In the last few months, TechZone, part of the Office of Technology Solutions, has added a new feature to its repertoire: iPhone repair. It has been something that students have been asking about for several years, but several things had to come together to make it all possible.
First was the TechZone move to the first floor of the Bone Student Center during the revitalization project. This move provided a more visible storefront and more cohesive workspace for the different areas of TechZone, include sales and service (service counter, software, and hardware).
Next, TechZone shuffled duties to allow for the hiring of a full-time repair technician, who was charged with making this new repair venture a reality. And it would not have been possible without Apple, which was interested in enrolling universities in its authorized repair program.
According to Liam Doherty, TechZone service manager, “When we were in our old space, no matter what time of year it was, we’d get at least 10–20 inquiries a week about if we could repair phones. Even though, as a university, we require students to have a desktop or laptop for their studies, the reality is that students use their mobile devices for almost everything that they possibly can. So this service is even more critical for us to offer moving into the future.”
Since TechZone started taking in iPhones for repairs this summer, there are typically three to four students per day stopping in to talk about their phones. Many of those have found out about this resource from attending the technology session at Preview or from a Google search showing TechZone as the only authorized Apple repair service in the area. About half of those students will leave their phones after receiving a quote for the work (which can range depending on the issue and if the phone is in warranty or not). The average repair time is around three hours, though turnaround could be as quick as 75 minutes.
As the TechZone employees have worked on these devices, they’ve found some tricks to what helps the process along, including what early tests they can do before applying adhesive, so as to not have to start over with new parts. While it was originally full-time staff only doing this work, now the TechZone service associates (student employees) are completing repairs as well. These students work in the service hardware area and are already Apple-certified for desktops and laptops, so the transition to phones was easily made.
For those interested in the service, TechZone works on iPhone 8 and newer models. It is best to come by the store in the morning to check on availability for the day.
The TechZone service staff continue to emphasize purchasing the Apple Care+ warranty with devices, as it can save students so much money and stress when their screen breaks or the device won’t turn on.
“It’s always a good day when we can give a customer their phone back, good as new. With how much is done on phones these days, a quick turnaround and a job well done are essential,” said Katelyn Adamitis, TechZone associate.
