-by Rachael Pritz, RB Retail Service Solutions

Once pools are closed at the end of the summer season, many pool and spa professionals are confronted with a pile of warranty claims to process. It’s important to remember that warranty processing and claims may be tedious but, once completed, can add up to significant cash and profits in months when cash flow has begun to slow down.
In fact, many pool and spa companies have been able to pay for their entire software package from the revenue generated by warranty claims processing! Most retailers agree that their manual or semi-manual warranty tracking systems leave ‘money on the table’ when it comes to processing claims.

“We have also found a lot of additional cash from warranty claims with manufacturers, money I’m sure we missed in the past,” says Eric Cassidy from Valley Pool & Spa in Pittsburg, Pa. “All our warranty service work is now easily tracked within RB Pool & Spa software whereas before we used to manually keep a book for claims with manufacturers and I am sure we lost warranty revenue both on parts and labor,” explains Cassidy. “Now we easily track all claims to see what is open and hasn’t been paid. I run this report weekly and it has helped us find thousands of dollars of profit every year. “

This winter, implement a flawless system to track manufacturer warranty claims. Additional cash from these claims can be easily missed in the heat of the season without an automated tracking system within the company’s business software. Pool professionals know that manually keeping track of claims always results in lost warranty revenue both on parts and labor. Be sure to run a detailed report in the slow months, and plan to run a report weekly during the swim season.
Serial number and warranty tracking are essential. Be sure your business software system is a time-saver and provides new opportunities for profit through data management.

In addition to generating standard purchase order and receiving reports, business software allows users to track backorders, inventory cost discrepancies, warranty claims and returned goods, enabling companies to manage their inventory orders, returns and parts claims. RB Pool & Spa program allows users to stay on top of warranty claims by:
• Tracking special orders and backorders
• Returned goods orders
• Warehouse transfers
• Warranty tracking
• Serial numbers
• Integration to pool industry vendors

This winter, get an integrated software program that allows users to easily search inventory by department, category, vendor or description or a combination of these. Unique to RB Retail and Service Solutions is the ability to search inventory by typing any portion of an item’s description! The exclusive RB Simple Search can be applied to a sale, sales order, service order, or similar. Now is the time to generate some serious revenue through warranty claims.

*Picture courtesy of Valley Pools, Inc.