Mid-repair is a bad time to pick up.
You've got a phone open on the mat and a tiny screw on your fingertip. AlloPlace answers in English or French, gives prices from your list, and books drop-offs into Google Calendar so you can finish the job.
The calls you get
"How much for an iPhone 14 screen?" "Do you fix MacBook keyboards?" "How long does a battery take?" "Is my laptop ready?" "My phone went in the lake. Can you save it?" "Do you buy old phones?" Price questions, over and over, from people comparing three shops on the same afternoon.
What it does for you
Quotes from your price list. By model and repair. If the model isn't on your list, it says the shop will need to check and takes the make, model and problem. It doesn't guess.
Books drop-off times. Screen and battery jobs go into Google Calendar at the length you set, so the counter isn't swamped at noon.
Handles "is it ready?" honestly. It can't see your repair tickets. It puts the call through or takes a message with the customer's name and device, and you call back.
Gives your advice, not its own. For water damage or a laptop that won't turn on, it repeats whatever you've told it to say and books a diagnostic if you offer one.
Takes more than one call at a time. Lunch-hour calls don't hit a busy signal while you're at the counter.
A typical call
Wednesday at noon, in a shop in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood. A student calls in French. She cracked the screen on her Samsung. AlloPlace gives her the price for her model from your list, says the repair usually takes about an hour, and books a drop-off for 2:00. She asks whether you buy old phones. That's not in your information, so it takes a message.
TBD: replace with a real call once a customer agrees.
Rules you might write
- "If the model isn't on the price list, don't guess. Take the make, model and problem, and say we'll call back with a price."
- "For water damage, tell them to turn the device off, not to charge it, and to bring it in today."
- "Never ask for a phone's passcode over the phone."
- "Businesses with more than five devices: transfer to Sam."
Good to know
- Calendar or software: it books into Google Calendar only, and doesn't connect to repair-ticket or point-of-sale software. Talk to us first if your bookings live there.
- Payments: it doesn't take payments or card numbers.
- Your number: forward the number already on your sign and your Google listing, or get a new local one.
What it costs
Starter is US$30 a month (about CA$43) for 150 minutes and 20 transfers. Calls under 10 seconds and spam aren't billed. Full pricing