Revenue comes in, jobs go out, the bench stays busy. But busy isn't profitable, and profitable isn't sustainable unless you can see the numbers that actually matter.
Here are 5 KPIs worth tracking every week. None of them require software. All of them will show you something you didn't know.
1. Jobs completed per week
The baseline. How many devices went out the door, by type.
Not total revenue. Not hours worked. Completed jobs, per device category: iPhone, Mac, iPad, other.
Why by category? Because a week with 12 iPhone battery swaps looks identical to a week with 4 MacBook logic board jobs in terms of "busy", but the margin picture is completely different. You can't manage what you can't see separated.
Track it as a simple count. Monday morning, open a spreadsheet, write the numbers from last week.
2. Average turnaround time
How many days from intake to collection, on average.
This one hurts when you measure it for the first time. Most techs think their average is 2 or 3 days. The actual number, once you account for parts delays, customer no-shows and the jobs sitting in a corner "waiting for a callback", is usually closer to 6 or 7.
Turnaround time is a customer satisfaction metric and a cash flow metric at the same time. Slow turnaround means delayed payment and unhappy customers. Faster turnaround, without cutting corners, is one of the highest-leverage things you can change in a lab.
3. Parts cost as a percentage of revenue
For every €100 you bring in, how much went to parts?
A healthy repair business runs parts cost at 30 to 40% of revenue. Higher than that and you're either buying expensive parts or undercharging for labour. Lower than that is fine, but usually only happens on labour-heavy jobs with cheap components.
You don't need accounting software for this. Add up what you paid for parts that week. Divide by total revenue. Multiply by 100. That's your number.
If you've never done this, do it once and you'll do it every week after.
4. Comeback rate
How many jobs came back with a problem in the 30 days after completion?
This one is uncomfortable to track, which is exactly why most techs don't. It feels like a failure metric. It is, but that's the point.
A 0% comeback rate probably means you're not tracking honestly. A rate above 5% means something in your workflow needs attention: parts quality, diagnostic thoroughness, testing before handoff, or how you communicate what the repair does and doesn't cover.
Track it by logging any job that returns within 30 days. At the end of each week, count them. One number, one minute.
5. Quote-to-approval time
How long between sending a repair quote and getting a customer decision?
This one reveals how clear your communication is. If the average customer takes 4 days to approve a €120 repair, the estimate probably wasn't clear enough about what happens next or how long the device will be held.
A well-written estimate that explains the fault, the fix, the cost and the timeline gets a response faster. Tracking this number over time shows you whether your communication is improving.
Using AI to set up your tracking system
You don't need to design a spreadsheet from scratch. Give AI the 5 KPIs above and ask it to build the template:
I run an independent Apple repair lab. Build me a weekly KPI tracking spreadsheet with 5 metrics: jobs completed by device type, average turnaround time in days, parts cost as a percentage of revenue, comeback rate (jobs returning within 30 days), and quote-to-approval time in days. Include a column for week number, a notes column, and a simple summary row. Format it so I can fill it in manually every Monday in under 10 minutes.
Copy the output into a Google Sheet. Fill it in once. By week 4, you'll have data that changes how you run the lab.
Want the complete toolkit?
The Apple Repair Lab Toolkit — v1.0 includes 5 ready-to-use tools: AI diagnostic prompts, a repair estimate template, 6 customer email templates, a SOP template and a weekly KPI tracker. Everything an independent technician needs to run a more consistent lab.
Want the full prompt pack?
There are four more AI techniques in the free guide, including diagnosing faster, writing better estimates, handling difficult customer conversations and building your own SOPs.
AI on the Bench — 5 ways to use AI in your Apple repair workflow.
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