Industry Guides
Device repair intake: from the counter to a ticket the customer can follow
The line runs the counter until the device is handed over. The job ticket runs everything after that: the pre-check, the stage, the quote and the pickup. Here is what to record at drop-off, the eight stages a customer sees, and how a quote approved line by line keeps the bill honest.
A ticket is not the line
A repair counter has two jobs that get mixed up. One is managing people: who is next, how long they wait, who is back for a pickup. The other is managing devices: where each one is in the repair and what the customer agreed to pay.
The line answers the first. It is quick, public and short-lived. The ticket answers the second. It is private, itemized and lasts until pickup. Keeping them separate is what stops a tech at the bench answering “is mine done?” for the fifth time.
Our post on phone repair shop check-in covers the line. This one covers the ticket.
What to record at drop-off
Most repair disputes are about what nobody wrote down: a scratch that was there before, a back glass already cracked, accessories left in the case, a passcode that was never given.
The table lists what the NextUp app records for a device. Some of it is a detail on the ticket and some is a pre-check item rated at the counter. The pre-check is rated “Looks good”, “Keep an eye on it” or “Needs attention”, with a note and photos on any item, and you choose what the customer sees on their status page.
One rule is non-negotiable: a passcode is never stored. The pre-check only asks whether the screen lock is off or a code was given.
What to record when a device comes in
| Make and model | Ticket detail | Picks the part and the price |
|---|---|---|
| IMEI or serial | Ticket detail | Ties the ticket to one device; not shown to the customer |
| Left with us | Ticket detail | Case, charger or SIM tray, written down |
| Warranty (days) | Ticket detail | Shown on the status page when the repair is ready |
| Screen | Pre-check | Settles “that crack was not there” |
| Back and frame | Pre-check | Dents and cracks before you open it |
| Buttons and charging port | Pre-check | Separates old faults from new |
| Cameras, speakers and microphone | Pre-check | Checked before and after the repair |
| Powers on | Pre-check | A device that is dead at drop-off is a different job |
| Water damage indicator | Pre-check | Affects what you can promise |
| Screen lock off or code given | Pre-check | The passcode itself is never stored |
From the device repair ticket and pre-check in the NextUp app. “Ticket detail” fields are typed in; “Pre-check” items are rated at the counter.
Eight stages, and what the customer is told
The ticket moves one tap at a time through eight stages. The customer sees the current one on a page they open from a private link, with no login and no app, and the message beside it is the one the table shows.
Most stages tell the customer by email or push notification when the ticket moves there. Two do not by default: “Received”, because they are standing at the counter, and “Picked up”, because they just left.
The eight stages of a device ticket
| 1 | Received | We have your device. | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Diagnosing | A technician is finding out what’s wrong. | Yes |
| 3 | Quoted | Your quote is ready. Please look it over and tell us what to go ahead with. | Yes |
| 4 | Approved | Thank you. We have your approval and will start the repair. | Yes |
| 5 | Waiting on parts | We’re waiting on a part for your repair. | Yes |
| 6 | Repairing | We’re repairing your device. | Yes |
| 7 | Ready | Your device is ready for pickup. | Yes |
| 8 | Picked up | Picked up. Thank you. | No |
Stage names and customer messages as the NextUp app ships them for device repair.
A quote the customer approves line by line
The estimate is a set of lines: labor, part and fee, each with a quantity and a price. Send it, and the customer opens the same private link and approves or declines each line. Nothing is charged until they answer.
Their typed name is the signature, and it is kept with the time. If they approve by phone, staff record it and the ticket says so.
Split optional work into its own line. A battery offered alongside a screen can be declined without losing the screen, and the bill shows exactly what was agreed. Approved lines go onto the visit’s bill in one tap with the location’s sales tax, so the estimate total equals the bill.
The chart shows an example board late on a Saturday. A pile under “Quoted” means customers are deciding. A pile under “Ready” means devices are waiting to be collected. Either is a call to make.
Hover or tab to a column for the numbers.
| Tickets | |
|---|---|
| Received | 3 |
| Diagnosing | 4 |
| Quoted | 6 |
| Approved | 2 |
| Waiting on parts | 3 |
| Repairing | 4 |
| Ready | 7 |
Example: the counts are invented to show how a board reads, not a measurement of any shop.
Who is next at the counter
While tickets run the bench, the line still runs the counter. Check-in by repair type means a screen protector does not wait behind a charging-port repair, and the techs who do board work are the only ones offered those jobs.
The ticket takes pressure off the line in two ways. “Waiting on parts” is its own stage, so “is it done?” has an answer without a call. And “Ready” notifies the customer, so pickups arrive when the device is ready instead of all at once.
Customers whose phone is the thing that is broken can still be added from the counter tablet, or by staff from the Staff Screen. For a device shop the Staff Screen reads “At the counter” for the person being helped, with a “Start” button, because that is how a counter talks.
How NextUp Walk-in handles it
Job tickets are on for device repair by default and run on every plan. An owner or manager can turn them off on the Job Tickets page, and a customer’s link keeps working after that.
- A board of open repairs by stage in the dashboard, with a card for each ticket and a drawer for the detail.
- Device details: make, model, IMEI or serial, what was left with you, and the warranty in days. The status page shows the warranty when the repair is ready.
- Photos on the ticket attach to a pre-check item or a quote line, and the customer sees them on their page.
- A private page. It carries that ticket only: no phone number, no email, no other customer, and not the IMEI. The link expires 30 days after the last activity and can be reset, which kills the old one.
What it does not do
The ticket covers the core of a repair record. It does not order parts, run buyback or trade-in, or connect to accounting software. A shop that needs those keeps a fuller repair system for parts and the books, and API keys and signed webhooks can send each visit to it while NextUp Walk-in runs the counter and the ticket.
More on the NextUp app for phone repair, waivers and intake forms, card readers, pricing.
Questions
Are job tickets on every plan?
Yes. Job tickets for device repair run on every plan and can be turned off by an owner or manager.
Does the customer need an account to follow a repair?
No. They open a private link, with no login and no app, and see the stage, the estimate and the pre-check.
Does it store the device passcode?
Never. The pre-check only asks whether the screen lock is off or a code was given.
Can staff record an approval given by phone?
Yes. Staff can approve or decline a line for the customer, and the ticket records that it was done by staff.