Warranty accounting by serial numbers: settings and key checks

Warranty tracking in the Torgsoft software is a tool for tracking individual product units (for example, electronics, household appliances, spare parts) that require individual identification and service support. This functionality becomes available after activating the paid additional option «Warranty product tracking by serial numbers».

Below is a detailed guide to setting up this mode and the key checks.

1. Setting up warranty tracking

The setup is performed through the product type directory. This makes it possible to flexibly define which product groups require serial number (SN) tracking.

Setup steps:

1. Go to the menu Product Management — Product Type.

2. Select the required branch (product group) and click Edit.

3. In the Tracking by serial numbers field, select one of the three modes:

•    Do not keep warranty tracking (Without serial numbers). For regular products. In this case, you can specify the warranty period in the product card, but the system will not require SN entry.

•    Keep warranty tracking. Allows SN entry, but does not block operations in case of discrepancies.

•    Keep strict warranty tracking (Recommended). Provides strict control of the movement of each unique number.

Print template setup. You can configure an individual warranty card template for each product type. This is done in the product type card via the «Warranty card template setup» button. If no individual template is selected, the general template from the software settings is used.

2. Key checks and operating logic (Strict tracking)

The software itself performs the most important checks if the «Strict warranty tracking» mode is selected. This helps avoid mix-ups and staff errors.

Main system checks:

• Receipt. The software will not allow you to receive a product with a serial number that is already in stock (duplicate prevention).

• Sale. The software will not allow you to sell a product whose serial number is not available in the stock balances in the software.

• Return from customer. The software will prohibit returning a product whose serial number is already listed in stock (that is, it was supposedly not sold).

• Cost. Products under strict warranty tracking are not subject to the FIFO write-off method. During sale, the cost of the specific serial number at which it was purchased is written off.

3. Operational processes

Receipt of goods

When adding a product to a receipt invoice, a window opens for entering serial numbers.

• The number of entered serial numbers must exactly match the product quantity in the invoice.

• SNs can be entered manually or scanned with a barcode scanner.

• In the invoice table, SNs are not displayed, but they can be viewed/edited via the Serial number tracking button.

Sales and printing warranty cards

During a sale, after scanning the product, the software requires entering or scanning its serial number. If the number is present in the software among the stock balances of this product, the software generates a warranty card.

• If you need to add several units of a product to a sale at once, you can enable the «Scan serial number in a loop» option to speed up the process.

• Warranty card print settings (print automatically, offer to print, or do not print) are configured in the menu Settings — Parameters — Receipt.

Inventory count

Inventory count of warranty products makes it possible to detect mismatches (when one number is physically present, but another is recorded in the database).

• When creating an inventory sheet, select By serial numbers in the Category field.

• If a discrepancy is detected (one number in surplus, another in shortage), use the «Replace serial number in case of mismatch» function. This will allow you to automatically correct the last sales document by replacing the incorrect number with the actually found one.

4. Reporting and control

For analysis, use the menu Warehouse — Warranty tracking. The report consists of two main tabs:

1. Warranty product stock balances. Shows all products currently in stock with their serial numbers. From here, you can print labels with unique barcodes for each SN.

2. Warranty tracking. Shows the history of sold products. Here you can see the sale date, warranty period, and how many warranty days remain. Products with an active warranty are highlighted in green.

3. Product history search. You can find the full movement history of a specific device (when it was purchased, to whom it was sold, whether it was repaired) simply by scanning its serial number in the search field on the Warranty Tracking form.

Additional features

• Bundles. You can create bundles consisting of products with serial numbers. When such a bundle is sold, the software will automatically write off the component items with the corresponding numbers.

• Repair. If the «Repair and warranty service» option is used, the serial number is the key identifier for accepting a product for service and checking the warranty period.