Imported Machines Help Phixman Maintain 24 Hours Turnaround Time: Shaad Rahman

Shaad Rahman (SR), CEO and founder, Phixman, in an exclusive conversation with EFY Group, shed light on how Phixman can pick up, service, repair and deliver gadgets within 24 hours time.

The start-up, incubated in 2014 with one center, now operates 75 in India. While Phixman is following a retail and service strategy, it’s focus is on reaching the 24-hour turnaround time guarantee in all the cases it works on. Interestingly, Phixman also has rights to retail Realme smartphones in India in the offline space.

“Phixman has tie-ups with some of the major brands operating in India. A lot of the components and parts used or replaced during the repair are sourced from these partners. For example – we are also offline sales partners for Realme smartphone brand in India, “noted SR.

He added, “We furnish all our partners with repair setup and machines. The agreement also bounds them to carry out all these repairs on these machines only. The software that I talked about earlier makes sure that none of the repair or service is carried on any machine that is not validated by Phixman.”

Here are some more interesting excerpts from the interaction

ACE – What was the idea behind Phixman? How is it working out for you so far?

SR – We started Phixman as a technology company. Initially, the plan was to solve service-related issues. We were looking to add these services to an e-commerce portal wherein anyone could come and shop for the same. As the plan started taking place, we realised that the best place to start operations was service centers and not online.

The idea around Phixman is based on the issues that the consumers face at a number of services centers. Now, these issues could be results of outdated technology, non-skilled professionals or both. We gathered all these thoughts and facts in one place and Phixman was born.

Phixman aims to solves problems of consumers, and those of brands. We started with one service center in 2014 and simultaneously started working on a software for use by the in-house teams. Today, apart from walk-ins, consumers can book services from our website as well. A team member will pick up the faulty device and deliver the same.

As far as growth is concerned, we started with one store in 2014 and today we operate 75 stores in India.

ACE – Which all brand smartphones, tablets and laptops, does Phixman offer service and repairs for?

SR – While we started with limited capacity, today we have the ability to service and repair these gadgets from any brand. Whether it is a premium brand, or one in the affordable category, we have solutions for all.

It took us some time to reach this level of capability. But today we service products of all the brands with the same guarantee.

ACE – Does 24 hours turnaround (TAT) time apply to all the categories? How do you make this 24-hour TAT possible?

SR – The 24 hours TAT is inclusive of pickup and delivery times. We can accomplish the same because of the number of Phixman stores that we operate.

I must add that this TAT thing did not work out for us from day one. Our marketing agenda has been around the services that we can furnish in practicality. Our aim was never to be an aggregator and we will never be one in the future as well.

Coming back to the 24 hours TAT, the same is possible because we control all the stores we operate. This is where our software comes into play. Then we have partnerships with different players and brands in India. For instance, we recently collaborated with a major smartphone brand. Similarly, we have different courier partners in different parts of India.

The most important part is played by our technicians and repair engineers. They take complete responsibility of getting the product up and ready in 24 hours.

ACE – What’s the success rate for this 24 hour TAT?

SR – It is more than 90 per cent now. At times there are areas where products cannot be delivered at night and at times there are cases when the client does not submit the gadget for repair on time.

On an average, we have been able to solve 90 per cent of the cases and deliver the gadgets within 24-hours time.

ACE – Where are the parts and components used during repair sourced from? Is it possible to source every part through tie-ups and still maintain the 24 hour TAT?

SR – Phixman has tie-ups with some of the major brands operating in India. A lot of the components and parts used or replaced during the repair are sourced from these partners. For example – we are also offline sales partners for Realme smartphone brand in India.

Similarly, for service and repairs, we have tie-ups with many more brands. Yes, we are able to maintain 24-hour TAT in such cases as well.

ACE – What about brands that you have not still partnered with? Where are the components like screen units sourced from in such cases?

SR – All our 75 stores in India have the same setup. This setup consists of imported machines that help us craft some major parts and this is one of the reasons that we are able to offer these services at low costs.

In fact, every repair we complete, carries three months repair warranty on the same. This has been one of our key USPs in the journey so far.

ACE – How do you maintain the same quality of repairs at all these stores?

SR – Partners that sign-up for Phixman stores have to sign an agreement that clearly states all the rules and regulations. The most important being the quality of repairs. Phixman does not compromise on the quality at any level.

We furnish all our partners with repair setup and machines. The agreement also bounds them to carry out all these repairs on these machines only. The software that I talked about earlier makes sure that none of the repair or service is carried on any machine that is not validated by Phixman.

Every repair we complete is checked by senior technicians before it gets transported to the client. Additionally, every courier partner is given the responsibility to deliver every package in the condition it is packed at the Phixman stores.