Key takeaways
- India’s installed base of phones, PCs and appliances keeps growing, and so does the repair and service work behind it.
- Indian service centres need GST-native billing, UPI and split payments, WhatsApp updates and rupee pricing. These are not optional extras.
- Know your compliance thresholds: GST registration at ₹20 lakh, e-invoicing at ₹5 crore, 30-day IRP reporting at ₹10 crore.
- International tools are capable but priced in dollars and not GST-first; most Indian centres are better served locally.
For how service centre software works day to day (the intake-to-delivery workflow, features and metrics), see our service center software guide. This page covers what is specific to buying and running it in India.
The Indian service market in 2026
India’s device base keeps setting records. IDC counted 152 million smartphones shipped in 2025. Counterpoint found the market grew 8% in value even as volumes were flat, with premium phones (₹30,000+) making up 22% of shipments. Apple alone shipped a record 14 million iPhones in India. Pricier phones mean pricier, more careful repairs.
PCs hit an all-time high too. IDC reports 15.9 million desktops, notebooks and workstations shipped in 2025, up 10.2% and the first year above 15 million. On the appliance side, ICRA put room AC sales at a record 12.5 million units in FY2025. Every one of these devices will need servicing, repair or warranty work, and much of it happens outside the metros.
What Indian service centres need from software
| Need | Why it’s India-specific |
|---|---|
| GST-native billing | Tax invoices and bills of supply with GSTIN, HSN for parts, SAC for services, CGST/SGST vs IGST, credit and debit notes |
| UPI and split payments | NPCI processed 228 billion UPI transactions in 2025; customers pay part UPI, part cash |
| WhatsApp updates | 500M+ Indians use WhatsApp monthly; SMS and email get ignored |
| Rupee pricing | No dollar billing, exchange-rate jumps or international card requirements |
| India-hosted data | Customer phone numbers and addresses are personal data; know where they live |
| Works on Android & patchy data | Technicians use everyday Android phones, often on mobile data |
| Delivery challans | Units sent to brands or vendors for warranty need proper challans |
| Support in Indian hours | Help when your counter is open, in a language your staff speak |
GST, e-invoicing and e-waste rules to know
GST registration and the composition scheme
Service providers must register for GST once aggregate turnover exceeds ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh in special category states). Sales of spare parts count towards that turnover. Smaller centres can opt for the composition scheme up to ₹50 lakh for services, paying 6% tax. The catch is that they can’t charge GST separately or claim input tax credit. Your software must issue a bill of supply instead of a tax invoice in that case.
E-invoicing thresholds
E-invoicing through the Invoice Registration Portal is mandatory above ₹5 crore aggregate annual turnover. Since 1 April 2025, businesses at ₹10 crore or more must report each e-invoice, credit note and debit note within 30 days of its date, or the portal refuses it.
E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022
Under these rules, manufacturers, producers, recyclers and refurbishers must register on the CPCB portal. A refurbisher is anyone who repairs or assembles used electronics to extend their life and then sells them. Registered entities can’t deal with unregistered ones, and stored e-waste is capped at 180 days. If your centre buys, refurbishes and resells devices, you need serial-level records of what came in and went out, which is another reason to keep parts and devices in software. India generated about 1.41 million tonnes of e-waste in 2025–26.
Repairability Index
The Department of Consumer Affairs’ proposed Repairability Index would score phones and electronics on spare-part availability, repair cost, software updates and repair information. As it rolls out, expect customers to ask more questions about parts and repair options. Clear records help you answer them.
Indian vs international service centre software
| Indian SMB software (e.g. Rasko) | International repair software | General accounting software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Rupees, monthly or yearly | US dollars, often per user | Rupees, per licence |
| GST invoices & returns | Built in | Limited / workarounds | Built in |
| Job cards & repair status | Built in | Built in | Not available |
| Accessories, IMEI, serials | Built in | Built in | Not available |
| WhatsApp updates | Built in | Add-on or integration | Rare |
| UPI / split payments | Built in | Partial | Built in |
| AMC & service contracts | Varies (built in on Rasko) | Varies | Not available |
| Support hours | Indian business hours | Usually US/EU hours | Indian business hours |
Many Indian centres try to run on accounting software such as Tally, Vyapar or Busy plus a job register. That handles GST well but leaves out what makes a service centre run: job cards, statuses, technicians and repair history. International repair software has the repair workflow but treats GST and WhatsApp as afterthoughts.
How Rasko does it
Rasko is built in India for repair and service businesses. It combines job cards, GST quotations and invoices, bills of supply, credit and debit notes, delivery challans, inventory with serials, UPI and split payments, AMC contracts and WhatsApp updates.
Pricing is in rupees: ₹599 a month or ₹5,999 a year for everything, or ₹299 a month for job cards only, plus GST, after a 90-day free trial. Owners with several branches switch between stores from one login.
Running a service centre in a tier-2 or tier-3 city
Smartphone and PC growth is increasingly coming from smaller cities, and brands are pushing their service networks deeper. Samsung alone lists 3,000+ authorised centres, including tier-3 and tier-4 towns. For independent centres outside the metros, the software priorities shift slightly:
- Lightweight and mobile-first: it should work well on a mid-range Android phone and on 4G.
- WhatsApp over everything: customers may never open an email.
- Simple roles: family members and a few technicians, each seeing what they need.
- Low fixed cost: a flat monthly price beats per-user licences for small teams.
- Outsourcing support: chip-level or specialist repairs often go to a bigger city; track those jobs properly.
Buying checklist for Indian service centres
- Issue a GST tax invoice and a bill of supply from a job. Check the HSN/SAC codes and the CGST/SGST vs IGST split.
- Record a split UPI and cash payment and see it in the day-end report.
- Send a WhatsApp update to your own number from a job.
- Create a delivery challan for a unit going to the brand under warranty.
- Pick a part with a serial number and confirm stock drops.
- Open the app on a technician’s Android phone over mobile data.
- Ask where data is hosted and how you export it if you leave.
- Price a full year in rupees, including GST and any per-message or per-user charges.
Specialising in one device type? See mobile repair software and laptop repair software.