FS-DOC-03Operations
Process Runbook / SOP
Warranty & Guarantee Claim Handling
[YourCompany.com] · Customer Support Department · Prepared by FullSpec · [Today's Date]
This runbook is your operating guide for the automated Warranty and Guarantee Claim Handling process. It tells you exactly what the automation does at each stage, where your team steps in, how to handle anything unexpected, and how to keep the system running smoothly over time. FullSpec builds and maintains the automation. Your team's job is to respond to Slack approval requests, process refunds in Xero, and keep the warranty rules in Google Sheets up to date.
01Process overview
The Warranty and Guarantee Claim Handling automation manages the full journey of a customer claim from the moment it is submitted to the moment the customer receives their resolution. Three automated agents handle claim intake and ticketing, eligibility checking and routing, and final resolution confirmation. Your team's only required action inside the process is the manager approval step for high-value or out-of-scope claims, which arrives directly in Slack. Finance continues to process refunds in Xero outside the automated flow. At approximately 55 claims per month, this process previously consumed around 7 hours of staff time each week; after automation, that drops to 1 hour per week.
Process name
Warranty & Guarantee Claim Handling
Trigger
A customer submits a warranty or guarantee claim via email, Zendesk web form, or helpdesk portal
Final output
A resolution confirmation sent to the customer via Zendesk, the Zendesk ticket closed, and the claim logged in Google Sheets
Agents running
Claim Intake Agent, Eligibility and Routing Agent, Resolution Confirmation Agent
Tools involved
Zendesk, Gmail, Shopify, Google Sheets, Slack, Xero
Weekly volume
~55 claims/month (approximately 13 to 14 per week)
Human checkpoint
Manager reviews and approves or rejects high-value or out-of-scope claims via Slack. Finance processes approved refunds in Xero.
Process owner
[Your name] — fill in once your team is confirmed
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02Step-by-step: what happens and who acts
What you actually need to do: There is one human step inside the automated claim flow. When a claim is flagged as high-value or outside standard warranty terms, the approving manager receives a structured Slack message with the full claim details and a one-click approve or reject action. That is the only point where your team must act for the process to continue. Refund processing in Xero is handled by finance separately after a resolution is confirmed.
Step
What happens
Who acts
Type
1
A new warranty claim arrives via the Zendesk web form or the monitored Gmail inbox. The Claim Intake Agent detects the submission, extracts the customer name, product details, fault description, and submission timestamp, then creates a fully populated Zendesk ticket automatically.
Claim Intake Agent
Automated
2
Immediately after the ticket is created, the Claim Intake Agent sends an acknowledgement email to the customer from Gmail. The email includes the Zendesk ticket reference number and an expected response timeframe. No staff member needs to write or send this.
Claim Intake Agent
Automated
3
The Eligibility and Routing Agent queries Shopify using the customer's email address to retrieve the matching order record, including product SKU, purchase date, and order total. If no matching order is found automatically, the ticket is flagged for manual review and the process pauses.
Eligibility and Routing Agent
Automated
4
The Eligibility and Routing Agent compares the purchase date and product SKU against the warranty rules stored in the Google Sheets reference table. It determines whether the claim is eligible and classifies the recommended resolution as replacement, refund, or rejection.
Eligibility and Routing Agent
Automated
5
Based on the eligibility result, the agent routes the claim. Claims that fall clearly within standard warranty terms proceed automatically to resolution. Claims that are high-value or outside standard terms trigger a structured Slack approval message to the nominated manager.
Eligibility and Routing Agent
Automated
6
For flagged claims, the manager receives a Slack message containing all claim details, the recommended resolution, and a one-click approve or reject action. The manager reviews the information and responds. This is the only step that requires a human decision inside the automated flow.
Manager (your team)
Human
7
Once auto-approval is confirmed or the manager approves via Slack, the Eligibility and Routing Agent logs the claim outcome, resolution type, and actioned date to the shared Google Sheets tracker. The full team gains live visibility of the claim status without any manual update.
Eligibility and Routing Agent
Automated
8
For refund resolutions, the finance team receives a notification and manually creates the credit note or refund record in Xero, matched to the original invoice. This step sits outside the automated flow and requires finance team action.
Finance Team
Human
9
The Resolution Confirmation Agent sends the final resolution message to the customer through Zendesk, including dispatch details for replacements or refund timelines for refund resolutions. The Zendesk ticket is then closed automatically.
Resolution Confirmation Agent
Automated
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FS-DOC-03Operations
03Handling exceptions
Situation
What the system does
What you do
No matching Shopify order found for the customer's email address
The Eligibility and Routing Agent cannot verify purchase details. The Zendesk ticket is automatically tagged as 'Order Not Found' and flagged for manual review. The workflow pauses and does not send a resolution.
Check whether the customer used a different email at purchase. Search Shopify by order number if the customer has provided one. Update the Zendesk ticket with the correct order details so the process can continue, or contact the customer to request their order confirmation.
Duplicate claim submitted by the same customer for the same issue
The system detects a matching customer email and product SKU already present in an open Zendesk ticket. The duplicate submission is tagged and the new ticket is automatically linked to the existing one without creating a second active workflow.
No action is required unless the customer contacts you directly. The original ticket continues as normal. If the duplicate contains new information not in the original, update the primary ticket manually and close the duplicate.
Claim information is incomplete or missing required fields
If the submission lacks a product name, order reference, or fault description, the Claim Intake Agent flags the ticket as 'Incomplete' and sends the customer an automated reply via Gmail requesting the missing details. The workflow pauses until the information is received.
If the customer does not respond within three business days, follow up directly from Zendesk. If the claim remains incomplete after five business days, close the ticket with a note explaining that insufficient information was provided.
Manager does not respond to the Slack approval request within the configured timeout period
After the configured timeout (recommended: 4 business hours), the system sends a second Slack reminder to the manager. If there is still no response after a further 2 hours, the claim is escalated to the next nominated approver and the Zendesk ticket is flagged as 'Awaiting Approval'.
If you are the backup approver, review the Slack message and approve or reject promptly. If neither approver is available, contact FullSpec support to temporarily override the routing rule or extend the timeout window.
A claim is submitted for a product whose warranty period has expired
The Eligibility and Routing Agent identifies that the purchase date falls outside the warranty period documented in Google Sheets. The claim is automatically classified as ineligible and the recommended resolution is set to rejection.
Review the ticket before the rejection message is sent if your team has configured a manual review step for rejections. If the rejection is correct, approve it. If there are exceptional circumstances such as a product defect known to the business, override the classification in Zendesk and route it for manager review.
Zendesk or Gmail is temporarily unavailable
The automation platform detects the tool error and retries the failed step up to three times with a 5-minute interval between attempts. If all retries fail, the workflow pauses and an error alert is sent to the process owner via email.
Check the Zendesk or Gmail status page to confirm the outage. Do not attempt to process claims manually during this window unless customers are waiting more than 2 hours. Contact FullSpec support at support@gofullspec.com if the error alert fires and the tool appears to be online.
04Who to contact and when
Fill in the rows marked with brackets once your team is confirmed. Keep this table updated whenever roles change so the right person is always reachable during a process issue.
Role
Name
How to reach them
Process owner (Support Lead)
[Your name]
[Your email or Slack handle]
Approving manager (Slack approvals)
[Manager name]
[Slack handle or email]
Backup approver
[Backup manager name]
[Slack handle or email]
Finance contact (Xero refunds)
[Finance team contact]
[Email or Slack handle]
FullSpec builder
FullSpec team
support@gofullspec.com — for build changes, routing rule updates, or workflow errors
FullSpec support
FullSpec support
support@gofullspec.com — for anything urgent or unexpected during live operation
If the automation stops running or an agent stops responding to new claims, contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com before attempting to adjust any settings yourself. Changes to trigger conditions or routing logic can affect all claims in the queue.
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05Ongoing maintenance
The automation runs without daily intervention, but a small amount of routine upkeep keeps it accurate and reliable. The table below sets out what needs checking, how often, and who is responsible.
Whenever a product line changes or a warranty period is updated
Update the Google Sheets warranty rules reference table to reflect the new product SKUs, warranty durations, or coverage terms. The Eligibility and Routing Agent reads this table on every claim run, so outdated entries will produce incorrect eligibility verdicts.
Process owner or Support Lead
Whenever a resolution email template needs changing
Contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com with the updated copy. Template content is managed inside the automation platform and cannot be edited directly from Zendesk or Gmail without FullSpec involvement.
Process owner requests; FullSpec implements
Monthly spot-check (first week of each month)
Review five to ten recently closed Zendesk tickets at random. Confirm that acknowledgement emails were sent promptly, eligibility verdicts matched the warranty rules in Google Sheets, and resolution messages were accurate. Note any discrepancies and raise them with FullSpec.
Support Lead or Process owner
Monthly error-log review (first week of each month)
Check the automation platform's error log or ask FullSpec for a summary of failed runs, retry events, and any tickets that stalled in the workflow during the previous month. Address any recurring failure patterns before they affect customers.
Process owner; FullSpec can provide the log on request
Whenever a team member changes role or leaves
Update the Slack approval routing to point to the new manager or backup approver. Update the contact table in this document. Notify FullSpec so the Slack message recipient list in the automation can be updated to match.
Process owner notifies FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com
Quarterly volume review (every three months)
Check whether monthly claim volumes have changed significantly from the baseline of approximately 55 per month. If volume has grown by more than 30 percent, review whether the current automation configuration, Zendesk ticket limits, and Google Sheets tracker structure can still handle the load without adjustment.
Operations Manager and FullSpec (scheduled review call)
The most common maintenance issue for this process is an outdated Google Sheets warranty rules table. When product lines are added or warranty periods change and the sheet is not updated, the Eligibility and Routing Agent will apply the wrong verdict to new claims, approving ineligible ones or rejecting valid ones. Make updating the sheet part of your product launch checklist and any pricing or warranty policy change process.
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