iCube Customer1st is a scale-able end-to-end total service management system software integrates to ACCPAC Advantage Series™ and ACCPAC Pro Series™ to automate services for customer care, technical support, customer and vendor returns for upgrade, maintenance, credit, repair, exchange, recall, rebate, service sales, field services, services contracting and services conducted at different work centers.

Using ACCPAC accounting systems, iCube Customer1st adds features, performance and end-to-end connectivity to integrate the global service processes among suppliers, through all middlemen (distributors, resellers, retailers, etailers, service providers and transportation companies) and the end-customers.

The global service automation cuts redundancy, propagates data and information, provides global communication and collaboration capabilities to deliver the following benefits

• Customers will have the full and instant service order status at the service providers’ website or directly at their systems.
  
• The service providers will be able to update the service order progress status at their systems, which will further communicate to customers’ systems.
  
• The service providers and customers are having the instant communication and collaboration to work on their corresponding service orders.
  
• The supply information including changes, updates, alerts, messages etc. are tracked with revisions, user and time stamp.
  
• Everyone in the service chain, with the assigned privilidge right, will be able to know the order history, issues, progress and what to expect as outcome.
  
• Instant information updates and data propagation reduces surprises, discrepancies, errors, waste, overhead and cost.
  
• The streamlined system improve speed, productivity, profits and total satisfaction.

iCube Customer1st consists of the system manager, core modules and add-on supplements. The supplements are add-ons to the core modules with specific features or functionality. Once they are installed, they enhance the corresponding modules with the specific features.

1. System Manager (SYM)
   
2. Customer Care (CUC)
   
3. Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)
   
4. Return to Vendor (RTV)
   
5. Self Service (SFS)
   
6. Service Chain (SCN)
   
7. Service Center (SCR)
   
8. CRM Link (CRL)

1. Repair# (RPR)
   
2. Scan# (SCA)
   
3. ShipLink (SPL)
   
4. Rebate (RBT)
   
5. Quotation (QUO)
   
6. Knowledge# (KNB)
   
7. Technical Support (TSP)
   
8. Field Service (FSV)
   
9. iSales
   
10. iMobile

It is the hub of the entire product, which directly or indirectly process all customers’ requests and gives you the full access of the overall customer and their service information.

1. Track service from start to end with information of

• Who services the order at which process and when
• Issues, status, actions and solution for each request
• Defects, causes and final resolution
• Communication log with in-house staffs and customers

2. Support complete service types

• general services such as Q&A, complains, requesting product information
• register products
• sell service items such as warranty, repair, product upgrades etc.
• renew service contracts and product warranty
• access knowledge base
• product returns (requires the “RMA” module)
• field services (requires the “Field Service” component)
• technical support (requires the “Tech Support” component)

3. Support multiple requests per case and multiple actions per request

Each service order is tracked with a unique case number, and supports multiple requests per case. Each request can be with different type and may be resolved by multiple actions. Each process will be tracked with completion date and time, the person to serve, progress and status.

Typical example of multiple actions is technical support followed by RMA if the technician concludes the problem is due to defective items.

“RMA” tracks customers' returns for upgrades, recalls, maintenance, repair, replacement, refund/credit from start to end, for direct customers and indirect customers (end-customers). It supports the standard and cross-shipment RMAs.

The standard RMA processes are as follows:

1. RMA issue
This process creates RMA orders, which validates the proof of purchase and warranty for each return item.

The service reps can also issue RMA orders from

• “Customer Care” module or
• ACCPAC CRM installed with the “CRM Link” module.

This scenario is for them using the software for customer service, and then to choose RMA as the solution for the service orders.

Customers can also request RMA orders by

• "Self Service" module installed at service providers’ web-servers or
• "Service Center” module installed at the customers’ systems.

2. Approve RMA orders
This process approves RMA orders, which validates the proof of purchase and warranty. Approved orders with RMA number or rejected orders with reasons are email to customers.

Rejected orders can be quoted for paid services with the “Quotation” add-on component.

3. Receive RMA orders
This process receives items of the RMA orders. It supports receipts of wrong items, items with wrong serial numbers, missing items, extra items, items with missing components etc.

With “Scan#”, the information of the receiving items can be download from standalone bar-code data terminals.

4. Service RMA orders
Each received item is serviced separately with any of the service option

4a. Refund
This service option auto generates credit memo to ACCPAC.

4b. Replacement
This service option replaces the received item with another item, same or different, new or refurbish.

4c. Repair
This service option repairs the received item, including repairing or replacing components of the items.

The “Repair#” component enhances the repair functions with user configurable workflow process, rework process, separate item list that are not defined in ACCPAC and item refurbishing.

4d. Return to vendor
This service option assigns the items in the RMA orders to be returned to the supplier for service. It requires the “RTV” module to process the vendor return process.

4e. Subcontract service
This service option subcontracts the RMA orders to be serviced by third parties. It requires the “SCN” module to process the subcontracting process.

4f. Reassign service
This service option reassigns the RMA orders to be serviced by other service locations of the same company. It requires the “SCN” module to process the assign process.

5. Pack RMA orders

This process packs the serviced items and ready for shipping back to customers.

With “Scan#” component, the information of the packed items can be downloaded from standalone bar-code data terminals.

6. Ship RMA orders

This process ships the serviced items back to customers.

With “Shiplink” component, this process integrates with the “Starship” manifest system for UPS, Fedex and other carrier.

7. Charge RMA orders

This process bills the services if applicable and does auto ACCPAC invoicing.

“RTV” tracks the process of returning items to vendors for repair, replacement, upgrade or refund from start to end.

To your vendors, your RTV orders are their RMA orders.

1. Return items from customers’ RMA orders or in-house
   Your returning items to vendors may be yours or from customers’ returns (requires the “RMA” module). After you received the after-serviced items from vendors, the portion that belongs to you will be automatically transferred to the designated ACCPAC inventory location. The portions that belong to your customers will be automatically transferred back to the “RMA” module for returning them back to the customers.
   
2. Validate source of purchase
   Each returning item is validated against POs, if they are serialized items, the purchasing info, such as receiving date, purchase price, warranty etc. are available for generating the RTV orders.
   
3. Handle vendor debit or replacement from vendors
   Vendor may send different replacement items or issue vendor debit to offset your returning items. “RTV” tracks what items have been returning to them, and what you have received back from the vendors.
   
4. Handle multiple RMA orders to multiple RTV order relationship
   With the "RMA" module, the relationship between the RMA orders and RTV orders is multiple to multiple. Since each RMA order is from one customer and each RTV order is for one vendor, the RTV orders that you generate with items from the RMA orders are likely to be multiple, with one RTV order per vendor. It also means within one RMA order, there may be items returning to multiple vendors and for a RTV order, there may be items from different RMA orders.
   
5. Sort returning items per vendor
   Since you may have multiple sources for an item, the intelligent RTV issue function identifies the items by vendors and group all items by vendors with one RTV order per vendor.

Previously called “iServe”, “Self Service” extends the modules “RMA” and “Customer Care” with a web interface for your customer to

1. Post general service requests (require “Customer Care”)
2. Register purchased products (require “Customer Care”)
3. Post requests for return (require “RMA”)
4. Inquire service progress, status and historical service transactions. (require “Customer Care” and/or “RMA” depending on what type of services.)

“Self Service” is installed on a web server (currently support Microsoft IIS) that links to the other modules of iCube Customer1st and directly to the database. It does not require the import and export of data from and to the web-server to save time and effort.

It extends the customers defined in ACCPAC’s AR module and the indirect customers (the end-customers who buy from your direct customers) kept in the “RMA” and “Customer Care” modules. The system administrator has to set up who can access this module and each customer will need to set up its own password. All customers will only access their own data.

This module allows you to conduct services at other service locations of your company or to subcontract the services to other third-party service centers.

The other party requires the “Service Center” or the “RMA” module to communicate with you.

1. Assign service orders to other service locations
   This module allows you to conduct services at other service locations of your company
2. Subcontract service orders to 3rd party service centers

With "SCN", manufactures can now team up with their resellers, to have services conducted at the resellers’ facilities to service the end customers right there and then. This will save the extra iteration of return process to you that again; benefit all parties in the service chain.

SAG is a standalone system with no integration with any accounting system. It is installed at your customers’ stations to allow customers to communicate with your RMA module (as a service provider), through web-services in a real-time basis.

Customers can post service requests and get status directly from their systems. Behind the scene, the service requests are posted to your in-house RMA module. Once the RMA is approved, the RMA number will be sent back to the “Service Center” and to display at customers’ stations.

While “Self Service” allows your customers doing the same functions on-line at your website as the service provider, this module runs at customers’ stations, with better control, faster and more convenient for them since the only time that requires Internet access is the data communication with your system. All the data entries are done at their local system running under Windows that is faster. Also, all the service orders and updated status are stored at their local systems with faster inquiry.

“CRM Link” creates the link within the “Customer Care” of ACCPAC CRM to the “RMA” module of iCube Customer1st.

This link enables ACCPAC CRM to extend the customer service features to include product returns for maintenance, upgrades, repair, replacement and refund. It adds a solution type “RMA”, within ACCPAC CRM to propagate the data of the service case straight to the “RMA” module and let the “RMA” module to process this order. Data brought over include the customer and shipping info, item, reason to return, the problem, the service rep, service date and time.

In return, “CRM Link” also creates a tag “RMA” within ACCPAC CRM to hold the RMA status propagated from the “RMA” module. Information includes the associated RMA number, who process the order at when for each service process (RMA approval, receive of items, process of items (credit return, product exchange, repair, return to vendor etc.), shipping of items, the error found, what have been serviced, charge (if applicable), tracking number, ship-to location etc.

Add-on supplements are enhancements to modules. By installing an add-on supplement to a module, the module will be upgraded with the specific features produced from the add-on supplement.

Add-on supplements normally come with specific features that are not commonly required in the modules themselves. Putting these specific features out from the standard feature list of the module, and to individual components make the standard modules easier to learn and operate, faster and with lower implementation cost while maintaining upgrade path in the future.

Add-on supplements can not be run by themselves, they require the modules that they adhered to in order to run.

This supplement adds on to the “RMA” module, which enhances the standard repair capabilities with the following features.

1. Configurable repair workflow

This feature allows you to define the repair workflow with multiple-stage repair processes such as inspection, component level repair, system level repair and QC etc. You may then choose the right repair workflow for repairing different products.

2. Support component repair

This feature validates the components of an item from its bill of materials to make sure the proper components are used to repair. The bill of material also helps to validate any missing or wrong components are with the repairing item.

Customers’ returned products are often old or even obsolete that the bill of material (BOM) and components may not be available in your current BOM and item table. “Repair#” allows you to define your BOM and import items from a different item table for repair. It will track the inventory usages that you may not

3. Repair by RMA order or by item

You may repair defective items from RMA orders or from the “Defective” location.

For repairing defects from an RMA order, the repaired items will be routed to the “Pack” function of the “RMA” module and ready to be shipped back to customer.

For repairing defects by items, the repaired items will be auto-transferred back to a designed inventory location in ACCPAC.

4. Support serialized and non-serialized items

The process support serialized or non-serialized items.

5. Support multiple part tables

This feature supports separate item tables that are not defined in ACCPAC accounting system, mostly used for spare parts. For repair centers, they may have different item tables from their customers.

6. Refurbish items

This process allows you to replace serial# of the item after repair.

This supplement adds on to “RMA”, “RTV” and “Service Center” modules to support scanning of serial numbers by standalone bar-code terminals for inventory transfer, receiving and packing of RMA and/or RTV orders.

iCube Customer1st supports bar-code scanning as input entries provided a bar-code scanner is attached to a workstation running the system, with wired or wireless connection.

Scan# enables the import and export facilities at the receiving, packing and inventory functions of iCube Customer1st to communicate with the scanner. The export functions upload the required transactions to the bar-code terminal, such that a worker can carry the scanner freely with the predefined transactions to process, and to scan in the required bar-codes (serial#, lot#, item# etc.) These scanned bar-codes would then be downloaded back to the system with the import functions to complete the receiving, packing and inventory transfer transactions.

This supplement adds on to the “RMA, “RTV” and “Service Center” modules to create intelligent links within the shipping functions with the Starship manifest system by v-technologies for UPS, Fedex, Airborne and other carriers.

With “ShipLink”, shipping info such as shipping address, ship via, shipping method etc. are automatically transferred to “StarShip” such that shipping labels and related documents are printed from StarShip and the appropriated shipping charge are recorded to the carriers. In return, the tracking numbers from the carriers are automatically transferred to the modules to complete the shipping function.

This supplement adds on to the “RMA” and “Customer Care” modules to provide tracking and processing of product rebates.

It is a great tool to manufactures who want to gather their end customers and their purchase information such as purchase date on top of offering customers incentive. The end-customers are their potential buyers for on-going services and new products and their purchase date are vital for warranty services.

“Rebate” tracks the process from start to end. All purchase info is generated to the end-customer database for future support usage. Customers’ feedback such as acknowledgment of the receipt of application, notice of incomplete application and the mail-out date of checks are available by the build-in email function.

The rebate checks can be directly printed from this component, and the corresponding payable information is gathered to the pre-defined GL accounts for tracking the cost for each rebate campaign.

This supplement adds on to the “RMA” and “Customer Care” modules to provide tracking and processing quotations for services to customers.

Each quotation is assigned with a unique number and tracked from start to end.
Outstanding quotes can be stayed open until they are expired, or to be cancelled, or converted to service orders.

It consists of the following process

1. Issue quote
This process issues quotation for the received items for service. Items gone through this stage will not be able to process the service until accepted by customers.

2. Approve/reject quote
This process is to approve the quotation order. The approval status will be emailed to customers.

3. Accept/reject quote by customer
This process is for customers to decide taking the quote for services or not. Items with accepted quotes will be resumed for service. Items with rejected quote will be routed directly to “pack” function to return them back to customers.

4. Invoice
This process auto invoices the service to ACCPAC defined in the quote.

This supplement adds on to the “Customer Care” module to manage filing, revising and retrieving of knowledge in multimedia format of documents, with revision control.

The “Customer Care” module comes with the basic features to create and edit knowledge in text that you can be emailed to customers for supports. “Knowledge Base” provides the following features

1. Control of filing, revising and access of document
   Only authorized personnel are able to create and revise documents
   
2. Revision control of document
   All revisions of documents are filed and only the latest revision at any time can be assessed by authorized users. System administrators can view all revisions of documents.
   
3. Notice of new knowledge with distribution
   Authorized personnel will be notified for new or updated documents by emails.
   
4. Knowledge documents in multiple media format
   Documents can be in audio, graphics and video format.
   
5. Knowledge available for “Self-Services”
   General knowledge are available for users running “Self-service” on-line.

This supplement adds on to the “Customer Care” module with the following advanced features to handle customer technical supports.

1. Support team and service order routing
   The routing feature makes sure the available team member with the right skills to do the supports. You can predefine supportive staffs by group with specialty for auto support routing. Multiple routing and escalation of support are available to react with changes of circumstances for a support case.
   
2. Order Escalation
   The escalation feature detects services that are past due or needs special attention and handling.
   
3. Profile of customers’ purchased items
   The profiling feature stores the configuration of the items for your customers or employees. You may define your own parameters for the configuration such as operating system, storage size, memory size, CPU speed, BIOS version etc.

With “Self Service”, customers can post technical support requests, view progress and status on-line. They can also communicate with the supporters for updates, collaboration and resolution.

With “Knowledge Base”, customers can also search the knowledge base to resolve issues on their own.

This supplement adds on to the “Customer Care” module to allow services on the road with the following features

1. Track field service orders from start to end.
   
2. Manage field technicians with their schedule, job assignment, the equipment and inventory they carry.
   
3. Monitor service progress and communicate with field technicians.
   
4. Web-interface to allow technicians to view assignments and update service orders on the field.
   
5. Bill services through the standard “Customer Care” feature.

This supplement adds on to the “Customer care” module to allow customers to purchase service items (extended warranties, repair, upgrades etc.), spare parts and accessories on-line.

It comes with a web-store interface with secure credit card processing system.

You may also keep your existing product web-pages for customers to select items and the selected items are passed to the “check-out” process to take over.

The purchased items will be converted to a ACCPAC sales order.

This supplement adds on to the “Self-service” and “iSales” to make their web interfaces fit in web-enabled handheld devices.

The standard web interfaces are designed for computer screens running high resolutions. iMobile re-lays out all screens to be fit in handheld devices with smaller screen size running a browser.

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