The Essential KPIs Every Repairs Department Must Track

Introduction - KPIs Every Repairs Department Must Track

The repairs department is one of the most influential profit centres in a construction or engineering business, especially in lift engineering, M&E, HVAC, and specialist technical trades.

Repairs generate reactive revenue, drive additional quoting opportunities, and are often the fastest route to cash. But they can also be the biggest source of margin leakage, scheduling issues, and customer frustration if the business does not track performance properly.

Many SMEs struggle because they monitor the volume of repairs, not the quality or profitability of those repairs. As JFA, we regularly see businesses missing £50k–£200k a year because repair progress is poorly measured.

In this blog, we break down exactly how to track both quantifiable KPIs (numbers that matter) and qualitative KPIs (behaviours, communication and process discipline).

If you haven’t already, you may find our blogs on How Strong Financial Leadership Prevents Firefighting and Break-Even Analysis for Construction Businesses helpful, both explain why weak visibility in repairs quickly impacts margins.Let’s simplify a complex department with CFO-level clarity.

1. Quantifiable KPIs — The Hard Numbers Behind Repair Performance

Quantifiable KPIs allow directors to assess performance objectively. These KPIs show whether the repairs department is generating profit, controlling labour, delivering efficiency, and meeting customer expectations.

1. Quote Volume, Speed & Conversion Rate

Repairs create quoting opportunities. If quotes are slow, unclear, or piled up in backlog, profit disappears.

• Faster quotes = higher conversion

• High conversion = predictable revenue

• Quote pipeline visibility = better resource planning

  
  

What to Review

• Quotes raised per week

• Average time to produce a quote

• Quote conversion rate (%)

• Value of outstanding quotes

  
  

Strategy

1. Introduce a 48-hour quoting target

2. Categorise quotes by value (low/medium/high)

3. Review quote pipeline every Monday morning

4. Track conversion by engineer and by client segment

   
   

For quoting templates and margin calculators, see our free tools: https://www.jonesfa.co.uk/resources.

2. Completion Rates & Job Throughput

You don’t get paid for repairs that aren’t completed. Completion is the single biggest operational KPI.

• Faster completion = faster invoicing

• Higher throughput = more revenue capacity

• Lower backlog = better customer satisfaction

  
  

What to Review

• Jobs completed vs jobs raised

• % of jobs completed within target time

• Outstanding repairs backlog

• Time between call-out and job completion

  
  

Strategy

1. Lock in weekly repair completion targets

2. Review backlog by age (0–7 days, 7–21 days, 21+ days)

3. Identify bottlenecks (parts, access issues, scheduling gaps)

   
   

3. Repair Gross Margin

Repairs margins reveal whether your pricing, labour, and materials are under control. Many SMEs lose money on repairs without realising it.

• Protects profitability

• Enables accurate pricing

• Highlights overrun and inefficiency

  
  

What to Review

• Gross margin per repair

• Labour hours vs estimated hours

• Materials cost %

• Margin by engineer

  
  

Strategy

1. Build a simple repair margin report monthly

2. Flag jobs with margin <30% for review

3. Train engineers to improve diagnostic efficiency

Refer to our blog on Project Costing & Margin Control for deeper insight.

4. First-Time Fix Rate

Repeat visits destroy margin and frustrate customers.

• Higher first-time fix → stronger margins

• Lower fuel/time costs

• Improved engineer productivity

  
  

What to Review

• First-time fix %

• Repeat visit ratio

• Common causes of low first-time fixes

Strategy

1. Monitor van stock weekly

2. Assign fault-type training

3. Link engineers to specialist categories (asset types)

5. Invoicing Speed & Accuracy

A repair is only worth something once it becomes an invoice. Slow invoicing = cash flow risk.

Impact

• Faster invoicing improves working capital

• Cleaner paperwork reduces customer disputes

• Better accuracy improves margin consistency

What to Review

• Days to invoice

• Invoices raised vs jobs completed

• Disputes per 100 invoices

Strategy

1. Aim for next-day invoicing

2. Require engineers to complete job sheets same day

3. Introduce a “no missing notes” policy

   
   

2. Qualitative KPIs — The Behaviours Driving Repair Performance

Numbers show you what is happening. Qualitative KPIs show you why it is happening.

These indicators are critical because repairs rely on communication, clarity, planning discipline, and technician judgement.

1. Communication Quality (Engineer → Office → Client)

Repairs fail when communication fails.

• Faster quoting

• Clearer invoicing

• Reduced complaints

  
  

What to Review

• Are job notes clear?

• Are photos uploaded?

• Are customer updates timely?

  
  

Strategy

1. Introduce a communication checklist

2. Review job notes weekly

3. Coach engineers on clarity

   
   

2. Diagnostic Quality

The ability of engineers to diagnose issues quickly and correctly is an underrated KPI.

Poor diagnostics = repeat visits, parts misorders, and customer frustration.

Impact

• Lower costs

• Faster resolution

• Higher customer trust

  
  

Strategy

1. Track diagnostic errors

2. Pair senior engineers with juniors

3. Build an internal asset knowledge library

   
   

3. Planning & Scheduling Discipline

Repair teams must fit urgent work alongside scheduled jobs.

What to Review

• Do planners schedule efficiently?

• Are travel times optimised?

• Are high-value repairs prioritised?

Strategy

Weekly planning review + route optimisation.

4. Customer Experience Indicators

You don’t need surveys, the business gives clues.

What to Review

• Complaints

• Response tone from customers

• Repeat client bookings

• Escalations to director level

• 
  

Strategy

Monitor complaints by engineer and by repair type.

3. Additional Areas Directors Should Track

1. Parts Management

• Wrong parts ordered

• Excess returns

• Stock accuracy

  
  

2. Health & Safety Compliance

• RAMS completed

• Near misses reported

• Risk assessments quality

  
  

3. Engineer Utilisation

• Time on-site vs travel vs idle

• Ratio of billable to non-billable hours

  
  

4. Revenue Per Engineer

• Tracks commercial contribution

  
  

4. Building a Full Repairs Department Reporting System

A great repairs department report includes:

Weekly

• Jobs completed

• Quotes raised & converted

• Backlog

• First-time fix

  
  

Monthly

• Margin analysis

• Revenue per engineer

• Parts usage

• Customer complaints

  
  

Quarterly

• Engineer performance review

• Training needs analysis

• Pricing review

• Contract profitability

  
  

JFA can build your reporting structure using your job management software (Joblogic, ServiceM8, Protean, simPRO) and your accounting system.

Download KPI templates here: https://www.jonesfa.co.uk/resources

Key Takeaways

• Track both quantifiable KPIs (volume, margin, completion) and qualitative KPIs (communication, diagnostics, planning).

• Quote conversion, completion speed, first-time fix, and invoicing discipline drive profitability.

• Poor behaviours often show problems long before the numbers do.

• A structured weekly and monthly reporting system transforms the repairs department into a predictable, profitable engine.

If you want JFA to build your repairs performance dashboard or full departmental KPI system, visit www.jonesfa.co.uk and explore our resources.

Wrapping up today's insights, tomorrow we simplify another accounting challenge.