Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

Are Retailers Paying Too Much for Their Extended Warranty Programs? In order to maximize retail margins and customer loyalty in a post-COVID-19 world, retailers will need to reconsider every aspect of their operations, from floor planning, staff training, vendor management, and customer engagement strategies, to their extended warranty programs.
September 17, 2020
Machine Learning in Warranty Management: Quite a few companies talk about machine learning as the next step to improve warranty management. However, in more detailed discussions, I haven't come across too many real solutions or active projects in that field. In this article I will discuss the topic in more detail -- what is machine learning, what are the comparable use cases in other areas, and which could be the most compelling applications for it in warranty management.
February 27, 2020
WCM Pre-Conference Workshops:  Warranty professionals heading to Orlando for the 15th annual Warranty Chain Management Conference could arrive a day early to attend any of six different workshops on topics such as fraud detection, claims handling, customer satisfaction, and how to launch or expand a commercial or consumer service contract program.
February 21, 2019
The State of Warranty Chain Management: Results of annual survey suggest the global warranty services market appears to be moving toward a more expansive period of growth in 2019.
January 10, 2019
ServiceBench Signs HomeServe: When it came time to upgrade its field service management system, the home warranty company turned to Asurion's ServiceBench unit for a cloud-based service platform that could connect its customers, contractors, and service center team, helping them to make sure that the right contractor is assigned for the job and that they show up at the appointed time.
August 23, 2018
Extended Protection Plans:
Breaking Down Risk Management Options: Service contracts sold by dealers or manufacturers to buyers of commercial products such as construction equipment can increase resale value, raise customer loyalty, boost uptime, and lower operating costs. But before extended protection plan sales can begin, the advantages and disadvantages of various risk management options must be considered.
June 7, 2018
The Global Warranty Services Community Is Reflecting a Return to Growth -- and Profitability!: After conducting its fourth annual Warranty Chain Management Benchmark Survey, Strategies For Growth president and principal consulting analyst, Bill Pollock, has put together a results package consisting of an Analysts Take paper, a webcast and a WCM Conference workshop. The webcast will be hosted by PTC Warranty and Contract Management on May 24, 2018.
May 3, 2018
Extended Protection Plans: Service contracts sold by dealers to buyers of products such as construction equipment can increase resale value, raise customer loyalty, boost uptime, and lower operating costs. But before extended protection plan sales can begin, dealers have several risk management options to consider.
November 30, 2017
Extended Warranty Software: Unlike most other solutions, which are designed to integrate with passenger car dealer management systems or retail point of sale software, the new Mize offering is aimed at manufacturers engaged in the business-to-business sale of commercial service contracts.
September 14, 2017
Implementing a New Warranty Management Solution  -- or Just Upgrading Your Existing Solution -- Can Make a Significant Improvement to Your Organization's Bottom Line.
August 10, 2017
Warranty Analytics: One is an online service. The other is a suite of Salesforce components. Both are attempts by warranty management companies to package their vast expertise into easy-to-use and low-cost warranty analytics capabilities.
May 11, 2017
WCM Preview, Part Two: Given that so much of the knowledge and wisdom in the warranty management profession is passed on verbally, this annual gathering of product protection industry experts is an unrivaled opportunity to hear both vendors and their customers tell the stories of their journeys.
March 2, 2017
WCM Preview, Part One: Given that so much of the knowledge and wisdom in the warranty management profession is passed on verbally, this annual gathering of product protection industry experts is an unrivaled opportunity to hear both vendors and their customers tell the stories of their journeys.
February 23, 2017
New Warranty Providers: Before warranty management became a major undertaking in recent years, we suspect that even some large manufacturers didn't do a very good job of keeping their warranty expenses stable and steady. They learned on the job, without the benefit of metrics or industry benchmarks. But they did so without any outsiders able to see the numbers, a luxury that new manufacturers don't enjoy.
June 16, 2016
New Home & Building Materials Warranty Report: The name of the game is stability. Some of the builders and their suppliers have gotten very good at accurately predicting their future warranty costs and keeping them stable. Others let them rise and fall without much of a thought about warranty management. And it's easy to see the difference relatively quickly in a chart.
May 26, 2016
Effective Warranty Management for Improved Customer Satisfaction and Profitability in 2015: After conducting an extensive survey of the global warranty chain management community last year, Strategies For Growth president Bill Pollock has put together a results package consisting of a white paper, a webinar, and a WCM workshop on the subject of current trends in warranty management.
January 29, 2015
Extended Warranty Conferences: As the old saying goes, two's company, but three's a crowd. With the Warranty Chain Management Conference a fixture in the spring, two conferences are competing to become the industry's preferred event in the early fall. This year, they were three weeks apart, but next year, there's only three days between them.
October 16, 2014
Tavant Partners with Salesforce.com: As a platform heavy with sales force automation tools drives deeper into after-sales service and support, it gains a partner with a very deep base of knowledge in warranty management. And Tavant, gains a pathway into cloud computing and software as a service.
June 26, 2014
New Approaches to Warranty Management: For many years it was all about cost reduction. Now, there's little left to cut. And both manufacturers and retailers are looking for ways to improve the customer experience by launching new types of protection services and new generations of warranty automation systems.
March 6, 2014
Warranty Book List: On the occasion of the passing of a noted author of warranty management books, we take a look at the published output of him, his colleagues and others in the warranty and service contract industries.
December 5, 2013
PCMI's Extended Warranty Management System: Service contract administrators and underwriters need software that helps them manage both claims and revenue. And increasingly, they need multilingual and multiple-currency systems that can travel with them as they expand internationally.
September 5, 2013
Warranty Week 10th Anniversary: Over the past decade, as warranty professionals began to pay more attention to warranty chain management, a publication was launched that paid attention to them. And warranties have never mattered more, or cost their providers less.
December 20, 2012
Warranty Workshops: Before the upcoming WCM Conference begins, warranty professionals have an opportunity to learn from the experts about topics such as text mining, fraud detection, risk management, supplier relationships, and reliability engineering.
February 16, 2012
New Board Members Sought: As president and co-founder Glen Griffiths steps down, new leadership is sought for the Institute of Warranty Chain Management at its annual meeting on March 15 in San Diego. Two members have put their names in the hat, but additional openings exist.
February 24, 2011
Warranty Master Class: The day before the sixth annual Warranty Chain Management Conference opens next month in Los Angeles, several warranty experts will deliver three-hour workshops aimed at those who already have some familiarity with warranty analytics.
February 18, 2010
OEM Extended Warranties: Working with a manufacturer to sell service contracts is a little different from working with a retailer. The OEMs need more help with sales and marketing, and they want more failure data analysis to help them with product quality and parts planning. They'll also need just as much help as the retailers with risk management, compliance, and regulatory issues.
May 28, 2009
The Value of Warranty Expertise: Is warranty management merely a clerical skill, or is there more to it than just paperwork? Some see warranty as not only a leading indicator of product quality but also a major chance to impress a customer. However, that conversation can only take place if the warranty professional is trained to do more than merely process and pay claims.
January 15, 2009
Warranty Institute Opens: The Institute of Warranty Chain Management begins accepting memberships this weekend, more than two-and-a-half years after forming. The Web site's almost done, some 60 white papers are waiting to be downloaded, and a training program for warranty professionals is scheduled to begin in March.
October 30, 2008
Warranty Management: Value and price are affected by product quality, which can be measured by fluctuations in warranty cost. But warranty is too often treated as merely a cost that must be reduced, without heeding its link to quality, price, and ultimately profits. And warranty is very different from accounting in that a big part of the job is using probability functions to predict the future.
October 16, 2008
Warranty Research Report: There are only a few more days to download free copies of the latest report from the Aberdeen Group. Using survey data, it finds a huge correlation between metrics, analytics, and success in warranty management.
July 30, 2008
The Institute of Warranty Chain Management: Membership opens this spring and certification courses begin in the fall. Yet some people still wonder why it's taking so long. The reason is a perceived need by the board to develop content and services to retain members before recruiting them.
March 19, 2008
Ford's Warranty Costs: Figures presented at the Warranty Chain Management Conference last week showed a massive drop in the automaker's warranty expenses. But that had much to do with the accounting for the soon-to-be-sold Jaguar and Land Rover divisions. Still, even after adjusting year-ago figures to account for that impending sale, Ford's warranty costs are down significantly.
March 12, 2008
WCM Preview: Attendees at the Warranty Chain Management Conference will have their choice of two panel discussions and survey overviews on Thursday morning. Via different routes, both come to much the same conclusion: more work needs to be done on document communication and collaboration efforts.
March 4, 2008
Warranty Analytics: The Warranty Chain Management Conference in San Diego next week will feature both a workshop on loss cost analytics aimed at extended warranty providers and a warranty analytics software enhancement aimed at engineers and quality managers.
February 28, 2008
WCM Workshops, Part Two: The day before the opening of the Warranty Chain Management Conference next month, attendees have a chance to hear experts talk about how to reduce warranty-related litigation and how to cut down on the amount of warranty fraud.
February 21, 2008
WCM Workshops, Part One: The day before the opening of the Warranty Chain Management Conference next month, attendees have a chance to hear two experts talk about the pitfalls of relying upon seemingly simple statistical measures of warranty cost.
February 14, 2008
Warranty Management: Warranty management for manufacturing and sales organizations is becoming an intense focus area. Warranty spending by US-based companies surpasses the Gross Domestic Product of some nations. But warranty is an avoidable cost, if managed efficiently and judiciously. As warranty also involves customers directly, the larger imperative of organizational image is at risk. A prelude to warranty management is information stability, consistency and transparency.

The Chief Information Officer plays a pivotal role to iron out the initial impediments before laying out a smooth track for warranty management in any enterprise. This article brings out the different sources of warranty data, a collaboration model for warranty data, the business dynamics of multiple stakeholders with respect to warranty management and displays ways to assess and improve warranty information maturity.
November 14, 2007
Institute of Warranty Chain Management: The time has come for companies in the warranty industry to write a check to fund the launch of warranty management training and certification services. If the fundraising goes well, individual memberships are set to follow by year's end.
June 26, 2007
Changing the Way We Think About Warranty Management: Warranty is a critical element of new product strategy. It not only provides assurance to customers, but also serves as a very effective promotional tool. A change in the approach to warranty management is needed so that warranty related decisions are made in the context of the product life cycle and take into account the interaction between warranty and other decision variables. This new strategic approach is similar to that which has transformed supply chain management over the last 10 to 15 years.
June 19, 2007
Product Warranty Claims, 2003-2006: Signs are emerging that suggest a peak in warranty spending by American manufacturers. Is it better management? Shorter warranties? Or could it be nothing more than sales rising faster than costs? With four years of data to examine, there's evidence for each scenario.
April 11, 2007
Warranty Institute: A year after his call for the formation of a warranty industry association, HP's Glen Griffiths plans to announce the official launch of the Institute of Warranty Chain Management next week in Tampa.
March 6, 2007
Warranty Conference, Day One: Whether by design or by coincidence, this year's Warranty Chain Management Conference seems to have two major themes: the globalization of warranty management and the legal aspects of warranty and extended warranty. At times, attendees will have to choose between two or even three equally good choices when deciding which track to follow.
February 28, 2007
Warranty Financial Management: Part 2: Optimizing Warranty Reserves. Rightsizing a $100 billion dollar worldwide warranty reserve by turning lazy capital into working capital.
January 23, 2007
Warranty Management: The Next Frontier in Cost Reduction and Product Quality Improvement? A new approach for exploiting warranty data offers manufacturing organizations a means of quickly finding and fixing product failures.
October 3, 2006
Warranty Financial Management: Part 1: Defining Warranty Expense Management.
September 12, 2006
Warranty Chain Management: After another successful conference, the warranty community has asked for an industry association in addition to the groups already operating. Warranty community builders said positive things. But now the hard work is just beginning.
March 7, 2006
Warranty Management Conference: If the WCM show in March drew heavily from Silicon Valley, last week's warranty show in Chicago attracted a mainly Midwestern crowd of manufacturers, who came to hear about the best practices of their peers. What they heard instead was lots about service and quality and other topics at the periphery of warranty.
September 27, 2005
The Nine Lives of Entigo: After numerous name changes and shifts in focus, Entigo has returned as a player in the warranty chain management software market.
June 21, 2005
Warranty Conference,
Part One: During the kickoff keynotes by HP and IBM at last week's Warranty Chain Management conference, the need to involve people in warranty transformation projects outranked all technical and financial challenges.
March 8, 2005
Setting Warranty Policy for Products That Generate Annuity Streams: Most warranty-management analysis concerns warranty as cost, the effect of warranty on customer satisfaction, or the signaling impact of warranty on customers. This article describes a study where the focus was not on the product under warranty, but rather on the effect that warranty length might have on the sales of related peripherals and supplies. These sales generate annuity streams for the manufacturer as long as the product remains in operation. However, cost savings from a shorter warranty period must be weighed against potential lost profit from reduced annuity streams. A shorter warranty policy might cause products to drop out of active use sooner, and the cost savings from a shorter warranty policy therefore might be outweighed by the lost annuity profits.
July 13, 2004
The Warranty Week 500 Most of the major players in warranty claims management recently reported details about their warranty reserve funds, claims and accruals during the second quarter. Here are the summary results.
September 8, 2003
Introducing the Warranty Week 500: Most of the major players in warranty claims management recently reported details about their first quarter spending. Here are the results, organized by industry.
June 9, 2003