Let's get to grips with how they work!
The system actively separates customer and supplier warranty claims, giving you clear control over each. You can easily convert a customer claim into a supplier claim, process both in parallel, and handle credits in and out.
While you can log and close replacement requests, the system doesn’t manage the full replacement (exchange) workflow. This is due to the many ways exchanges are handled.
Warranty claims work in two ways:
Customer Warranty Claims: When you provide warranty support to your customers.
Supplier Warranty Claims: When you claim a warranty from your suppliers.
You can customise warranties to suit your business model. For example:
Pass on the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty directly.
Offer an extended plan, like 7 years (adding 2 extra years for parts only).
Adjust the warranty based on timing, e.g., sell equipment 6 months into a 2-year supplier warranty, and offer your customer an 18-month warranty.
Getting There
You can get to the Customer or Supplier Warranty Claims section via the Stock menu and select either:
Customer Warranty Claims.
or Supplier Warranty Claims.
Before you raise any Customer or Supplier Claims, make sure to select the correct branch.
Navigation
Customer Warranty Claims are typically used when there is a faulty part; the claim can either be credited or exchanged, and this is for you to decide when logging the claim.
Across the Top, there are four buttons:
Raise a Customer Warranty
Accept Credit
Raise Supplier Warranty
Reject
The check box on the left lets you select one or multiple claims to create a bulk action.
The Status column lets you see which claims have been raised, approved, or rejected.
Raise a Customer Warranty Claim
From the window, you can create a new claim by clicking:
Raise Customer Warranty Claim
In the editor window, fill out all the fields.
Preferred Action: Here you can choose how this claim is processed, either through Credit (refund) or an Exchange (replacement part).
Exchanges are handled outside of this workflow by logging relevant purchase orders and/or manual receipts and issues.
Customer ID: In this field, simply choose the customer for whom this claim is for. This will automatically populate the Branch field.
Job Number: Clicking the ellipsis will open a list of all the current jobs related to this customer and branch. Select which job the claim originated from.
Warranty Policy Number: It is common for suppliers to provide warranty numbers; here, you can add it to the claim or use one of your own.
SKU: This is where you need to pick the item in question. If it's not listed, you can create a new one via the Add New Stock Item button.
Miscellaneous: For less common items, you can select a miscellaneous item here. You can also create a new item from here.
You'll notice that when selecting either the SKU or Miscellaneous field, the other will be locked.
Customer Warranty Claim Notes: This field lets you describe the reason for the claim, e.g. a faulty battery.
Once that's filled in, click Save, which will open the claim form as a PDF in a new browser tab. This acknowledgement form is then sent to the customer.
If you're shown a blank page, you may need to set up the Communications for the customer.
To set this up quickly, head to the Records menu and select Customer & Site records.
Find the customer you need to add a default to and click on the Account Number.
Then, select Communication Centre from the tabs.
You'll find the claims section by scrolling down.
Set the template and click Save.
After the acknowledgement form has been sent out, you now need to either accept it, raise a Supplier Claim, or reject it.
Accept Claim
You'll notice your new claim is now in the list. If you know how much you are going to credit, you can accept the claim here.
Using the check box on the left, select it and click Accept Claim.
This opens an editor window where you can create a credit note for the customer.
The page will pull in all the information from the claim. Be sure to check all the details, such as Description and Values (the Goods value and SA value should be the same).
Select the item line and the appropriate SA Code.
When you are happy, click print and you're good to go!
Raise a Supplier Request
If you receive a claim which is covered by a supplier warranty, the best option is to forward it straight to them.
You can do this by selecting the claim from the list.
Then, click the Raise Supplier Request button.
The Add Supplier Warranty Request window will open, which is almost identical to the Customer Warranty Claim editor.
Like before, you can choose to request a Claim or Exchange.
Other essential details are already filled in, based on the initial claim request.
Labour Charges: This lets you charge the supplier for any labour spent on the job involving this specific part.
Click Save when you have finished; this will close the window and take you to the Supplier Warranty Records screen.
Supplier Warranty Requests
Supplier Warranty Requests is where you can create and submit your requests to a supplier.
We have arrived here naturally through the claims process in the previous steps; however, you can also get here via the Stock menu and select Supplier Warranty Requests.
Having all the requests on one page allows you to select and batch submit the requests to a supplier.
Make your selection and click Send To Supplier.
In the window, you can choose which supplier to send the request to.
After selecting a supplier, a new browser tab will open with a PDF of your request.
Head back to Service Geeni and you'll notice that the Status has changed to Awaiting Approval, which tells you that the submission was successful.
Supplier Warranty Claims
Now that you have submitted your supplier request, you can manage it in the Supplier Warranty Claims section.
This section allows you to change the status of your claim based on the supplier's decision, so if they accept or reject it, you can update it here.
To select a claim, first expand the nested grid.
Once you select a claim, the actions at the top become available:
Supplier Accepted Credit
Supplier Accepted Exchange
Reject
Again, these should only be used once you have approval from the supplier.
Supplier Accepted Credit
With your claim selected, go ahead and click Supplier Accepted Credit.
A new window will open where you can update the approved cost. This value is pulled in from the original receipt.
After saving, a notification will appear for final approval.
Click Yes to continue.
You'll be notified that your claim has been accepted.
Click OK to close the window. This takes you back to the Supplier Warranty Claims screen, where the claim has been transferred to the Purchase Nominal Update module.
Supplier Accepted Stock Exchange
If the item is exchanged, the system marks it as stock exchanged and closes the claim, but no further actions are automated, the process beyond this point is manually issuing a new item, potentially raising a new purchase order (PO), or processing credits, and depends significantly on how the supplier handles the situation.
Reject
When the claim is rejected, it is removed from your supplier claims list; however, this does not impact the original customer claim. It is up to you to decide how to proceed.
Congratulations! You have completed the Claims process!