How to Migrate from RepairDesk to Bench

RepairDesk is a solid platform for phone and electronics repair. But if your shop has grown beyond phones — into power tools, outdoor equipment, appliances, or mixed repair — you may be hitting its limits. This guide walks you through migrating from RepairDesk to Bench with a clear timeline, data export steps, and a plan to keep your shop running without interruption.

Why Shops Outgrow RepairDesk

RepairDesk was built for phone repair. It shows. If you are reading this, some of these probably sound familiar:

• Single-industry focus. RepairDesk's workflows, parts tiers, and templates are designed around phone screens and IMEI numbers. If you repair power tools or outdoor equipment, you are working around the system instead of with it.
• B2B limitations. Contractor accounts, credit terms, and Net-30 invoicing are core to shops that serve businesses. RepairDesk was not designed for this.
• Customer portal. RepairDesk offers basic tracking. Bench provides a full self-service portal where customers can view repairs, pay invoices, and communicate with your shop.
• Storage and seasonal equipment. Shops that handle seasonal repairs — lawn mowers in spring, snow blowers in fall — need storage tracking that RepairDesk does not offer.

Migration Timeline

The migration takes one weekend for most shops. Here is a realistic schedule:

Total hands-on time: 5-6 hours.

Step 1: Export from RepairDesk

Log into RepairDesk and export the data you need.

Customers

Go to Customers → Export. Download as CSV. This includes names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses.

Parts Inventory

Go to Inventory → Export. This gives you your parts list with quantities, costs, and retail prices. If you have multiple locations in RepairDesk, export each separately.

Repair History (Archive Only)

Export your ticket history for your records. You will not import historical repairs into Bench — it is not worth the time. Your RepairDesk export is your archive.

What RepairDesk Does Not Export

• IMEI/serial number history — download or screenshot anything you need before canceling
• Photos and attachments — save any repair photos you want to keep
• Invoice PDFs — download individually for your accounting records

Step 2: Set Up Bench

Sign up at toolbench.shop/register. The 14-day free trial starts immediately.

Onboarding

Bench's onboarding wizard takes about 5 minutes:

1. Shop details. Name, address, phone, logo.
2. Shop type. Select all repair categories you handle — power tools, electronics, outdoor equipment, appliances, etc. This loads relevant tool types and default labor pricing.
3. Team invites. Add your technicians and counter staff by email.

Key Settings to Configure

• Labor rates. Set hourly or flat-rate pricing per tool type. If you used time-and-materials in RepairDesk, you will find the same option in Bench.
• Tax rates. Enter your state and local rates. Tax-exempt customers can be flagged individually.
• SMS templates. Bench includes SMS in every plan. Customize the messages for repair updates, pickup reminders, and review requests.
• Payment processing. Connect Stripe for text-to-pay and card payments. If you used Square with RepairDesk, you can connect Square in Bench as well.

Step 3: Import Your Data

Customers

Go to Customers → Import in Bench. Upload your RepairDesk CSV. Bench auto-maps common column headers (Name, Email, Phone, Address). Review the mapping, confirm, and import.

Tips:

• Clean up duplicates in the CSV before importing
• Mark business customers as "Business" type after import to enable credit limits
• Verify phone numbers are in 10-digit format for SMS to work

Parts Inventory

Go to Parts → Import and upload your parts CSV. Map the columns for part name, SKU, quantity, cost, and retail price.

If you used RepairDesk's parts quality tiers (Original, Aftermarket, Compatible), you can track these as separate parts in Bench or use notes to distinguish them.

Step 4: Enter Open Repairs

Any repairs currently in progress need to be manually created in Bench. For most shops, this is 10-30 tickets.

For each open repair:

1. Look up the customer (already imported)
2. Create a new repair with the tool type, description, and current status
3. Assign to the correct technician
4. Add any notes from the RepairDesk ticket

Do not backfill completed repairs. Your RepairDesk export serves as your historical record.

Step 5: Train Your Team

Block two hours for hands-on training. Walk through the daily workflow:

If They Used RepairDesk, They Will Notice

• Simpler interface. Bench has fewer screens and fewer clicks for common tasks. Most people find it faster within the first day.
• Multi-industry workflow. Instead of phone-centric templates, Bench uses tool types that cover all repair categories. A drill and a phone go through the same clean workflow.
• SMS is included. No more tracking per-message costs. Automated texts go out on status changes, pickup reminders, and review requests.
• Customer portal. Instead of basic tracking links, customers get a full self-service portal where they can view repairs, pay invoices, and message your shop.

Key Workflows to Practice

• Intake: Creating a new repair, capturing photos and signatures
• Status updates: Moving repairs through the workflow (Received → In Progress → Complete → Picked Up)
• Invoicing: Creating an invoice, sending it via text, processing payment
• Parts: Adding parts to a repair, checking inventory

Step 6: Go Live

Monday morning, start all new repairs in Bench. Keep your RepairDesk subscription active for one billing cycle to reference old data, then cancel.

Go-Live Checklist

• Customers imported and spot-checked
• Parts inventory imported with correct quantities
• Open repairs entered
• Team members invited and logged in
• Stripe or Square connected for payments
• SMS templates reviewed and customized
• Label printer configured
• Run one full test repair: intake → diagnosis → invoice → payment → pickup

RepairDesk Features You Will Not Miss

• Per-ticket SMS fees. Bench includes SMS in every plan.
• Phone-only workflow assumptions. No more working around IMEI fields on a power tool repair.
• Complex pricing tiers. Bench pricing is straightforward: three plans, everything included.

RepairDesk Features That Work Differently in Bench

• IMEI tracking. Bench supports serial numbers on any tool type, but does not have IMEI-specific features like blacklist checking. If you do high-volume phone repair with carrier buyback, this is worth noting.
• Parts quality tiers. RepairDesk has built-in Original/Aftermarket/Compatible tiers. In Bench, you can create separate part records or use naming conventions for the same effect.
• Buyback program. RepairDesk has a phone buyback module. Bench does not — if this is a significant revenue stream, factor it into your decision.

Common Migration Concerns

"Will my customers notice the switch?" They will notice things getting better. Text updates, a customer portal, and text-to-pay invoices are visible improvements. The backend switch is invisible to them.

"What about my repair history?" Your RepairDesk CSV export is your archive. Bench starts fresh with clean data. After 30 days, you will never look at the old data.

"Can I try Bench before fully committing?" Yes. The 14-day trial is fully functional. Set everything up, run test repairs, and train your team before going live.

The switch from RepairDesk to Bench is a weekend project. The hardest part is deciding to start. Shops that make the move consistently report faster workflows, fewer clicks, and happier customers within the first week.