It adds that some businesses have to contend with particularly clumsy employees – the worst offenders can break their phones three times in 12 months.
It found that the five industries that spend the most on mobile phone repairs are (in descending order): the legal sector, insurance, food & drink retail and distribution, mobile resellers and construction.
iMend.com also notes that an iPhone 6S’s screen can be replaced eight times and still cost less than buying a new handset outright, while a Samsung S7’s screen can be replaced 3.5 times for the same cost as a new device.
Sarah McConomy, general manager at iMend.com, said: “The office environment is a dangerous place for a mobile phone, and especially with liquid damage, employee efforts to fix the phone can damage the phone more. Putting a waterlogged phone in rice can cause a rice grain to get lodged in the power socket or headphone jack, and it doesn’t help the phone dry out. If a phone has had a milky tea or coffee spilt over it, drying it out will leave milk residue inside which can still go off.
“Businesses are increasingly aware of the environmental impact they can have and keeping mobile devices running for as long as possible allows businesses to reduce their electronics waste while also saving thousands of pounds a year. Apple provides software updates for devices up to four years old, and by replacing the battery when it starts to run down businesses can dramatically extend the useful life they can extract from their mobile assets, which is also better for the environment.”
