Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for mobile phone retailers.
A checklist built from how mobile phone retailers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- IMEI-level stock
- Counter billing with bundles
- Pre-booking and launch lists
- Trade-in and exchange valuation
- Warranty and repair tracking
- Distributor purchases and credit notes
- Recharge and accessory sales
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For counter staff
- For stock keepers
- For service desk staff
- For accounts clerks
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Handsets in stock by model, variant and IMEI
- Sales by brand, model and salesperson, with margin
- Pre-bookings open, fulfilled and waiting for stock
- Exchange phones taken in and their resale outcome
- Phones at the service centre, by days away
- Distributor returns and credit notes pending
- Accessory movement by item, with fast and slow lines
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Barcode and IMEI scanner
- Receipt printer
- WhatsApp or SMS
- Card terminal
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does it track each phone by IMEI?
- Can I hold pre-bookings for a new launch?
- How are exchange phones handled?
- Can it manage warranty repairs sent to the brand?
- Does it work with an instalment or finance plan?
- Can it count cheap accessories without slowing the counter?
- Can we run several shops from one price list?
- Can I see which distributor supplied a faulty phone?
- Do we get our data back if we leave?
- How is it priced?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Handsets are counted by model, not by IMEI
- Distributor credits are disputed without proof
- Accessories vanish between the glass case and the till
- Exchange phones are valued by guess
- Repair handoffs lose track of the customer’s phone
Prefer to talk it through? See the mobile phone retailers page.