Top 5 Buy-back / Trade-in Issues Costing Your Organization Money

Mar 12, 2020 Blog Article

Damaged screens, locked devices and other challenging conditions drain profits and add time to your mobile buy-back/trade-in process. Below, we identify the costliest obstacles that carriers, retailers, resellers, mobile insurers and others face when dealing with previously owned devices, as well as how to remove all five issues from the BBTI process.

Katie Jefcoat - Blancco Author

Katie Moss Jefcoat Katie has launched and supported marketing campaigns for B2B technology companies since 2011. From 2016 to 2021, Katie served Blancco in the roles of content manager and senior product marketing manager, communicating the features and benefits of Blancco products, evaluating market and competitive trends, supporting sales enablement, and representing the voice of the customer.

62 percent of consumers have never traded in a device according to our recent research report, 5G Smartphone Upgrades and the Secondary Device Deluge. Still, considering 3.5 billion individuals across the world now own a smartphone, buy-back/trade-in remains a big business, and it represents a large source of profits for carriers, retailers, resellers, mobile insurers and other such organizations. But the process also has its challenges. Here are five of the top issues organizations face during the buy-back/trade-in (BBTI) process that have a major impact on profits.

#1. Damaged Screens

One of the costliest mobile device repairs is a damaged screen. Whether the screen is cracked, showing lines that shouldn’t be there, has dead pixels or is flickering, it’s detrimental to the way a user interacts with the device. And while a customer service representative in store may be able to easily identify a cracked screen, diagnosing LCD screen health can prove more difficult, as manual diagnosis is not a streamlined process and is prone to human error.

Because not all customers want to come in store, a comprehensive buy-back/trade-in solution needs to be able to perform remote assessment via an app that’s accessible anywhere, at any time. This tool also needs to be easy to use, because retail stores have high employee turnover and non-technical customers must be able to use it easily at home. In doing so, accurate cracked glass and LCD assessment is possible anywhere. (More on how Blancco can help with this later).

#2. Dead on Arrival (DOAs)

Mobile devices aren’t worth much if they won’t even turn on. When devices are traded in by consumers online or at the retail store and reach the warehouse in this condition, it’s a waste of time and money for the BBTI organization. Implementing a reliable diagnostics app removes uncertainty from the buy-back and trade-in process, so organizations can ensure no DOAs make it to back-of-house processing facilities.

#3. Locked Devices

Much like DOAs, locked devices are considered “bricks” because they’re virtually worthless to a mobile reseller. Automated diagnostic tools assist with this process because they can automatically identify locks quickly, meaning these devices never get into the reverse channel in a locked state. Instead, with a few steps, the locks are removed and the device becomes a valuable asset for the business. Blancco Mobile Solutions features a unique TradeID code that guarantees these locks are removed during the trade-in process.

#4 & #5. Incorrectly Identified Model, Mistyped IMEI

Human errors occur regularly in manual device health checks during the buy-back/trade-in process. If a customer service representative accidentally mistypes an IMEI or incorrectly identifies a model, by the time it reaches the reverse channel, you’re facing a lot of wasted time spent to identify the device. This time could be otherwise spent on more profitable actions.

How Blanco Helps Reduce Friction During the BBTI Process

Blancco helps organizations remove all five of the mobile buy-back/trade-in issues listed above. Using the Blancco Mobile BBTI solution, the most comprehensive BBTI solution on the market, mobile organizations can perform remote assessment and device valuation quickly and easily via an intuitive mobile app, in-store or at home. Customers are provided a device specific value and customized return flow based on the results of the device assessment, ensuring a smooth process and increased customer satisfaction.

Additionally, Blancco Mobile Solutions offers the only automated, remote cracked glass and LCD damage testing on the market today, allowing organizations to remove human error from the buy-back/trade-in process with a proven solution.

Ready to find out more about Blancco Mobile Buy-back/Trade-in? Experience how we can help you overcome mobile buy-back/trade-in issues: Request your free Mobile BBTI trial today.

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