iCube Customer1st™ is a service management system software for customer care, customer and vendor returns, depot and field service, on-line self services and service contracting.

It automates the end to end global service processes between the service providers and the end customers; adds the service features; brings ease-of-use, flexibility with exception handling. It populates data to reduce data entries, cuts process redundancy; and provides a platform for internal and external users to communicate and collaborate.

The simple workflow routes service from request to resolution through the specific service processes. Each process is tracked with user and completion time stamp, internal and external communication notes and order status to provide full visibility, traceability and prevent oversight.

It can be run standalone or integrated with Sage Accpac ERP™ and Sage Pro ERP™. iCube Customer1st links ERPs through SDK; retrieves data of customers, vendors, items and inventory and posts the related order and inventory transactions to retain full compatibility.

iCube Customer1st consists of core modules and supplements. Supplements are add-on components that need to run on a core module and bring in the specific functionalities. Example of supplement is “Repair+” brings user-definable repair workflow to the RMA/Depot service module.

Core Modules

1. Customer Care
2. Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)
3. Return to Vendor (RTV)
4. Self Service
5. Field Service
6. CRM Link

Supplements are add-on components that need to run on a core module and bring in the specific functionalities. Example of supplement is “repair” that brings user-definable repair workflow to RMA module.

1. Repair Plus
2. Ship Link
3. Quotation
4. Quality Control
5. Point of Sales

Customer care tracks a service request from start to end with a service case. It logs the service type, product to service, service description, reasons of request, priority, internal and external communication, details of issues, progress, resolution, the user and time stamp in all processes of the workflow.

1. general services such as product features, complains and payment issues
2. product registration
3. technical support
4. sales for service items such as extended warranty, product upgrades etc.
5. product returns (requires “RMA” module)
6. field services (requires “Field Service” module)

RMA manages customers' returns for upgrades, recalls, maintenance, repair, replacement and credit refund; for direct customers and indirect customers (customers who purchase from your direct customers). It has separate workflow to handle standard and cross-shipment returns (advanced replacements that ship replacements to customers before you receive their defective products. It consists of the following processes.

1. RMA issue
To create RMA orders and validates the proof of purchase and warranty for each return item. If also approves the order if the user has the approval right.

2. Approve RMA orders
To approve or reject RMA orders. Approved orders will be auto emailed to customers with RMA numbers. Rejected orders will be emailed with reasons of reject.

3. Receive RMA orders
To receive return items for service. It handles partial receipts and exceptions for receiving wrong items, wrong serial numbers, missing items, extra items, items with missing components or accessories.

4. Service RMA orders
To service the received item with the following service options

1. Refund
2. Replace with a replacement
3. Repair the return item
4. Return to vendor for replacements or credit
5. Subcontract to another service provide to repair

5. Pack RMA orders
To pack the serviced item for shipment

6. Ship RMA orders
To process shipment for the serviced items to customers.

7. Invoice RMA orders
To generate invoice for the invoice.

RTV manages the process of returning items to vendors for repair, replacement, upgrade or refund. To your vendors, your RTV orders are their RMA orders.

It supports return of your defects or your customers’ returns. The latter case is for resellers who do not do direct service that they return the products sold to customers to their purchased vendors for services.

The returning item is validated against POs and warranty and the PO information is available in the RTV order. The replacement items will be auto received to warehouse. It will generate return PO for RTV credit returns.

There is intelligent link for RTV items from your RMA orders. You can have multiple RMA items to be returned to multiple RTV orders.

The RTV workflow consists of the following processes

• Issue RTV
• Approve RTV
• Pack RTV
• Ship RTV
• Receive RTV

• Request for RMA
• Register products
• Check RMA order status
• View RMA history

Customers can view and print current and history service orders such as

• Background such as the returning items, request date, reasons to return, reported problems, service type and priority etc.
• Status such as which process it is at, the issues, findings and resolutions.
• Communication, notes and service logs
• Shipping info including tracking no.
• Credit memo number for items returned for credit

Requesting returns is simple. Other than input the reasons, problems description, customers need to enter the serial no. for serialized items, or the invoice no. for non-serialized items and checking of proof-of-purchase and warranty status will be performed. The request will be posted to the RMA queue for service reps to approve for processing. Auto-email will be sent to customers for approval status.

For indirect customers who do not purchase directly from you, they need to do product registration before requesting returns.

Field service manages services to be conducted on the field.

The centralized calendar manages technicians’ schedules that can be assigned or rescheduled by service reps for new and existing orders. Each technician can view his own assignment and schedule.

The equipment and spare part list tracks what equipment and spare parts that any technician has checked out to perform their service.
The field services workflow consists of the following processes

• Issue and edit order
• Approve order
• Service order
• Invoice order

Similar to the self-service for customers, “CRM link” links Sage CRM to the RMA module for CRM users to

• Issue RMA order
• Check RMA order status
• View RMA order summary

In the Customer Care module of Sage CRM, new solution type “RMA” is created to propagate this case detail the “RMA” module for further processing.

A new tag “RMA” is created in Sage CRM to display the progress and status of RMA orders. Users can select a RMA no. to view or print the RMA order with

• Background such as the return items, request date, reasons to return, reported problems, service type, priority etc.
• Status such as who did what at when for previous processes, which process it is at, the issues, findings and resolutions.
• Communication, notes and service logs
• Shipping info including tracking no.
• Credit memo no. for items returned for credit

1. Repair Plus

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

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.

ShipLink integrates RMA and RTV modules with the StarShip manifest system by v-technologies that support UPS, Fedex, trucking and other carriers, for information exchange to eliminate manual user entry.

ShipLink sends shipping information such as shipping address, shipping method and document no. to Starship for the carrier to print out shipping label for each package. In return, ShipLink retrieves the tracking number and the shipping charge and store to the ERP system and be available in the shipping document.

Quotation adds quotation feature after the receiving to allow the technician to diagnose the products to quote for the services.

Quotes can be configured with internal approval. Each quote is assigned with a unique number to associate with a service order. Quotes passing the expiration date will be obsolete.

• Create quote
To create a quote and notify to customers by email.

• Accept quote
To reflect customers’ decision by clicking “approve” or “reject”. Accepted quotes will enable the service process and rejected quote will be routed to pack function to return items back to customers with service.

QC inserts incoming QC (IQC) and final QC (FQC) before and after the service options to track useful user definable information and make important decision for the service.

IQC determines the service option. Examples are products violating warranty rules should be chargeable, used items cannot be returned for credit or the products do not worth to service.

FQC determines whether the items have passed the quality standard. Rejected items will be put back to defective queue for rework.

The user defined parameters are useful to track some detail configuration such as the versions of critical components, any missing components or accessories found etc.

All user definable fields are logged per item of each RMA order and are available for analysis.

POS simplifies the RMA processes for Point-of-Sales environment by combining the issue, approve and receive in one process, adds service quote; and combine shipping and invoice processes in pick up.

1. Create and receive items
2. Quote for services(optional)
3. Service item with options to repair, replace or credit
4. Pack
5. Pick up and invoice

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