Mission Repair quarterly meeting a success! Kind of.

Hello there-

It’s true; I try to keep our employees up to date, connected and on the same page. It’s called MANAGING. Some of you may have heard of it, but I know that others have not.

Every quarter I get the team together and we head to Bass Pro Shops here in Olathe, Kansas and reserve a meeting space. It’s a good time to get away from the hustle of the work environment, and everyone gets a few extra hours on their paycheck AND a good meal!

This time I broke the group into teams, gave them 9 pieces of paper, and told them to work together to make a tower that stood on it’s own, with only the 9 pieces of copy paper and some scotch tape. The key was that the tower had to be at least 40 inches tall. Ready, set, go!

I’m there in the background because my Colorado crew was joining in with us on Facetime, so I was showing them what others were doing via my iPhone…but it was fruitless. Those guys in Lakewood, CO killed it and came up with the best tower of all.

In the foreground of this picture was Jake (backward hat) who failed miserably as a team leader 😉 I’ll just keep him to fixing devices, not building paper towers.

Before the meeting I built an example of what it could look like back in the office just in case no one could get it:

These times are all about fun and business, and we got a lot done that night.

The new training schedule was announced for our employees, so soon when you call in you may hear some “refinement” from our newer employees…that’s a great thing!

I’m always looking for new group team building activities, have any ideas?

Take care, Ryan

I look up to our forefathers.

Hello there-

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting Mt. Rushmore. It wasn’t the first time I was there, but this time I spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery, the history and the reason behind the monument.

I also took the hike to the bottom of the mountain and snapped this picture looking up at the granite 4-some. It’s awe inspiring and hard to believe that artist Gutzon Borglum dedicated his life to the project and started it on his own.

Yes, he had some help and the project was finished in 1941 and is now open year round for visitation.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln all sit stoically for the ages. Did you know that this was almost a sculpture of Lewis and Clark? I didn’t until my last visit. I highly recommend it!

While there, I made friends with a German fellow that was also impressed by the monument. I said something to the effect of “This is a fantastic piece of American history, isn’t it” He replied by inviting me to visit Germany to see some “real” history. OK, Ok, I’m sure there are some amazing things to see abroad, but this sculpture is something that everyone should see. I mean it.

Have a great day…I know that a lot of Americans are on vacation right now; I hope your travels take you to amazing places.

Ryan

5 Question to Ask your Cell Phone Repair Shop: According to eTechParts.com!

Hello there blog readers!

I just read a blog posted on eTech Parts (supplier of wholesale iPhone parts), and after reading it I appreciated what they are saying. Grace is their author, we know her well here at Mission Repair, and I’m going to go down their list (You can read the actual blog here):

1. What kind of warranty do you offer – and what does it cover?

Grace states “6 months is the average warranty period offered by wireless repair shops in the US”. That’s true. Here at Mission Repair we offer 1 year warranties on all of our screen repairs, and LIFETIME warranties on all battery installations. In addition to that, we have our “GOT REPAIR” warranty that is automatically included on each screen replacement which ensure that if you ever break your device’s screen again you never pay full-price again. Ask the “other guys” if they do that, and put it in writing like Mission Repair does!

Image Courtesy of blog.etechparts.com

2. How do you ensure the contents of my device remain private and protected?

Grace is right when she says “Protecting the privacy of your data is an important priority for repair shop owners.” Our company policies call for immediate termination of employees that break this cardinal rule. Additionally here at Mission Repair we don’t require your passcode if you want to ensure privacy protection.

3. Where do you get your replacement parts?

Grace is the expert in this field, she advises that not all cell phone repair parts are created equal. That’s eTech Parts’ business. Here at Mission Repair we understand it just as well. That’s why we don’t sell “special colors” of iPhone screens, and I caution anyone to buy a color of part that not stock. Not only do you KNOW it’s a knockoff part, it’s also illegal for repair companies to do so. Apple doesn’t like people messing with their trademarks.

4. Why are you cheaper (or more expensive) than other repair shops in town?

The blog reads: “You can learn a lot about a repair shop by how they speak (and what they know) about their competition.” This is a HUGE point; we here at Mission Repair have been in business for 8 years and in most cases, we set the market pricing. It’s somewhat comical to see…I’ll lower some prices, and the competition does the same thing the next day. That’s OK, I understand, but we base our pricing on reality, the market, and on demand. We are here to be fair and offer excellent pricing that appeals to anyone that needs a cell phone repair.

5. What happens if my phone is further damaged after leaving it with you?

Finally, a huge point that Grace makes is: “Most reputable wireless repair shops will give you a waiver form to fill out and sign, detailing their policies and what they will be responsible for in the case of further damage. An honest business owner knows the right thing to do in case this happens, but every repair shop has a different policy.”

Here at Mission Repair we ALWAYS do the right thing for our customers. If we break something we fix it. In fact, we have even fixed “incorrect fixes” performed by other shops…for free. It’s not our policy but there at times that I just feel terrible for the customers that get “taken”. My advice is DON’T work with a “traveling” repair man that meets you at a Starbucks. What would he do if he did accidentally and inadvertently broke something else while performing a repair? Does he have ALL of the necessary parts in his car? Does he have a soldering iron? A heat gun? A sonic cleaner? A toolbox with every tool? I’ll just answer this…it’s NO!

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We are always here for you here at Mission Repair, and you can call us with any questions that you may have. We have an A+ Rating at the Better Business Bureau, almost 1 million readers on this blog, and have performed hundreds of thousands of repairs in our existence. With several locations to serve you (and not just a bunch of franchises, we are ONE business), we have nothing to hide. Call us toll-free at 866-638-8402!

Take care,

Ryan Arter
Owner at Mission Repair.

Apple Previewed iOS 9 and I’m excited about it.

Hello friends,

A few weeks ago, Apple unveiled iOS 9: giving a preview of new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software that will be available this fall. In this upcoming release, iOS devices become more intelligent and proactive with powerful search and improved Siri features — all without compromising users’ privacy.

New multitasking features designed specifically for iPad allow you to work with two apps simultaneously, side-by-side, or with the new Picture-in-Picture feature, to keep watching a video while browsing the web, composing email, or using any other app. “iOS 9 is packed with more intelligence throughout, and delivers big updates to the apps customers use most — Maps supports public transit, a redesigned Notes app provides great new ways to capture ideas, and a beautiful News app delivers content that’s personalized to your interests,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With our new iPad features, users can take advantage of the power of iPad, working in two apps at the same time with Split View, Slide Over, or Picture-in-Picture.”

Well this is music to my ears. Personally, my Siri needs a huge update in my opinion. Yesterday I asked Siri:

“Directions to Jersey Mike’s in Olathe”. She came back with directions somewhere in Connecticut. I mean, I was in Olathe, I’m located in Olathe (Kansas), and Siri gives me directions to a restaurant on the East Coast.

No thanks, I usually only take an hour for lunch!

So I got there on my own, enjoyed a Philly cheese steak sandwich, and didn’t even need to take the Long Island Expressway to get there 😉

Have any funny Siri experiences? I’m hoping that this update helps us get through the comedy. Sorry we repair screens and hardware on iPhones here at Mission Repair, but we can’t fix “Siri problems” – we will have to leave that to Apple themselves!

See ya, Ryan

200,000 people can’t be wrong!

Greetings friends-

This is just a short post as I’m looking through our database – we passed 200,000 completed repairs today. That puts us into a new category in my book. . .and reaching milestones like this at my business is just a fun way to get a little personal “reward” without asking for it. The numbers speak for themselves!

Thank you to all of our customers. 200,000 repairs and counting!

So who cares? Well I do, and for those customers that are shopping around for a reputable business to care for their trusty electronic device at least you know that Mission Repair is servicing real volume, and after seeing hundreds of thousands of cracked iPhones and iPads in the last 7 years, we have really gotten to know our stuff 😉

Thanks for reading, this is more of a pat on the back to all of my employees that have stayed strong and that believe in what we’re doing here at Mission Repair. It’s what we do.

Take care, Ryan