A consumer durable — an air conditioner, a washing machine, a television, an inverter, a water purifier — is sold once and serviced for years. For the brand, the sale is the start of a relationship that runs through installation, warranty, maybe an extended warranty or AMC, repairs, and eventually a replacement sale. Most brands run that relationship across three or four disconnected systems.
The lifecycle of a unit
| Stage | What happens | What must be recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | Dealer or brand sells the unit | Serial number, customer, date, seller |
| Installation | Technician installs and demonstrates | Visit, unit, sign-off |
| Warranty | Free service and repairs | Cases against the unit, cover checked |
| Extended warranty / AMC | Paid cover after warranty | Contract on the unit |
| Out-of-cover service | Chargeable repairs | Work order, charge, any waiver approved |
| Replacement | New sale to the same customer | Customer history |
Where brands lose money and customers
- Units not registered, so warranty is decided by the customer's word.
- Installation delays that start the relationship badly — see installation scheduling.
- Service without history, so faults are diagnosed repeatedly — see field service.
- AMC renewals missed — see AMC management.
- Dealer schemes paid without evidence — see schemes and claims.
How Zaqnet connects sale and service
- Serial numbers on sales register each unit to the customer under warranty — see warranty and serial tracking.
- Appointments for installation and service, without double-booking technicians.
- Cases with SLAs and work orders for technicians working in GroundLink.
- Warranty and AMC contracts covering specific units.
- Dealer network with schemes, claims, targets and ledgers.
- Everything in ControlRoom on one customer and one unit.
In consumer durables, the brand is judged at the second service visit, not the first sale.