Darth Justy and the Laser of Doom
We have mentioned before that we record the opening of nearly every device that arrives at our iPod repair facility here in San Antonio, Texas. Being able to see what an iPhone repair looked like when it was first un-boxed is very useful.
Having this footage has saved our butts many a time, actually (it also helps when a clumsy employee falls out of her chair for no apparent reason, and we have to pull up the video to figure out what exactly happened, but that’s another story).
Like that one time we opened up a tightly-sealed box that should have contained a broken iPhone and found…nothing.
Well, another little issue that we have learned during iPod and iPhone repairs is that it is often very difficult to see the minor scratches and dings that a human can see but our cameras cannot discern. It is important for us to be aware of these defects right after a device is removed from its’ packaging, because if we don’t, it puts us in a tight spot if a customer receives a unit back from us and, upon inspection, may notice a scratch or dent that they may not recall.
Being able to point out these little defects here or there, but in a way that does not cost a lot of money or takes a great deal of time is very important, so the milliamp-brainstorming sessions began:
- Should we place little arrow stickers (aka like the ones that say ‘Your Signature Here’) over every defect we see? Naw, too darn expensive and tedious
- What about circling the defects with some kind of marker or Sharpie? Could work, but then someone needs to remove those markings later on, before it is shipped back to the customer
- What about taking individual, tightly-shot photographs of the defects? Not feasible – too much time and effort needed to take the images and then store them in a way so that they could be accessed quickly should the need arise
Nope, none of those suggestions would work. And then, the winning answer jumped out at us – use a laser pointer to highlight the defects right there under the video cameras! The red laser beam of the pointer shows up perfectly under camera, does not the harm the device in any way, and does not leave any permanent marks.
BINGO!
This is a perfect example of how we continuously-improve operations here at milliamp. We are NEVER satisfied with the status quo. We have come such a very long way from those card-table days – hell – we have come a very long way in just the past three months!
Innovation as simple as incorporating a laser point into our Receiving routine is an excellent example of this – it’s the milliamp way.
I will continue to try and share examples of how we manage to improve all areas of our operation on this blog and in our tweets, so bookmark our blog and please check back frequently!
Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com
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