a button rather than expecting them to call round the search results will get them to you faster. If a customer doesn’t pick you, but has received a quote, we’ll inform you of the cost of the winning quote.
So, tell us which solution you prefer and why OR do you have an issue that needs solving more urgently? We want to know how we can help. Tell us here: editorial@managemy.com Chief Product Officer - Nicole Sanders
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elcome to the launch of ManageMy Monthly! We are here to be your go-to resource to stay up-to-date and on-the-pulse within the aftermarket services sector. Bringing you the hot topics and must know information on what’s going on in your industry. In this inaugural issue we will be taking you through our launch, the movers and shakers in the repair world, news, product release, tips for your business, customer insight and more‌ Off the bat, we here at ManageMy would like to again welcome you to the network and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship. We as well want thank you for choosing to read our first issue, coinciding with the much anticipated launch of our repair network. Be sure to check in on our online repair portal for more helpful content and videos. As domestic products become more connected, we know how important it is for your business to stay connected to the industry. And in-turn remain connected to your consumers through our app. General Editor Kieran Simmonds
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ManageMy Monthly
IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE
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ManageMy Repairers:
A road map on what to expect from our repair-network, relating to repairers
Westpoint Building 1, Westpoint Business Park, Paisley, PA3 2RB
Contributors Editor-in-Cheif: John Bellingham Executive Editor: Nicole Sanders General Editor Kieran Simmonds Design: Kieran Simmonds Branding: Phillip Haig
Thanks to Steve Beaman LG Neil Spanswick Phone Service Centre Flickr - iphonedigital Flickr - bagogames Flickr - KarlasKambrans All material in this publication is covered by copyright. No part of the content within may be reproduced or transmitted in any form - in whole or in part without wriitten permission from ManageMy. While care has been taken in the production of the magazine, no responsibility is accected for any errors or ommissions.
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Editor’s Welcome: Our general editor welcomes you to ManageMy Monthly
Director’s Note:
John Bellingham Welcomes you to ManageMy repair network & mag
Industry News:
Apple to do Battle Over ‘Right-to-Repair’
Supply Chain News: “The Asian Supply Chain” and how to mitigate risk
Product Releases: We look at some of the big releases of the coming month Industry News: Whirlpool debacle continues...
An Interview with: Steve Beaman of LG
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April Events: What’s on this month in the repairs, tech and start-up industry. Business Tips: Top 10 Apps for Small businesses
Business Tips: “Five Steps to Build a Website”
The Customer: Customers rights, what you should know when selling or repairing goods. ManageMy for the Consumer: An insight. Spotlight: We take look at Phone Service Centre
An Interview with: Neil Spanswick of Phone Service Centre
Q&A with John Bellingham: Quick fire questions with the co-founder and MD of ManageMy
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A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
The journey to a well rounded experience for repairer and customer starts here. Welcome to ManageMy Monthly, and again, welcome to the ManageMy repairer network! For too long the aftermarket services sector has been left behind as sales and marketing departments continue to invest in, and employ, high-level technological tools to meet their goals. With ManageMy, the aftermarket services sector will be the forgotten distant relative no more! We’re proud to call ourselves an innovative technology company, and we want to change the way consumers, suppliers, and repairers interact. As a repairer, we want you and your business to thrive, whilst also ensuring the consumer is getting a great experience whenever their products fail. We want to develop and encourage a mentality of ‘repair, not replace’ within our consumer community, something that I believe will only be achieved by providing true convenience to the consumer – i.e. literally putting repair options at their fingertips, via the ManageMy app. I co-founded ManageMy to change the aftermarket services sector, not for me, not for suppliers, but for consumers, and in turn, the repairers who deal with these consumers daily. Our monthly magazine will be chock full of valuable content about YOUR INDUSTRY, straight to your desk, browser or device! We will deliver business profiles, interviews, industry news, reviews and more, ensuring you’ll stay bang up to date with what’s happening in the aftermarket services sector. The thing is, we want to be considered the authority in the aftermarket services space, but we’re not conceited enough to think we know everything. To bring you maximum value every month, we need your feedback and we want to hear which topics you’d like to see covered in future editions. MD & Co-Founder John Bellingham
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GE T IN TOUC H Y O U M I G H T A L R E A D Y B E A B L E T O T E L L , B U T, W E A R E D E S P E R AT E T O H E A R F R O M Y O U ! Whether you want to talk about the editorial, the repair network, consumer offer or anything else relating to ManageMy or your business - all you need is to reach out! Contact us for the following enquiries. Feedback: editorial@managemy.com Editorial + Letters to: kieran.simmonds@managemy.com or ManageMy - FAO Kieran Simmonds Westpoint Building 1, Westpoint Business Park, Paisley, PA3 2RB
Alternatively, you can check out the forum! www.manageymy.com/forum
Here you can reach out to our editor or the repair community. Ask our helpful moderators to point in you in the right direction.
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ManageMy Monthly
APPLE TO DO BATTLE OVER “RIGHT TO REPAIR” Te x t b y K ier an Simm o nds
If a change in legislation is pushed through it could send shockwaves through the repair industry...
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obbying groups across several American states are supporting legislation which will make it easier for consumers and independent repair businesses to repair devices. Apple, which currently has the right to be the sole distributor of replacement parts for their products is opposing any change to the laws. The dispute, which came back into the spotlight when farmers, were prevented from fixing their tractors and reared its head again over the faulty Nintendo Switch joy-pad could have implications across industries. Although this legislation will only immediately affect the 8 states where the bill is proposed this legislation could have ramifications beyond the United States.
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Typically, right to repair
laws, or fair repair laws, require manufacturers to publish repair manuals and sell the parts, tools, and software needed before an independent outfit can repair the device. The goal of the lobbyists is to ensure once a product is purchased manufacturers do not have a monopoly on repairing their devices. It is the trade organization Repair.org lead by Gay Gordon-Byrne that is described by Motherboard as being the most important advocate in blocking manufacturers dictating who can repair its products. Meaning, she and the individuals around her will be at loggerheads with Apple, among others, who themselves have hired lobbying groups to oppose the bill. Gay Gordon-Byrne would be the first to admit rights to repair legislation usually doesn’t
get past the proposal stage. There have been multiple recent incidents that have brought the issue back into public view. As mentioned the ongoing row over farmers right to repair their tractors got the ball rolling but with the legislation is also applicable to electronics in 5 of the 8 states, and with 27000 supporters in New York alone, this legislation could have a lasting impact. It is this support that has given Gay the authority to demand a change be made, and she described her opposition as “running out of excuses”. She goes on to state leading opposition to right-to-repair laws now fall back on “the last gasp… safety issue”. By this she means, tech companies argue that their customers are apparently unable and cannot be trusted to repair their phone, without injury.
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UK TOPS PRODUCTIVITY IN TECH,
According to Tech Nation, tech workers are twice as productive, for the UK economy, then those in non-digital industries.
UBER PULLS SELF-DRIVING CARS AFTER CRASH
Uber has suspended all three of its self-driving car fleets following a crash in Arizona, according to Tech Crunch.
CALL FOR WHATS APP CHATS TO BE ACCESSIBLE BY SECURITY SERVICES
Home secretary Amber Rudd has asked that Facebook owned messenger WhatsApp should allow British security services access its customers’ messages (Bloomberg)
BT FINED £42 MILLION FOR LATE INSTALLATION
Ofcom has hit the telecoms giant with a fine of £42 million while setting aside another £300m to repay providers for delayed install of internet lines(BBC)
SECURITY FEARS AS RESEARCH SHOWS ‘DANGEROUS’ AND ‘ALARMING’ FLAWS IN IOT SECURITY.
Barrs Group, that conducted the research claims there has been dangerously adequate planning surround the security of most IoT devices. (IoT News)
Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit and right to repair activists dismisses the idea that because something exists now it shouldn’t be protected. Wiens who wrote a piece titled “You bought that gadget, and dammit, you should be able to fix it” he talks to his friend, and repairer, Michael Oberdick that supports Wiens view – stating “if we do not continue fighting for right-to-repair, we may not be here in a few years”. He makes this statement on the back of increasing part prices as the tech companies make it harder and more expensive to complete repairs, Wiens and Oberdick both recollect when anyone with a few tools and a manual could repair anything “with a little patience”. Apple, who feels it’s licenses are threatened by the newest wave of the right to repair legislation was the
key to the proposed legislation being tabled in Nebraska.
“If I became an Apple certified repairer I would lose 75% of my customers”
Apple may be heading up the campaign to oppose the new right-to-repair laws, but they are not the only ones. All the OEM’s out there will be considering the arguments and all, will likely, side with Apple. John C Dvorak ponders this notion and writes for PC mag “Why would Samsung, for example, want to license its IoT refrigerator rather than sell it to you? Many reasons: To prevent you from using anything other than an official Samsung repair service. To prevent you from reselling the device. To prevent you from bad-mouthing the product.”
Gay and her supporters argue that the giants in the tech industries opposition, whom plead they have “safety concerns”, are hiding the real reason for resistance to the bill, greed. And, actually, the need for independent repairers to use parts bought from third party manufacturers is far more of a safety concern than any repair itself. Another repairer states “if I became an Apple certified, I would lose 75% of my opportunities to do repairs on things and would have to send the business to Apple for a small finders fee”. Currently, there is no proposed change in the law in the UK, however, the sentiments expressed transcend national borders along with the OEMs (and the repairs that come with them) do, and with growing public support, this issue does not look like dying down anytime soon. 9
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THE
ASIAN
Mitigating supply chain risk is a challenge all businesses know too well, by understanding the Asian supply chain and your options when it doesn’t work will set you up for success....
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he Asia supply chain affects everything we do, even fish having been caught in Scotland is shipped to China to be filleted, only to then return to UK stores. This is the nature of a globalized market, but the replacement parts market is now over saturated with bad quality parts. The ‘Made in China’ stamp is not inherently the mark of a bad product, although some would tell you otherwise. To understand why Chinese products have a bad rep you have to first understand China’s domestic consumers. Manufacturers are often in a race to the bottom because domestic Chinese shoppers generally go for the cheapest product, and if they don’t want the cheapest – they want the very best. This
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leaves little room for maneuvering in the high-end market and explains why there is seen to be a gap in quality when buying from many Chinese factories.
“The supply chains themselves have changed” For the last 30 years manufacturing has moved east, China was the first to become a manufacturing hub, and now India boasts comparable output to China, with Thailand and Vietnam making attempts to follow suit. Despite what may seem like a normalized system of cheap Asian products being shipped globally; companies still struggle to cope with the logistic, analysing risk, forecasting
demand and avoiding disruptions. John Manners-Bell, the author of Supply Chain Risk, noted that modern supply chains were most at risk from disruptions “it’s not necessarily that there have been more events, it’s the supply chains themselves have changed”. It is true that we are living in tumultuous times but a supply chain that, although ever changing, has been in place for many years should have easier to maneuverer by now, shouldn’t it? It is vital for businesses to be prepared for events affecting their supply chain, particularly for repairers. How can we in the repair sector mitigate the risks and pitfalls that come with buying from Asia? Understanding the way factories make their product (and who for) is key.
S U P P LY Some factories will have been supplying Western markets for decades and can churn out high-quality products on request while others will default back to their minimum-cost and low-quality production techniques. If you’re a small business this may seem a daunting ask to know individual factories when a quick search on AliBaba.com (or any other reseller) will take you to exactly the part you’re looking for. Many repairers will claim it’s the best, and only option. However, it is possible when dealing with parts resellers to gauge the potential risks. Asking your suppliers questions around potential stock shortages, product fail-rate and who supplies the reseller.
Finding a reliable supply
chain for parts is one of the key daily challenges for repairers. It is always frustrating telling a customer you can’t repair their device because the part is too difficult to source, or is still weeks away from delivery. You lose out on their immediate custom and may turn them off coming back in the future. One solution, although some way-down-the-line, is 3D printing. The benefits of 3D printing for the repair sector is clear, no need to cumbersome stock rooms or warehouses when you can print the part you need on site. Of course, it would also negate any risk of buying from abroad, your shipment won’t gets held at Hong Kong seaport because of an anti-China protest or heavy
CHAIN rainfall has blocked roads in Kerala, you simply download and print. However, this option is not cost effective… yet. For us, at ManageMy, there is a more immediate solution – repairers share parts with (wait for it) each other! Very soon ManageMy repair partners will be able to share parts, making any upsets in your supply chain more manageable and may reduce the need to source parts from abroad. Which ever you decide to maneuver the complexities of sourcing parts from Asia or elsewhere we want your feedback on how we can help. Take to our forum to consult peers or contact us directly editorial@managemy.com Te x t b y K ier an Simm o nds
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Top Releases
ManageMy Monthly
Huawei P 10 – Available in the UK 31st of March
Teaming up with luxury camera brand Leica, GoPro and Pantone – this ‘dream team’ is set to put out the first phone of 2017 to challenge for the best smart phone camera. We still haven’t tried the latest installment of the Huawei P9 series but this is one we are very excited about. The collab with Leica has lead to a phone with 20mp dual lens camera, shooting n 4k video and for the “fashion forward instagrammers” it boasts best front facing camera on the market.
LG G6 – Available in the UK 7th April 2017
The new smart phone from LG is rumoured to be the LG we’ve been waiting for. The G6 is another smart phone to adopt a dual lens camera and a bigger screen. This update on their premium G line has taken some flak from fans of the line for changing direction. But, with a beautiful design, inbuilt Google assistant and an upgraded camera this might be LG’s first phone with mass market appeal.
Google Home – Available in the UK 6th of April
The voice-controlled personal assistant is already available in America and Google will hope it can dent the Amazon Echo’s dominance in the UK market. With Microsoft Cortana, Amazon Echo, Apple’s Siri and Google Home all vying to take the lead with voice controlled assistants it looks like a more connected home is here to stay. Google Home, like the Amazon Echo is an speaker system but with Apple rumored to be bringing its own version out soon who will come out on top? 12
Samsung Galaxy S8 - Available in the UK on the 9th of March
After the debacle with the Note 7, Samsung will be looking for a controversy free launch. New features include Samsung Pay, monitor connectivity, iris scanning and Bixby (Samsung’s own AI assistant). It is expected the that S8 will have the best video recording capabilities in the market, remarkably it can shoot 1000 frames per second, 8 times better then the iPhone 7. However, it is yet to be seen if Samsung can win back consumers trust.
Nintendo Switch – Out now
Not even Nintendo predicted the ‘Switch’ to be the hit has turned-out to be, proven by their stocking trouble. No sooner can a retailer restock before announcing they’ve sold out days later. With beautiful games like Zelda driving sales and caming institions like Pokémon and streetfight to come we expect Nintendo is intending to cash in on its hit product.
Check back next month for more top releases and reviews.
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Industry News
WHIRLPOOL SAGA CON T INUES The faulty tumble dryer saga goes on as the campaign to make Whirlpool ‘do more’ steps up.
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his story just won’t go away for Whirlpool, and with their handling of it nobody is surprised. Their lack of action on this matter has lead to claims of not taking the issue seriously and calls for them to ‘do more’ for affected customers. IN NUMBERS Which? Magazine is • 76000 out of 100000 heading up the | signatures campaign and want a full recall of the at • 750 fires between risk dryers and the 2005 - 2015 government to models address issues with • 127 affected product safety. • 5 million customers With 75000 out effected of the 100000 signatures needed, Which? are closing in on their target meaning parliament is obliged to discuss the issue and address the fact there is still 5 million ‘at risk’ tumble dryers that have not been
recalled. Whirlpool has already taken a lot of media flak for not taking significant action since a fire caused by a faulty dryer last August left families homeless. Whirlpool has made moves to reconcile with its customers by offering a free repair if you can wait some months for a replacement, or pay £99 for a different model with no fault. But with, the £99 option now off the cards due to stock shortages Whirlpool has again been slammed, this time by Which? CEO Alex Neil who states “This is another blow for customers with faulty Whirlpool dryers who are already facing a long wait to get a potentially dangerous machines out of their home”. • The fault which is caused by excess fluff catching the heating element of the machine has been linked to a number of recent blazes in home
across the UK. Trading Standard last week accused manufacturers of “failing to take the issue serious” on the back of many customers claiming their replacement dryers were on the list of products flagged as faulty. Again, prompting Whirlpool to implement a further hurdle for customers to by-pass before having a safe working product, they will now prompt consumers to confirm their replacements have a green sticker “meaning: SAFE”. However, with 4000 cases being dealt with a day and with 220000 fixed dryers to date you could see how their customer service team could become over-awed. This is in no way justifies the situation consumers face and will not stop calls for an independent monitoring body, off the back of Whirlpools handling of the situation.
Text by Kieran Simmonds 14
AN INTERVIEW WITH...
STEVE BEAMAN BY JOHN BELLINGHAM
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his month we i n t e r v i e w S te v e B ea m a n o f LG Electronics, who has been working in the a f t e r m a r k e t s e r v i ce s i n d u s t r y f o r 3 6 y ea r s , w h e r e h e h a s a cc u m u l a t e d a w ea l t h of knowledge and e x p e r i e n ce i n a f t e rs a l e s ca r e f o r w h i te , brown, and mobile co n s u m e r g o o d s .
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself; what’s your general experience and how did you arrive where you are today? A: Originally I started out in my working life training to be an architect, however after becoming disillusioned in the 1970s with the ‘sameness’ of building planners, and discovering that I had a strong interest in electronics, I decided to study this field. To pay for this, I took a job with a small retailer, which was effectively my introduction to the service industry, where I’ve remained for the last 36 years. Over these years “Service” has become much more than the repair of the product, with the new legislation that’s been introduced, especially from an environmental perspective Over the years I have become involved in many aspects of consumer products, including environmental legislation, product standards, recycling, and
consumer legislation. I’ve also had the opportunity to join the board of a WEEE compliance business, join a board of a trade association, and had opportunities to extensively travel, experiencing how other countries approach aftersales care. Q: Give us a brief overview of a typical working week in your current role? A: Typically, I work with the various managers of all the internal departments that make up ‘Service’ to ensure that we deliver on our KPIs. Aside from the normal daily and weekly meetings, we’re also looking to the future, finding out what’s happening in the marketplace, what new products are launching, identifying any additional training requirements that may be required, and sharing information with our partnering network....
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Q: What do you generally find to be your biggest day-to-day challenges or time-consuming tasks? A: That would be ‘people’. I was told many years ago that people would be the hardest part of my role as a manager, but I would also add to that, the task of meeting consumers’ expectations. No two consumers are the same, and it’s typically the 0.01% of consumers who consume a disproportionate amount of time. Another challenge would be obtaining fast, accurate and detailed information from our partners. Q: What do you find to be your biggest challenges when dealing with your supplier network, and why? (e.g. Spare Parts, Logistics, Repairs, Retailers etc.) A: One of the main challenges is with couriers; they are designed to simply move a box from ‘A’ to ‘B’, but they lack that ‘people skill’ element when dealing with consumers. A vehicle breakdown, a traffic holdup, driver shortage, means they may miss an SLA but often they don’t consider that a consumer may have taken time off work to wait for the delivery. I don’t really find an issue with sourcing parts in the main, and equally I find Retailers are welcoming when working with our Service team. Q: What do you find to be your biggest challenges when
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dealing with your customers, and how do you manage these? A: Consumers are all different in their needs and expectations. Some feel guilty when reporting a problem with their product, and it is important to recognise these consumers and ensure we can give them the support they need. At the other end of the spectrum, there are a very small number of customers who take up a completely disproportionate amount of time. Q: What does the future look like for the OEM marketplace, and what major changes do you foresee? A: We live in a highly competitive and complex world, where consumer electronic products are changing fast; e.g., “Is the TV causing the problem, or is it the Broadband connection?” Sending technical support out is expensive, and if the problem is not with the TV, then the customer still has the issue. We can try to resolve over the phone, or by live chat, but often in a consumer’s eyes, the TV is under warranty so they expect someone to visit and resolve at no cost to them. I see an environment that is highly competitive, with a need for investment in service departments. I also see that for many service providers, the return on the investment in smart tech and personnel will not be viable, and as such, many smaller service providers will either close or focus on commercial
products and services, leaving only the larger providers able to make that investment. Q: On a personal note, how do you like to relax outside of work? A: I enjoy relaxing with a book or listening to music. I also enjoy walking and cycling, but I tend to be a fine weather outdoor person and certainly on a cold wet day, you’ll see me enjoying a good book and glass of wine Established in 1958, LG was initially known as ‘Goldstar’. By 1959, it had already produced the very first radio in Korea. It was the start of the electronics industry in the country. The company went on to produce several other electronics products for the next 10 years like telephones, refrigerators and TV sets. Goldstar joined forces with another Korean company called ‘Lak-Hui Chemical’ (pronounced ‘Lucky’), and thereafter the company was known as ‘Lucky Goldstar’, or ‘LG’ for short. In today’s business, LG also uses it for their strap-line of ‘Life’s Good’. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with 80,000+ employees, LG has revenue in excess of $50Bn (USD) across its 5 divisions; Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning and Energy Solution, and Vehicle Components.
Events 25 in May/June Big Data and IoT Summit 2017 17th - 18th of May Hilton Tower Bridge - London
All About IoT 8th of June Cocoon Networks - London
TnW Conference 18th - 19th of May Amsterdam - Netherlands
London Tech Week 12th - 16th of June The Academy of Google - London
Restart 20th of May Restart HQ - London
Role Models: Women in Tech 14th of June RBS Head Office - London
Repair Focus 6th of June Thatcham Research - Thatcham
LeadersIn Tech Summit 13th - 14th of June Google UK - London
Techonologies for the World 7th of June RIGB - London
Ai and Machine Learning World 13th - 15th of June Excel - London
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ManageMy Monthly
Top 10 Apps for Small Businesses The apps for business market is huge and whether its making presentations, sharing files or taking payment – there’s probably an app for it. We look through some of the best apps out there that could help in the day to day running of your business.
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Buffer
Having a strong social media presence could aid your business reach a wider market and with buffer you can do it all in one click. Linking twitter, g+, facebook, Instagram and Pinterest – you can post content to all platforms in one go. Engaging with your social network has never been easier.
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This app will automatically track the time you’ve spent on apps and websites. After analysing your usage, it will send you a detailed report on your activity, giving you a clear picture of how you spent your day. Free for the lite version.
Skype
Skype is still the leader of a crowded video conferencing market. The app remains popular and effective, with impressive productivity stats.
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Rescue Time
iZettle
Great for business owners that sell products. iZettle is a tool for taking card and cash payments by syncing with your mobile device. The app will allow you to make an inventory with product images.
Evernote The best app for syncing notes between desktop and mobile devices. The free version of the app will allow for 60mb of data a month but this can be upgraded to various tiers which comes with a range of extra features.
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MailChimp
This email tool helps you build mailing lists as well as create and send newsletters easily. Customisable templates and performance reports about your emails help send your customers the most relevant marketing emails.
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Setmore
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YouTube For free you can set up an account and have access to the largest video sharing platform in the world. It serves as great marketing tool and makes it easy to upload videos from your business, we’ve all watched a ‘how to repair a…’ video, haven’t we?
Setmore is a fantastic way for clients to book appointments directly with you. This app version of an appointment book requires no secretary but will still send out scheduled reminders and remember your favorite clients.
Weebly
A website builder that does the hard work for you. Weebly allows you to easily design and redesign a webpage with attractive presets or diving into the code yourself.
Dropbox
Dropbox continues to be the go to file sharing platform. Compatible with your mobile and desktop devices it’s a great way to share files securely. Dropbox offers a free, basic plan but can be upgraded if needed.
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ManageMy Monthly
FIVE STEPS TO BUILD A WEBSITE
Step 1 – Why?
What is the purpose of your site? A solid plan for what you want to get out of your site, think; retail site or for marketing, do you want to be static or frequently updated. Remember don’t bite off more than you can chew, it can always be changed down the line but do think ahead, it’s important to know your ideal website, and what is achievable now.
? Step 2 – Where
What tools are you going to use to host and manage your page? We’ve mentioned Weebly as an option for easy site management, and there are others out there like it. Wix for example offers easy-to-use templates, it’s best to have a shop around and see if this is the kind of platform you need. There are many options here you may choose a platform in which you can use presets and still code elements of your page.
Step 3 – Who?
Who are you? Once you’ve registered with a web management tool you’ll want to host and decide a domain name, we suggest something easy to find and relevant to your business, your business name perhaps? There are systems and people out there you can get to help with optimising your website for search engines. At this stage you want to plan your website content, a good base point is having planned; a landing page, about us, shop/info and contact pages.
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Step 4 – Design
How do you want your page to look? This being 2017 and all, a text only web-page just won’t do anymore. If you haven’t already got one you might want to think about a logo or a way in making the businesses name stand out.
Step 5 – Implement & manage Once you’ve planned your elements you’re ready to put them in place! It’s time to put your plan into action, develop your content or copy writing – stick in your logo or design elements and you’re ready to publish! You will be able to manage and add content through whatever platform you’ve decided to go for.
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CO N S U M E R R I G H T S
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KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS IS VITAL TO YOUR BUSINESS, BUT KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER’S RIGHTS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. We understand how important knowing your rights is to a business in ensuring it is protected. Knowing your own rights is just good business practice but it is equally as important to know your customer’s rights. The laws are in place to protect you and your customers. Understanding both will set you up for continued smooth b2c transactions.
SOME KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER FOR ANY GOODS YOU SELL: • Customers are entitled to 30 days’ refund period. • Money for refunds must be returned within 14 days. • Outside of the 30 day window customers are still entitled to a repair or replacement • If after repair, the customer is still not satisfied they have a right to a refund (up to 6 months after purchase) • These laws apply to second hand and refurnished goods.
SOME KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN OFFERING REPAIR SERVICES: • The service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. • Any spoken or written information giving to the consumer is binding. • If no pre-agreed price or timescale both must be deemed reasonable. • If any of the above are inadequate the service must be performed to a satisfactory level at no cost or inconvenience to the consumer. • If a repeat of the service is not possible the consumer has the right to asks for a price reduction up to 100%. A refund under these above circumstances must be paid within 14 days of agreeing refund entitlement.
Your most savvy customer may know these laws, but based on our research, 60% of consumers interviewed do not know their electrical goods are covered by a 2-year warranty. Why not let your customers know about the 2-year warranty? They’ll appreciate the tidbit and respect that you know your stuff! To find out more about 2 year warranties just type “2-year EU warranty ‘electrical goods’” into a search engine.
ManageMy for consumers
Our vision for ManageMy is that it eliminates those thankless household tasks we all need to do to keep our home running. We’re starting with electronics repairs and purchasing. Repairs is powered by YOU and we have built a comparison engine that will enable our customers to compare prices for goods they want to buy. Over time, we’ll enhance these features and add more – we want to hear from YOU about what you think would help consumers: How could we improve the features we have? A booking engine? Allowing customers to request quotes? And what about what’s not in there? Is it recycling and disposal of goods? Fixing other things at home? Help with keeping on top of bills and services?
Send us your thoughts, feedback and ideas to editorial@managemy.com and we’ll print the best ones each month Chief Product Officer - Nicole Sanders
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ManageMy Monthly
Spotlight
Phone Ser vice Centre In the spotlight this month; Phone Service Centre, Europe’s biggest network of phone repairers. We take a look at a time when the franchise is branching out into international markets including the UK. Starting in 2006 under its French branding – Point Service Mobile and has grown to over 300 stores across Europe. They opened their first store in the UK in 2014 and now, targeting national coverage in the UK, Phone Service Centre is a brand you need to know. They’ve so far expanded to 5 stores in the UK - this month we take a look at the challenges faced by a franchise trying to develop their portfolio in a new market and we speak to their account director Neil Spanswick.
Business Timeline Stores opened in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Israel and the UK
2006
The brand is targeting national coverage.
2017 20132016
First store opened in Paris
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Beyond 3 new stores opened in the UK, and 2 concessions in Maplins
Neil Spanswick Account Director at PSC How long does that take? Identifying location and setting up say, 5 stores? Well, we’ve opened 3 in one day before! But that is because once you have a cookie cutter model it is possible to branch out very quickly.
So Neil, to kick off, what is your working background? My background, is from the mobile phone industry, I’ve worked in all parts of the supply chain within the mobile industry. From network operators, to distributors to independent dealers and retailers. And then subsequent to that I got more involved in the mobile insurance industry, and now I find myself building a mobile phone repair network. How many Phone Service Centre stores are there currently? Globally, just over 300, with the majority in Europe and we now have 5 stores in the UK. We have stores located Marylebone, Clerkenwell, Hemel Hemstead, Reading and Sutton stores. We are currently implementing the next phase of our roll out and identifying 5 new locations. So, what’s new with Phone Service Center? We’ve made a partnership with Maplin, we have opened concessions in their Reading store, Hemel Hemstead and Sutton store.
How do you ensure quality customer service across stores? An in-depth training program with focus on customer interaction skills. Ensuring parts stock management is optimised. Managing customer flows and waiting times. What are the main challenges with parts and logistics? Sourcing good parts and finding quality parts, we always ensure we have the best quality parts, as it is our strategy to provide the best customer service, the best quality parts, the best workmanship and in a very quick time frame. We are not trying to be the cheapest or trying to compete on price. For us it is all about the quality of the workmanship, the quality of the parts, the turn around time and the customer experience. The challenge is making sure we have the right suppliers and partners that can provide us with the right levels of quality of stock when we need it. With Marylebone as the flagship store it also acts as a hub to send out to our other satellite stores. All out staff at Marylebone deal with the logistics of acquiring stock and sending it to our other stores.. When it comes to selecting a new location, is it all about covering as much of the Uk as possible? How do you choose where to open the next store? Strategically we look at a number
of things, firstly we look at where our policy holder hot spots are, and where they are most dense. Then we look at major towns and cities and see where it is sensible to put a store. Within the town we also look for where are the network operators. Where’s Carphone warehouse? Where’s the footfall? And we then strategically place our store in and around those locations. What does you supply chain look like? We have large panel of suppliers and a very broad breadth of supplier partners who are reviewed and audited on a regular basis. It is essential to have a broad panel of suppliers when you are trying to keep your stock holding very lean. They are from all over, as far a field as China, Europe and some are UK based. And one of the really important for any retail operation is to keep your stock in channel to an absolute minimum. That way if anything changes you’re not left exposed. But the only way to keep your stock in channel small is to be able to order daily, weekly and frequently. And you can only do that with the supplier behind you to get the stock and get it quickly! How do you think being listed on a directory that allows customers to browse repairers could benefit your business? Customers require quick and convenient access to a list of local repairers. Then they need to be able to compare based on customer feedback. Best in class workmanship and top quality parts backed by a 12-month warranty and a company with 300+ stores globally will hopefully mean they choose Phone Service Centre. 25
ManageMy Monthly
Q&A
With John Bellingham B y
Could you describe your working experience for our readers - going as far back as you’d like? Well, I’m an entrepreneur and business owner. I have 20+-years’ experience in the aftermarket services sector, specifically relating to the electronics niche. Most recently I’ve co-founded an innovative technology company that is committed to revolutionising the aftermarket services sector. I suspect your readers will know it - as it’s the same company bringing you this magazine. If I go further back, I started as a software engineer and developer, before founding several of my own companies.
light bulb moment? Both! I saw what I thought were ongoing failings in the way the aftermarket services sector operated, I realised there are significant flaws in the customer experience that in-turn negatively affects the manufacturer customer relationships. We can all order a TV or fridge freezer from our phone or PC now, and after a couple of button clicks, it arrives within days. But what about when that TV breaks down or develops a fault? It’s a very different experience. I thought to myself; technology today should allow us to get our broken home appliances repaired as easily as it is to order them in the first place! As for the light-bulb moment, that came during one What led you here? Was it the particular interaction with an OEM years of experience or did you when my dishwasher decided to have that most coveted of en- break. What I thought should have trepreneurial epiphanies, the been a simple repair, dragged on
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K i e r a n
S i m m o n d s
for months. After hours on hold, several engineer visits and days of wasted time, I‘d had enough, I knew there must be a better way! And, that was that, and the light-bulb is shining as brightly as the day it was switched on! And now, what does a working week look like for John Bellingham? Well, we’re very much in our start-up phase right now, where everything seems to vie for my personal time, so my days are very busy, as I’m sure you can imagine. There have been many late nights and early mornings to ensure we were ready for launch. I never had any worries; with the team we have here at ManageMy I’ve always been confident we will meet, and surpass our launch goals.
What about time off? How do you like to spend your free time? When I’m not in the office you’ll find me with family, walking my dogs, playing with my young grand-daughter, that kind of thing. How easy is it to switch from work mode John to downtime John? Well, it’s easy in the sense that I want to make the most of any free time I get! But yes, distancing myself from a business and project I feel passionately about can be challenging. As most entrepreneurs will find, your work life can cross over into your personal life as much as you might try to prevent it. But I think it’s important when you do get the chance to be off-theclock you, that you put as much effort into that time as you would your business, that’s how you get
the balance right, in my opinion. What challenges have you faced since you first had the idea for a repairer network up to now, the launch of ManageMy? Many! These things change and evolve as you go. You must remain adaptable to the inevitable bumps in the road, but honestly, I do enjoy it. With the knowledge and experience that my co-founder, Alistair Fairley, and I have in the aftermarket services sector, we feel we can overcome most challenges – this isn’t our first rodeo – as they say.
future of our home appliances. For repairers, that means being up-to-date on the fresh challenges they face in repairing these products, but this is nothing new; repairers have always had to stay in tune with whatever appliance or device needs to be repaired. It will be interesting to see how these changes affect the way things are repaired, we might see repairers needing to have expertise across niches’.
What impact do you see increasingly interconnected domestic products having on the sector? You can see by OEM’s shifting emphasis to IOT (Internet of Things) products that this is the
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