Oracle Depot Repair

Responsibility: DEPOT REPAIR SUPER USER

What is Oracle Depot Repair?

The depot repair process includes the return of damaged and serviceable products, their diagnoses and repair job estimates, customer approvals and repairs management, and subsequent return of products to customers. The collection of charges for materials, labor, and expenses for the repairs is used to invoice the customer.

Customers expect their repairs to be addressed quickly and seamlessly. Oracle Depot Repair provides end-to-end repair management functionality for service organizations that are committed to delivering a total service solution.

The major features of Oracle Depot Repair include:

• Customer Management
• Service Request Management
• Repair Type Processing
• Repair Job Management
• Repair Resolution Management

Customer Management

Oracle Depot Repair establishes a call center environment to improve customer interaction with service depots. Customers can use an access number to contact the relevant service depot where they can log service requests. Oracle Depot Repair also supports scenarios in which customers walk in at service depots for repair needs.

The primary focus of the service representatives in the call center is to understand the customer’s issue and resolve it on the first call, if possible, thereby avoiding escalations and/or call transfers. This allows service agency experts to focus on their areas of expertise without the constant distraction of explaining well documented issues and solutions.

Service Request Management

Oracle Depot Repair empowers service agencies to offer customers the convenience of accessing service through multiple interaction channels including over the counter, and telephone. Key service request management processes include:

• Entering Service Requests
• Searching the Knowledge Management Database

Repair Type Processing

Oracle Depot Repair supports the following repair types:

·         Repair and Return

·         Advanced Loaner, Repair and Return

·         Exchange

·         Advanced Exchange

·         Loaner

·         Replacement

·         Standard

Repair and Return This repair type is used when a customer returns the broken product to the depot for repair. After the repair is completed, the repaired product is returned to the customer. This repair type requires an RMA to receive the customer’s broken product, and a sales order to ship the repaired product, and invoice the customer.

Advanced Loaner, Repair and Return This repair type combines two repair types into one, the Repair and Return, with the Loaner. The advanced loaner concept indicates that the loaner is sent to the customer before the receipt of the broken product. To track the shipping and return of both the loaner and the broken item, four charge lines are created. This repair type requires two RMA orders, and two sales orders. This repair type is the one to be opted when a customer uptime is critical.

Exchange This repair type represents a scenario when the depot sends out an exchange product to the customer after receiving the customer’s broken product. The exchange repair type assumes no repaired product is returned to the customer. An internal repair order may be generated for the returned item, but this repair is not necessarily associated to the original exchange.

Advanced Exchange This repair type is the same as the exchange repair type except that the product may be sent out before the customer’s product is received by the service organization.

Loaner This repair type is used when a product is sent out to the customer solely for the purpose of renting. This repair type requires a sales order to ship out the loaner product to the customer and to create an invoice, and an RMA order to track the return of the loaner product. A deposit and return due date may be required. No repairs are expected from a loaner repair type.

Replacement A replacement repair type refers to a scenario when the depot sends out a product to the customer, and no return is required. In this scenario, the service provider sends the customer a product to replace the customer’s product. The service organization may link the replacement product to the original product in the installed base, and change the status of the replaced product to indicate that it is out of service and replaced with the new item.

Standard Use this Repair Type when the service agent is uncertain about the customer’s needs. This Repair Type is flexible however, and requires the manual creation of RMA’s and Sales Orders.

Repair Job Management

Either Oracle WIP (Work in Process) or Oracle Tasks are used to manage repair jobs. WIP mode is recommended for use when the repair jobs are more complex, and require a series of sequential steps and materials management. Tasks mode is recommended for use when the repairs are less complex, and require minimal steps that are not necessarily completed in sequence. Both of these repair modes are implemented and managed using separate tabs in the Oracle Depot Repair user interface.

Repair Resolution Management

Oracle Depot Repair improves operational efficiency by providing the following key repair resolution management features:

• Repair job search functionality
• Process automation based on repair type; auto-creation of charge lines
• Estimate creation and approval
• Leveraging of the depot knowledge base throughout repair processing
• Repair job creation and release to shop floor
• Flexible options for receiving products, and shipping items
• Installed base validation of products enables checking for product warranties and contract entitlements
• Invoicing of final charges

BUSINESS FLOW

The business flow starts with a service request, where the problem is recorded by a call center service agent. If the service agent cannot resolve the problem using information in the knowledge base, the service request is referred to a depot repair agent. The depot agent then creates a repair order and an estimate, and seeks approval from the customer for further processing.

Depending on the repair type, the depot agent completes the different RMA and sales order lines to facilitate the completion of the repair process. The repair mode (associated to the repair type) determines whether Oracle WIP or Oracle Tasks will be used to manage the repair job. After the repairs are completed, the repaired product is shipped back to the customer. . The material, labor, and expenses consumed in the repair are captured as charges and are interfaced to Oracle Order Management for invoicing.

Logistics and Maintenance

This process is similar to the Call Center, Logistics, and Maintenance business process except that a call center is not involved. This process can be used for businesses that do not incorporate a call center facility, but require their customers to send back broken products to a depot.

Walk-in Maintenance and Unplanned Receipts

The walk-in maintenance process is similar to the Logistics and Maintenance process except that shipping and receiving are not involved. This process can be used for businesses that permit customers to hand carry broken products to the depot for service, and then reclaim the products on repair completion. Oracle Depot Repair uses an automatic business process to create, book, and receive the RMA into inventory whenever the walk-in repair type is selected. The sales on receipt of payment, the repaired product are released for pickup.

An unplanned receipt takes place when customers and vendors send back their broken products to the depot without first calling the service provider for an RMA. In this process, the depot can process the unplanned receipt using the walk-in process, and auto-create the RMA so that the product can be received into inventory. The unplanned receipt process is similar to walk-in maintenance, except that the repaired item is shipped back to the customer.

Mass Repairs for Serialized Products

This business flow starts with a service request and the creation of a group of repair orders. Repair order groups are created for each product type and repair type. Same products requiring different repair types are grouped separately. A single group or multiple groups of repair orders can be processed in batch.

This processing enables a single RMA to have multiple line items when receiving the items; and a single sales order to have multiple line items when shipping items. Also, a single repair job can be created for products within a group or across groups.

Currently, mass repair processing supports only the WIP repair mode.

Setup in other Modules

Inventory

When setting up items in the Master Items window, the fields that you must select to fulfill different features in Oracle Depot Repair appear in a variety of tabs. The main fields to set up are in the Inventory, Order Management, Invoicing, and Service tabs.

For example, in the Service tab: _ Ensure that you select the Billing Type. For material items, select Material for the Billing Type.

For items to be tracked in Oracle Install Base, select the check box Track in Installed Base. Select Enabled for the Service Request field.

Comments

1. You must set up items in the Inventory Organization specified by the value of the profile option Service: Inventory Validation Organization. 

2. For items to be returned, set up the following Order Management and Inventory flags, as required: Returnable, Customer Ordered, Customer Order Enabled, and Shippable, Transact able, and Invoice able.

3. For items to be shipped, set up the following Order Management and Inventory flags, as required: Customer Ordered, Customer Order Enabled, and Shippable, Transact able, and Invoice able.

Order Management

Oracle WIP decrements inventory when a component is used in repair, but Oracle Order Management decrements inventory again when the repaired item is shipped to the customer. To prevent this, ensure that a "Bill Only" Line Type is set up for the Order Management Line Type mapped to the Service Activity Billing Type for repairs performed in WIP mode. This, however, applies only to component parts, and not to the whole repaired item.

This is specific only to Estimate or Actual charge lines that are interfaced to Oracle Order Management, for items that are not shipped. Do not set the "Bill Only" Line Type for repaired items.

Setups Internal to Depot Repair

Setting Up Charges for Oracle Depot Repair

Every item to be processed using Charges must be set up in Inventory as a Material, Labor, or Expense (MLE) item. This means every item in Oracle Applications that may need repair must be set up as a Charges MLE item.

Charges are a module of Oracle TeleService. Setting up Charges for all service-related processing consists of steps that serve a variety of Oracle applications, including Oracle Depot Repair.

Setting up Oracle Charges for Depot Repair processing includes the following setup steps:

• Defining Billing Type Codes
• Mapping Billing Type Codes to Billing Categories
• Defining Service Activities and Billing Types
• Defining Service Business Processes
• Defining Install Base Transaction Sub Types
• Setting Up Time and Material Labor Schedules

Billing Categories classify Billing Types into Material, Labor, and Expense. Each serviceable item in Inventory is classified using Billing Type Codes associated to a Billing Category.

A Service Activity Code is a type of action to be performed (example, replace, return, install, drain, fill). The combination of Billing Type and Service Activity defines the Order Type for a given operating unit. It also provides the basis upon which discounts for a Service Contract can be applied.

Defining Billing Type Codes

To define the Billing Type Codes, use the Oracle Service Lookups window.

Note: Every item to be processed using Charges must be set up in Inventory as a Material, Labor, or Expense (MLE) item. This means every item in Oracle Applications that may need repair must be set up as a Charges MLE item.

To define Transaction Billing Type Codes:

1. From the Navigator, use the following path to open the Oracle Service Lookups window:

Service Request > Setup > Customer Support Lookups.

2. Query up the Lookup Type MTL_SERVICE_BILLABLE_FLAG.

3. Add the new required Billing Type Codes. You can use the online help for more information. The seeded Billing Type Codes are M, L, and E.

Mapping Billing Type Codes to Billing Categories

To associate Billing Type Codes to Billing Categories, use the Billing Type Attributes window. The seeded Billing Categories include Material, Labor, and Expense.

Service Request > Setup > Charges >Billing Type Attributes

Only the Billing Types associated with a Billing Category in this window appear in the Billing Type Name List of Values in the Service Activities and Billing Types form. Similarly only the Billing Type Names associated here appear in the List of Values for Billing Type: Material, Labor, and Expense in the Repair Types form.

Defining Service Activities and Billing Types

A Service Activity is a business operation, such as Replacement or Return for Repair. Each Service Activity is classified as either an Order or a Return - this is specified by its Line Category.

A Service Activity has a one to many relationships with Service Activity Billing Type. A Service Activity Billing Type, for example, Advanced Exchange: Material is an intersection between Service Activity Advanced Exchange and Billing Type Material.

The Service Activity Billing Type is linked to an Oracle Order Management Order Type and Line Type for each operating unit.

Oracle Order Management Order and Line Types are associated with Service Activities that are assigned to Repair Types in Oracle Depot Repair. When a user chooses a Repair Type, these Order and Line Types determine the processing of charge lines (RMA, Ship, and Estimate) for a Repair Order.

Oracle Order Management provides seeded Workflow process definitions for both orders and lines. It enables you to define both order header and order line Service Activities. The seeded Service Activities that Order Management provides are, however, not mapped by default.

A Service Activity is operating unit-specific. The Line Category is set at transaction level to prevent the use of a single Service Activity as an order in one operating unit and a return in another.

Use the Service Activities and Billing Types window to confirm or define Service Activities and associated Billing Types, Order Management header types, and line types as detailed below.

The Order Management Header & Line Types region is used to specify the organization, header type, and line type - in the Operating Unit, Order Type, and Line Type fields respectively - to be used when a charge line is submitted to Order Management. These values are used to retrieve an Order Management header type and line type from the setup while submitting the order.

To Define Service Activities and Billing Types:

1. Open the Service Activities and Billing Types window using the following navigation path:

Service Request > Setup > Charges > Service Activities and Billing Types.

Note: You can associate multiple Billing Types to a Service

2. Select the New tool bar icon to create an empty row for your Service Activity Billing Type.

3. Enter the appropriate values in the Service Activity and Line Category Code fields.

4. In the Related Billing Types region, select the appropriate Billing Type to be associated with the Service Activity you are creating.

5. Select the Depot Repair Quantity Update check box to update the depot inventory.

Only Service Activities with Depot Repair Quantity Update check box selected will be displayed in the Service Activity list of values in the Logistics tab in the Repair Types window.

6. Leave the OM Interface check box selected (the default value).

This setting means the customer can be billed for charges for this activity.

7. Select the No Charge flag check box if you do not want to charge the customer for this Service Activity.

Defining Service Business Processes

A Business Process is a group of Service Activities created with a view to restricting Service Activity availability. A Business Process supports the charge lines that the line of business in your organization can utilize, such as, Depot Repair.

Use the Service Business Process window to define your Business Process and associate Service Activities with it. Ensure that the Depot Repair check box is selected when setting up the Business Process. For a particular Business Process, the selected flag check boxes indicate the modules (Service Request, Field Service, Depot Repair) in which this Business Process can be used.

To Define Service Business Processes:

1. Open the Service Business Process window using the following navigation path:

Service Request > Setup > Charges > Service Business Process.

Defining Install Base Transaction Sub Types

Each Service Activity that is required to process an Install Base track able item must have an Install Base Transaction Sub Type with the same name as the Service Activity. For example, for the Service Activity named Return for Repair, we define the corresponding Transaction Sub Type with the name Return for Repair.

Transaction Sub Types Window

Use the Transaction Sub Types window to specify the type of update that can be performed in an Install Base instance by transactions originating from Depot Repair that are interfaced with Install Base.

Transaction Sub Types Area

For Depot Repair, the Service Type check box should be selected. When the Service Type check box is selected, the Name field List of Values displays the Service Activities for which you can create an Install Base Transaction subtype.

Source Info and Non Source Info Areas

You can define the transactions and the kind of actions they can perform on the Source, Non Source, and Parent instances.

• Source Info area: Specify details of the instance being transacted, such as in a sales order, as a shipped or a returned item.
• Non Source Info area: Specify information on a related instance, such as one that is being replaced by the source instance.

Note: For items that are not Install Base track able, the Service Activities associated with the Repair Type should not have Install Base Transaction Sub Types defined. Hence you need to have separate Repair Types and Service Activities defined for Install Base track able items and for non-track able items.

To Define Install Base Transaction Sub Types:

1. Open the Transaction Sub Types window using the following navigation path:

Service Request > Setup > Charges > Install Base Transaction Types

Setting up Repair Types

Oracle Depot Repair supports the following Repair Types:

Advance Exchange The depot sends a replacement item to the customer before receiving the damaged item for core credit.

Exchange The depot sends a replacement item to the customer after a broken item is received from the customer for core credit.

Loaner The depot sends a loaner item to the customer.

Loaner, Repair and Return Same as Repair and Return with an item loaned to the customer before receiving the broken item, so as to bridge the gap while the damaged item is being repaired.

Repair and Return A broken item is repaired by the depot, and then returned to the customer.

Replacement The depot sends a new replacement item to the customer without having to receive a damaged item from the customer.

Standard The depot agent is uncertain about a customer need, and is unable to take a decision before further inspection of the damaged item. RMA’s and Sales Orders are created manually. The depot agent has the option to carry out all functions in a manual mode.

Refurbishment A Repair Order and its associated Service Request is created in the Spares Management of Oracle Field Service as a result of a demand for refurbishment or replenishment. The Repair Order has a Repair Type of Refurbishment, and has two transaction lines, Move In and Move Out.

The Move In line tracks the shipment of the defective item from Spares Management, and its reception into the depot. The Move Out line processes the shipment of the repaired item back to Spares Management.

The Repair Types Screen

Repair Types setup determines the proper processing and management of Repair Orders by the application and service organization. The Repair Types Setup screen determines which, and how each of the seeded Repair Types are used in the service organization, whether the Oracle WIP or the Task Manager module of Oracle Common Application Components is used in repairs management, and how charge lines are identified as they are passed to Oracle Order Management.

A service organization can also make a copy of the selected Repair Type, and customize as necessary. Though the value of the Repair Type Ref field drives application process automation, this capability enables service organizations to better distinguish their Repair Types if necessary. Use the Repair Types Setup window to perform the following tasks:

• Customize the Repair Types.
• Select Repair Modes for Repair Types. A Repair Order is created with the repair mode defined for the chosen Repair Type.
• Select Repair Type Ref for custom Repair Types.
• Select Business Process for Repair Types.
• Select default Service Activity Codes for RMA order (Return) and Sales order (Ship) lines for the Repair Type. The default item transactions are created with the order and line types associated with the Service Activity Billing Type for the Repair Type and repair item. This classifies the created RMA order and Sales order lines for respective Repair Types.
• Select a Price list for the Repair Type. This is optional.
• The default price list for a Repair Order is the Price list for the Repair Type if either of the following cases is true:
• There is no default contract and the profile option CSD: Default Price List is not set.
• There is a default contract, but the contract does not specify a price list, and the profile option CSD: Default Price List is not set.
• Select Billing Types and enter Service Activity Code for Material, Labor, and Expense charge lines. You can enter more than one Billing Type and Service Activity Code for Material and Expense charge lines. This classifies the Material, Labor, and Expense charge lines for Order Management processing.

This is needed only if using Repair Estimates functionality.

• Select preferences to process Product Transaction lines for Repair Types by selecting Automatically Enter and Book RMA.

Note: Only the Service Activities associated with the selected Business Process for the Repair Type will be displayed in the Service Activity Code List of Values in the Repair Types window.

The same is true for the Service Activity Code List of Values in the Logistics tab in the Repair Orders window.

To Set Up Repair Types:

1. From the Depot Repair Navigator, use the following path to open the Repair Types window:

Depot Repair > Setup > Repair Types

Setting Up Service Request Types for Depot Repair

Service request types help categorize your service requests. For each service request type, you can set up service request statuses.

Each service request type can be linked to an existing Oracle Workflow process. The workflow can be automatically launched when the service request is created (not when it is updated) or manually launched depending on the settings you enter while defining service request types.

You must define at least one service request type for Oracle Depot Repair use.

Typically you define one service request type called Depot Repair. However, you can use any name for the service request type, so long as it is associated with a Business Process that can be used in Oracle Depot Repair.

The new service request types set up for Oracle Depot Repair use and their related statuses register as entries in the lists of values for their fields in the Repair Orders window The Service Request Type window is used to link a Service Request Type to a Business Process. The Service Request Type Depot Repair needs to be associated with the applicable Business Process for your organization.

To Set Up Service Request Types:

1. Navigate to Service Request Types window using the following path:

Service Request > Setup > Service Requests > Request Types

The window lists all the existing service request types.

2. Click the New tool bar button to create a blank row for defining your service request type.

3. In the Type field, enter the name Depot Repair for the service request type.

Typically, you have one service request type called Depot Repair, but it is not essential to have that exact name. You must have at least one service request type that is mapped to the Depot Repair Business Process.

4. In the Business Process field, select the Business Process for which this service request type is being created. In this case, the Business Process is Depot Repair.

5. Enter the Status Group Name, which in this case is Depot Repair.

6. Enter the effective dates for the service request type in the Start Date and End Date fields.

7. Enter a brief description of the request type in the Description field.

8. In the Workflow field, select the Generic workflow. Do not select the Auto Launch Workflow check box, if this workflow is selected.

9. Optionally, select from the available check boxes. Refer to the following table for details of the actions initiated when the check boxes are selected.

10. Save your work.

Tables

1.      CSD_REPAIRS

2.      CS_ESTIMATE_DETAILS

3.      CSD_PRODUCT_TRANSACTIONS

4.      CSD_REPAIR_TYPES_TL

Packages

1.      CSD_REPAIRS_PUB

2.      CSD_PROCESS_PVT

Profile Options

CSD: Add to Order Num within Repair Order Default when the new item transaction is created, the Add to Order Number is derived based on this profile and CSD: Add to Order Num within Service Request Default.

CSD: Add to Order Num within Service Request Default when the new item transaction is created, the Add to Order Number is derived based on this profile and CSD: Add to Order Num within Repair Order Default. This profile takes the precedence over CSD: Add to Order Num within Repair Order Default. Setting this profile will cause it to use the order number of the Service Request.

PROBLEM

Currently your service people put in the time and materials in the Depot repair module and import these records to OE creating a Service Order with the time and material charges. Then when they pick the order to return the serviced item, it picks all of the materials used from inventory. The problem with this is that you are not using WIP Jobs to perform service repairs. You would like the Service people to use WIP Jobs to service the customer’s products and issue the parts and charge time to the job. Then you would like to import these times and materials to a service order from the Depot Repair just like before. But, when you ship this item back to the customer it will try to pick the material from inventory again.

SOLUTION

To make this work you must ensure that the following setups are there if you have a Vision db set up you can view sample items in it before setting up your own.

1 - Inventory items must be set up for Labor and Expense items - they must not be stock able and must be OE transact able. Labor items must have billing type of Labor and expense items must have billing type of Expense. This is set on the Services alternate region of the Inventory Item setup form. Also the primary UOM assigned to these new items must match the billing type - labor is time, etc.

2 - You need to make sure that you have Order Transaction Types set up in Service that reflect a billing source of Labor and Expense. This designator identifies what types of items from the Inventory item LOV will show when you select that transaction type. There are seeded transaction types called Labor Transaction and Expense - please check that they are set up with the billing type of Labor and Expense (and not Material). Change if necessary.

3 - Your Labor and Expense order transaction types need to be associated with the Transaction Group you are selecting in the header of the Estimates/Charges form so they will appear in the LOV at the line detail level. By setting these labor and expense items up and using them you will be able to list and bill to the customer labor and expense dollars without any inventory impact. Regarding Materials not transacting (as in Time and Material) the inventory item attributes must show the material item as non-stock able. The difficulty here is that this is a system-wide attribute and all transactions of this item will be affected by the setting. The work around that some have used is to use an expense line to capture the cost of the repair materials - the item might be known as Repair Materials Expense and be a dollar charge. The application provides only limited options for passing repair charges through to Order Entry and on to the customer.