SolderDesk compared
SolderDesk vs a generic point-of-sale system for a phone shop
A retail POS is built for the moment of sale: scan, total, pay, receipt. A phone shop has that moment too, for a case or a charger. But most of its work is the days between a phone coming in and going back out, and a till has nowhere to keep them.
What a POS does well
- Fast checkout for boxed goods: scan the barcode, take the money, print the receipt.
- It often comes with a cash drawer, a receipt printer and a card terminal wired in.
- Many keep selling for a while when the internet drops.
What a repair counter needs that a till doesn't have
- Intake. The device, its IMEI, the fault in the customer's words, the screen lock, what came with it, the condition with photos, and the customer's signature.
- Work that stays open. A repair lasts days. It moves from diagnosis to waiting for parts to ready, and it belongs to a technician. A till only knows "sold".
- A price agreed before the work. An estimate the customer approves or declines, line by line, from their phone.
- The warranty. Days counted from hand-over, and the phone that comes back linked to the repair it came back from.
- Phones one by one. A used phone bought from a customer, kept by its IMEI with its grade and battery health, and sold with the IMEI on the invoice. Some POS systems track serial numbers. Few handle buying from the public.
- The conversation. WhatsApp answered at any hour, and "your phone is ready" sent without anyone typing it.
Side by side
| Generic POS | SolderDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Sell an accessory at the counter | ✓ | ✓ Quick invoice from stock |
| Barcodes and stock by quantity | ✓ | ✓ |
| Card terminal and cash drawer wired to the till | Often | ✗ |
| Keeps selling while the internet is down | Many do | ✗ |
| Repair ticket with the IMEI, the fault and the condition | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen lock for staff only, erased at hand-over | ✗ | ✓ |
| Repairs open for days, by stage and technician | ✗ | ✓ |
| Estimate approved on the customer's phone | ✗ | ✓ |
| Repair warranty and warranty returns | ✗ | ✓ |
| Phones in stock by IMEI, with grade and battery health | Sometimes, as serial numbers | ✓ |
| Buying a used phone from a customer into stock | Rarely | ✓ |
| Tax invoice with VAT and the ZATCA QR | Depends on the product | ✓ |
| WhatsApp assistant and follow-ups | ✗ | ✓ |
When a POS alone is enough
If your shop sells accessories and boxed phones and sends repairs elsewhere, a POS is the right tool, and SolderDesk would be more than you need. If you do a few simple repairs a week, a POS and a ticket book can share the work. Once repairs are a real part of the takings, the till becomes the smaller half of the job.
Using both
You can keep a till for the retail side, but your stock then lives in two places. SolderDesk sells accessories and phones from the same stock the repairs use, on a quick invoice at the counter, so there is one count to keep right. Payments are recorded against your own money accounts: cash, bank or card.
See both sides in one place: open the live demo, take in a repair and sell an accessory.