Meeting fleet customer expectations always should be top priority, especially when dealing with warranty work. Fleet/service provider communication is a critical factor when dealing with repair orders that involve equipment still under a specified warranty.
It is this type of communication that calls for standardized workflow procedures that facilitate efficient and thorough warranty repair.
Current Processes
The commercial vehicle industry is wrestling with concerns regarding the untimely and inefficient handling of warrantable (no charge) repairs at OEM service facilities. This is because current warranty business processes are plagued with inefficiencies that result in repair completion delays.
To remedy this situation, the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) tasked its S.16 Service Provider Study Group to develop recommended practices (RPs) to improve warranty workflow procedures.
To that end, the Group came up with RP 1603, Warranty Workflow Procedures, and it recommends using TMC’s Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS). VMRS, the industry standard coding convention for tracking equipment and maintenance information, is the recognized tool to leverage the power of warranty versus non-warranty work for ease of fleet/service provider communication.
The recommendations in RP 1603 are designed to help service providers:
- Identify the details needed before starting a warranty repair.
- Implement an efficient workflow process.
- Compile any data required by the customer by the completion of the repair order.
Three Steps
TMC suggests that fleets consider the following guidelines when interacting with a service provider on a warrantable repair. TMC also recommends that the service provider consider these guidelines when servicing warrantable repairs.
Doing so will help expedite the repair process, ensure accurate communication and document the results with a common set of details.
- Step 1 – Identify the details needed before starting a warranty repair
A. Document the customer complaint.
- Why do you believe this is a potential warranty claim?
- What evidence supports the potential warranty claim?
B. Obtain the unit warranty information provided from the fleet customer.
- Fleet documents its individual warranties per unit.
- Fleet provides the details of the unit’s warranty coverage.
- Fleet provides special contact information if needed for clarification, including any “special” coverage only made available to them by the vendor.
- Fleet provides documentation of previous work done for the part/repair in question.
C. Determine/obtain the:
- Fleet customer identification information.
- Unit year, make and model.
- Vehicle identification number (VIN).
- Fleet’s unit number for the vehicle.
- Vehicle’s in-service date.
- OEM warranty date.
- Vehicle’s current mileage/engine hours.
- Pertinent sub-assembly model and serial numbers.
D. Obtain any extended coverage details for the engine, transmission and rear axles.
- Confirm the details from the OEM.
- Compare the details to the documentation provided from the fleet.
E. Determine if there are any other miscellaneous extended warranties in effect, including any extended base vehicle warranty.
F. Determine any parts replacement warranties in effect.
- Obtain repair order documentation or parts invoice with date/mileage and provider name.
- Check the OEM history for documentation and substantiation.
- Depend on the fleet customer to provide backup documentation should discrepancies arise.
G. Determine if any federally-mandated recalls and/or manufacturer campaigns are applicable to the repair.
- Step 2 – Implement a warranty repair workflow process
A. Determine the initial concern.
B. Ascertain the details of the unit’s warranty repair history.
C. Diagnose the concern and audit the availability of warranty coverage.
D. Obtain and document OEM pre-authorization information when required before starting the repair.
E. Inform the customer as to warranty status and estimated repair time.
F. Update the customer as needed should there be any change in repair status.
G. Complete the repair and inform the customer accordingly.
- Step 3 – Compile any data required by the customer upon the completion of the repair order
For example:
A. Customer data needed at the completion of the repair order.
B. Standard service provider repair order invoice, including any mandated recall and/or manufacturer campaign repairs, with “no charge” notation.
C. VMRS coding on the repair operations, even if a “no charge” repair:
- Code Key 31: System Code.
- Code Key 32: Assembly Code.
- Code Key 33: Component Code.
- Code Key 15: Work Accomplished.
- Code Key 18: Technician Failure Code.
D. Electronic repair order that downloads into the fleet customer’s management system.
One of Many
These detailed specifications form the backbone of RP 1603. It is one of more than 450 RPs that have been created by TMC for the purpose of improving maintenance efficiency and providing the industry with trucking solutions.
TMC’s recommended practice collection is just one of the many member benefits that come through membership in the organization. For more information, call TMC 703-838-1763 or visit http://jointmc.trucking.org.
Kenneth Calhoun is the outgoing chairman of TMC’s S.16 Service Provider Study Group. In February 2015, he was elected to TMC’s board of directors as its first service provider representative. He is also vice president of customer relations for Truck Centers of Arkansas (www.truckcentersar.com), a full-service dealership with headquarters in North Little Rock, Ark. TMC is North America’s premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals (www.trucking.org/Technology_Council.aspx). It is a part of the American Trucking Associations (www.truckline.com), the largest national trade association for the trucking industry.
