It’s a modern problem: that sickening feeling when a cell phone falls to the ground. The fall seems to be in slow motion, and we freeze. Then the moment of truth: did my screen break?

With the 2019 iPhone running close to $1,000, these phones have become significant personal investments. Fortunately, a new kind of business has opened in Pocatello that makes cell phone repairs quick and easy. Precision Phone Repair opened on Hurley Drive a few months ago, and owners Steffanie and Joe Monsen serve walk-in and on line customers six days a week.

“We can handle repairs on all kinds of mobile devices — phones, tablets, smart watches, and iPods,” said Steffanie. While I was interviewing the couple for this article, a return customer came in with a broken FitBit. The client mentioned how much she liked their phone service and asked if they could help with a malfunctioning FitBit. They can. “And if we can’t fix it, we don’t charge,” said Steffanie.

Apart from broken screens, the most common problems they see have to do with the device’s internal circuit boards. “A lot of people sit on their phones and pop the tiny boards out of place,” said Joe. Another category of damage comes from using after-market chargers. “Some of these cheap chargers don’t have surge protection built in, so a surge will damage the circuits inside the phone,” he explained.

Unique to Precision Phone Repair is their in-house micro-soldering capability. Joe does this work using a microscope set to magnify as much as 90 times. Micro-soldering means Joe can make repairs on the rice-size circuit boards. Previously, a phone owner would have to send their phone away, leaving them without a phone for several weeks. Joe can turn around these repairs in 24 hours. “We all suffer without our phones, so we are very conscious of the time we have to repair them,” said Joe.

Joe also noted there has been a shift toward constructing new phones entirely from glass. Manufacturers have done this to enable wireless charging. However, the tradeoff is that all-glass phones are more likely to shatter. To help with this issue, Precision carries a full line of phone protectors and has a custom screen protector machine. The screen protection film they custom-cut is heavy duty. “You could throw it out in the parking lot, and the screen won’t break,” added Steffanie.

Steffanie and Joe moved to Pocatello after living for 10 years in Roosevelt, UT. There, Joe worked for a telecommunications company. He learned how to do phone repairs and attended trade shows that introduced him to the specialized products and techniques he now offers to Pocatello customers.

When they opened, they contacted the Small Business Development Center to help with their Quickbooks accounting software. “Claudia helped head us in the right direction, and now Ann is helping us with our marketing,” said Steffanie. “If you are a small business, the SBDC is a great free resource,” said Joe.

When Steffanie and Joe aren’t at their shop on Hurley Drive, they are raising five children and spending time with Steffanie’s family.

You can find Precision Phone Repair at 1875 Hurley Dr. Ste D in Chubbuck or call (208) 237-6425. www.precision-phonerepair.com.

The SBDC is taxpayer funded to provide no-cost consulting and low-cost training to any small business.

Ann Swanson is the regional director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the ISU College of Business at 208-282-4402 or email to swanann@isu.edu” swanann@isu.edu.