Service after Sales
OpenERP 7, released in the beginning of January 2013 just before few days, You can read a release note from OpenERP 7.0 Release Notes. You can also download latest release form OpenERP Website. Here in this post I am going to show you how you can manage the service after sales in OpenERP using new contract management system, of course you need to develop a small module which is very easy with the OpenERP that does automation to manage the same.
Most of the manufacturing or retailer companies manages warranty period for serial numbers and contracts for the service. Small development of linking delivery order with the contract can make you service after sales very easy. You can manage the service track, all phone calls and email communication based on the serial numbers, so each item along with its full history can be track easily in the system.
Here are the steps for custom development, First steps is to define a field on Product that allows to configure that which kind of product you are servicing after sales.
Product Configuration
Create a Sales order that going to sale serviceable product, so when you deliver products here am using an example of “USB Adapter” as a serviceable product 
of course not a real life example.
Sales Order
What I am going to deliver I need to assign from stock and as serial numbers is required to maintain you have to assign a serial numbers on delivery order.
Delivery Order with serial number
Now, its a time to make an important automation, when you confirm delivery it will create a contract for all products which are covered under service after sales contract. You can see the contract I have created below of course I have created manually.
Service Contract
OpenERP 7.0 contract is really a improved a lot in terms of usability and functionally, now you can configure this contract accordingly in below all possible situations.
- Configure contract for fixed price or some times free usually like an maintenance of Air conditions, provide 3 free service with each sales
- Charges per call / visit – you can use time-sheet or issue management to track your cost and ask customer to pay the same or more using price list on the contract.
- Cost for replacing the parts with free service – You can enable Charge Expanse option to track cost for the additional spares you replace during free service.
- Manage validity of the contract using the start and end dates
- Manage quantity in terms of dynamic quantity like days, hours, number of free service, free number of calls / visit quarterly / yearly, it straight away depending on your definition.
In order to manage communication, chatter is cool features of OpenERP 7.0 which is used to keep track so many things in system you can also invite your customer to track their contract though portal by inviting for read only access but truly social communication to resolve their problem quick and efficiently, but more effective way to manage the customer complaint is to use the project issue.
True social communication
If any one have already developed and using in production can hare their view.
Filed under: Accounting, Configuration, OpenERP, Opensource, Programming, Project Training, Reporting, Small Business, Software Selection, Subscription, Templates, Tools Tagged: Contract, Contract management, contract management system, Google Docs, mobile, OpenERP, Opensource, Point of sale, product configuration, SAP AG, Serial number, Servers, Service after Sales, software, SorrySAP, technology, USB, warranty period
