What Are KPIs and Why Do Repair Shops Need Them?

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are quantifiable measurements that show how well your business is performing against its goals. For repair shops, they translate daily activity — repairs completed, parts used, customers served — into signals that tell you where to focus your energy. Without KPIs, you're flying blind. You might feel busy, but busy and profitable are not the same thing. I've seen shops doing 20 repairs a day that were haemorrhaging money because their average ticket was low, their margins were thin, and they were converting enquiries at 20% when industry average is closer to 50%. You don't need 40 metrics. You need the right 12, tracked consistently, with a plan to act on…

KPI 1: Average Repair Value (ARV) — Are Your Prices Right?

Average Repair Value is the mean revenue generated per completed repair job. It is calculated by dividing total repair revenue by the number of repairs completed in a given period. A healthy ARV for a UK/US repair shop sits between £80–£160 ($100–$200). How to calculate it: ARV = Total Repair Revenue ÷ Number of Repairs Completed Example: If you completed 120 repairs in a month and generated £12,000 in repair revenue, your ARV is £100. What good looks like: £100–£160 ($100–$200). Screen replacements dominate volume — around 62% of the average shop's repair mix — which keeps ARV moderate. If you're mixing in logic board repairs, water damage, and data recovery, you'll be towards the upper…

KPI 2: Repairs Per Day — Are You Hitting Break-Even?

Repairs Per Day measures your shop's throughput: how many jobs are completed in a working day. Break-even typically requires 5–10 repairs per day depending on your ARV and cost structure. A healthy, profitable shop completes 10–15 repairs daily. How to calculate it: Repairs Per Day = Total Repairs Completed ÷ Number of Working Days Track this weekly and monthly to spot trends. A single bad day doesn't matter. A consistent downward trend does. What good looks like: 10–15 repairs per day for a one-technician operation with a good ARV. At £100 ARV and 12 repairs per day, you're generating £1,200/day — roughly £24,000/month, which aligns with established shop averages. What bad looks like: Fewer…

KPI 3: First-Time Fix Rate — Are Your Technicians Good Enough?

First-Time Fix Rate is the percentage of repairs completed successfully on the first attempt, without rework, return visits, or additional parts orders. The target for a competent shop is 85% or higher. Rates below 75% signal a skills or diagnosis problem. How to calculate it: First-Time Fix Rate = (Repairs Completed Without Rework ÷ Total Repairs Started) × 100 You need to track returns — jobs that come back because the fault wasn't fixed or a new fault was introduced. If your job management system doesn't flag these automatically, you're almost certainly underestimating your rework rate. What good looks like: 85–92%. At 90%, you're performing at the level of a well-run shop with…

KPI 4: Turnaround Time — Are You Fast Enough to Keep Customers Happy?

Turnaround Time is the average elapsed time from when a customer books a repair to when the device is ready for collection. For common repairs (screen replacements, battery swaps), the target is same-day completion. Complex jobs should be completed within 48–72 hours. How to calculate it: Turnaround Time = Average (Collection DateTime − Drop-Off DateTime) across all jobs Your job management software should calculate this automatically. If you're doing it manually, spot-check a sample of 20 completed jobs each week. What good looks like: Same-day for iPhone screen replacements, Samsung screen replacements, and battery swaps. These account for the majority of your volume and customers expect…

KPI 5: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) — Are You Spending Wisely on Marketing?

Customer Acquisition Cost is the total spend required to bring in one new paying customer. Benchmarks by channel: Google Ads £16–£32 ($20–$40), Local SEO £4–£12 ($5–$15), Social Media £12–£24 ($15–$30), Referral programmes £4–£8 ($5–$10). Use this benchmark to track repair shop ad spend before increasing budget. How to calculate it: CAC = Total Marketing Spend on a Channel ÷ New Customers Acquired from That Channel This requires tracking where customers come from, which most shops don't do rigorously enough. At minimum, ask every new customer "how did you find us?" and record the answer. What good looks like: CAC well below your ARV, with strong CLV (see KPI 6). If your ARV is £120 and CAC…

KPI 6: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) — Are You Thinking Long-Term?

Customer Lifetime Value is the total revenue a single customer generates across their entire relationship with your shop. Industry data suggests the average repair shop customer returns 2.3 times over three years. Understanding CLV transforms how you think about acquisition spend and service quality. How to calculate it: CLV = Average Order Value × Average Number of Visits Per Year × Average Customer Lifespan (Years) Example: £110 ARV × 0.77 visits/year × 3 years = £254 CLV per customer. What good looks like: A CLV of £200–£300 is typical for a shop with decent retention. Shops with strong loyalty programmes, proactive follow-up, and consistently good service push CLV into the £400+ range.…

KPI 7: Gross Margin — Are Your Prices Covering Your Costs?

Gross Margin measures the percentage of revenue remaining after direct costs (parts and direct labour) are subtracted. For repair shops, a healthy gross margin is 40–60%. Below 35% signals a parts cost problem or under-pricing. Above 65% is achievable for specialist or high-complexity repairs. How to calculate it: Gross Margin = ((Revenue − Cost of Parts and Direct Labour) ÷ Revenue) × 100 Example: A screen repair priced at £80 using a £22 part and £15 in direct labour has a gross margin of 54%. What good looks like: 45–55% on bread-and-butter screen and battery repairs. Higher on accessories, data recovery, and complex logic board work. What bad looks like: Below 35%. At that level, your…

KPI 8: Net Profit Margin — Is the Business Actually Making Money?

Net Profit Margin is the percentage of total revenue that remains as profit after all costs — parts, labour, rent, utilities, insurance, software, and owner salary — are deducted. A healthy repair shop targets 15–20% net margin. Below 10% leaves no buffer for growth or emergencies. How to calculate it: Net Profit Margin = (Net Profit ÷ Total Revenue) × 100 Net Profit = Total Revenue − Total Costs (everything) What good looks like: 15–20%. At £24,000/month revenue, that's £3,600–£4,800 in actual profit after you've paid yourself a proper wage. That's what allows reinvestment, savings, and resilience. What bad looks like: Under 5%. Many shop owners mistake revenue for profit. I've spoken to…

KPI 9: Parts Wastage Rate — Are You Losing Money on Broken Parts?

Parts Wastage Rate measures the percentage of parts ordered that are damaged, incorrectly installed, or returned unusable. The target is below 3%. Higher rates indicate a technician skills issue, a supplier quality problem, or inadequate parts handling procedures. How to calculate it: Parts Wastage Rate = (Number of Wasted/Damaged Parts ÷ Total Parts Used) × 100 Track this by technician and by part type. A 5% overall rate might be hiding one technician wasting 15% of their OLED screens. What good looks like: Under 3%. In a busy shop handling 300 repairs per month, that's fewer than 9 parts wasted. What bad looks like: Over 5% is costing you serious money. If your average part costs £25 and…

KPI 10: Enquiry-to-Booking Conversion Rate — Are You Losing Sales Before They Start?

Enquiry-to-Booking Conversion Rate measures the percentage of people who contact your shop (via phone, web chat, walk-in, or form) who go on to book a repair. The target is 40–60%. Below 30% suggests a pricing, trust, or response speed problem. How to calculate it: Conversion Rate = (Number of Bookings ÷ Number of Enquiries) × 100 This requires logging all enquiries, including ones that don't convert. Most shops only count successful bookings and never see the gap. What good looks like: 50–60%. If half of everyone who contacts you books a job, your pricing is competitive, your response is prompt, and your service presentation builds trust. What bad looks like: Under 30%. At 25% conversion,…

KPI 11: Google Review Score — What Does Your Reputation Say About You?

Your Google review score is a public KPI that directly influences both conversion rate and local SEO ranking. The target is 4.5 stars or higher with a minimum of 50 reviews. Below 4.0 stars costs you an estimated 20–30% of potential customers before they ever contact you. How to calculate it: You can't calculate it, but you can influence it. Monitor it weekly. Track your average score and total review count as formal metrics. What good looks like: 4.7–4.9 stars with 100+ reviews. At this level, you're outperforming most local competitors and the volume of reviews provides social proof that a handful of ratings cannot. What bad looks like: Under 4.0 stars, or a strong score with fewer than 20…

KPI 12: Staff Utilisation Rate — Are You Getting Enough From Your Team?

Staff Utilisation Rate measures the percentage of available working hours your technicians spend on billable repair work. The target range is 75–85%. Below 70% means you're paying for idle time. Above 90% leads to burnout, errors, and quality decline. How to calculate it: Utilisation Rate = (Billable Hours Worked ÷ Total Available Hours) × 100 Example: A technician works an 8-hour day. If 6.5 of those hours are spent on actual repair work (versus admin, waiting for parts, or downtime), their utilisation rate is 81%. What good looks like: 75–85%. This is the productive sweet spot — technicians are busy but not overwhelmed, which maintains quality and first-time fix rates. What bad looks like:…

Which KPIs Should You Fix First?

Not all problems are equal. Here's a prioritisation framework based on impact: Fix these immediately (cash flow risk): Gross margin below 40% Net profit margin below 10% ARV below £70 Fix these in the next 30 days (growth risk): Enquiry-to-booking conversion below 35% Repairs per day consistently under 8 First-time fix rate below 80% Fix these in the next 90 days (reputation and retention): Google review score below 4.3 Turnaround time above 48 hours for standard repairs CLV below £150 Monitor monthly: CAC by channel Parts wastage rate Staff utilisation If you're below target on more than four of the above simultaneously, the problem is likely systemic — either under-pricing,…

What is a good average repair value for a phone repair shop?

A healthy Average Repair Value (ARV) for a phone repair shop is between £80–£160 ($100–$200), depending on your service mix. Shops focused on budget repairs and quick-turnaround screen replacements will sit at the lower end. Shops offering logic board repair, water damage restoration, and data recovery will be higher.

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Operations & Inventory

Repair Shop KPIs: The Numbers That Actually Matter

Essential KPIs every repair shop owner should track, from average repair value to customer lifetime value.

Sajad

|16 September 2025|22 min read

Hero image for: Repair Shop KPIs: The Numbers That Actually Matter

Part of: Financial Management & Profitability

KPI	Target	Red Flag
Average Repair Value	£100–£160	Below £70
Repairs Per Day	10–15	Below 5
First-Time Fix Rate	85%+	Below 75%
Turnaround Time	Same-day (standard)	Over 24 hrs
Customer Acquisition Cost	Below ARV	Above ARV
Customer Lifetime Value	£200–£300+	Below £150
Gross Margin	40–60%	Below 35%
Net Profit Margin	15–20%	Below 10%
Parts Wastage Rate	Under 3%	Over 5%
Enquiry-to-Booking Conversion	40–60%	Below 30%
Google Review Score	4.5+ (50+ reviews)	Below 4.0
Staff Utilisation Rate	75–85%	Below 60% or above 90%

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Written by

Sajad

Co-founder — 25 years in tech repair

Sajad has spent 25 years in the tech repair industry — running repair shops, marketing businesses, content companies, and creative agencies. He previously founded CellTech, a tech repair business in Birmingham. After two years of development, he built cellbot to solve the problem he saw every day: independent repair shops losing customers because their websites couldn't quote prices, book repairs, or answer questions outside business hours.

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