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Diagnose and work a unit

Once a piece is in the shop, the work happens on its unit card — on the repair's own Units tab, or full-screen in scan-driven Bench mode. Both show the same information and the same actions; Bench mode is just built for a technician standing at a bench with a scanner, one unit at a time.

Before you begin​

  • You need the Bench permission to diagnose, add parts, or run the timer.
  • The piece needs to be received (past Pending receipt) before most of this applies.

1. Open the unit​

On a repair, open the Units tab. Each piece is its own collapsible card, headed Unit N, the matched product's name, and a row of chips: its work stage, its coverage, "Asked: <service>" when the customer asked for something specific, an outcome chip once it's resolved, a Needs product match warning, and — if it's gone out — a chip linking to its vendor dispatch. Icon buttons in the header send the unit to a vendor and print its own bench tag.

Underneath the header, a row of stage buttons lets you move the unit straight to any stage its current one allows — not just the next step. The active stage is filled, finished ones show a check, and side-branch stages (Awaiting approval, Awaiting parts, At vendor) only appear when they're actually reachable from here.

2. Diagnose it​

In Diagnosis:

  • Technician — assign or clear one, from a dropdown that shows each technician's name and open-unit count. If the assigned person has since lost the Bench permission, the field still shows their name, marked "No longer has the Bench permission."
  • Customer said — read-only, what the customer reported.
  • Reported issues vs. Found on the bench — two separate issue-type pickers, so what the customer described and what you actually find stay distinct. Type to search either list; each pick clears the search text and closes the menu, ready for the next. Picking a found issue fills in Root cause with that issue's usual cause, when it's still empty; you can change it.
  • Root cause and Whose fault — Supplier, Our process, Carrier, Customer, or No one. A supplier fault is what feeds a supplier recovery claim.
  • Diagnosis notes — free text.

Save diagnosis stays disabled until you've changed something, and greys out again once it's saved. Changing the root cause or the found issues can change the piece's coverage — if it does, a banner names the change (for example "Coverage changed from In warranty to Out of warranty"), says how many unposted cost lines were re-billed to match automatically, and — if any already-posted costs still bill the old way — offers Review costs to reclassify them by hand. If the change takes the piece out of warranty, the banner adds "This unit isn't covered. Send the customer a quote, or decline and return the piece." with a Send quote shortcut. See Quote, cost and bill a repair.

AI diagnosis suggestion​

Click Suggest to have your tenant's AI provider propose found issue types and a root cause from the unit's photos and the customer's description — shown as dismissible chips, each with a confidence percentage and one line of reasoning. Clicking a chip adds it; nothing is applied automatically. Suggest needs the Bench permission and the AI assistant to be turned on — otherwise it's disabled, with the reason in its tooltip (for example "AI assist is switched off in Settings → Repairs.").

3. Run the checklist​

Under Checklists, switch between Diagnosis and Quality check for the unit's product. Each item is pass/fail, a note, or a required photo picked from the unit's uploads. Answer the items, then click Save checklist. You can't mark a checklist complete until every required item is answered, and the checklist shows Complete once it's saved with every required answer. The diagnosis checklist gates leaving Diagnosing, including sending the piece to a vendor or adding it to a plating batch; the quality-check checklist gates resolving the unit. While a gate still applies, a blue banner lists exactly what's missing — "Finish the diagnosis checklist before the unit can leave Diagnosing" only while the unit is in Diagnosing, and "Finish the quality check before resolving this unit" until it's resolved. Once a unit has moved past the gate, the banner goes away, and the card still shows the checklist's name and its N to do chip.

If the product has no checklist assigned yet, it says so plainly: "No diagnosis checklist applies to this piece. Add one in Settings → Repairs → Inspection templates." See Build issue types and inspection checklists.

4. Add photos​

The Photos section tags each upload Intake, Diagnosis, Before, After, QC, Vendor, Customer upload, or Document, with a live count per tag and a filter to match. Each upload also picks whether the customer can see it on their status page, and you can delete or re-toggle that visibility afterward. Images and video open full-size; anything else opens as a download. Uploads accept JPG, PNG, HEIC, MOV, MP4, or PDF, up to 25 MB each, and each finished upload is confirmed by name — for example "Attachment 'clasp-closeup.jpg' uploaded."

5. Fit, harvest, or recycle parts​

Under Parts & findings, click Add part and choose What happens:

  • Fit a part — taken from stock, fitted to the piece.
  • Harvest a part — taken off this unit and put back into stock.
  • Recycle — removed and scrapped (for example, a broken chain).

Pick the part — the field shows the product's name, with its SKU under each option in the list. Then set the quantity (optionally in an alternate unit — say, centimeters of chain — which converts to the stock unit for you), a warehouse (it starts on the repair's own warehouse; type to search the others by name), Bill to, and When: Use it now (takes stock) or Plan it (allocates nothing yet), which only tracks what you'll need. The button reads Use part or Plan part to match, and a confirmation names the part — for example "Part HG-PART-JR-4MM-GLD recorded." for a used part, or "… planned." for a planned one.

Suggested parts — from part-compatibility rules — appear as one-click chips under Suggested for this piece and issue, showing live availability at the repair warehouse, for example HG-PART-JR-4MM-GLD · 250 available. They match the piece and both its reported and found issues, and they update as soon as you save a diagnosis: a found issue's matching part shows up straight away, with no need to reload the page. A blue chip has stock and opens Add part on Use it now (takes stock), with Use part ready to click. An amber chip (0 available) has none, so it opens on Plan it (allocates nothing yet) instead, with Plan part ready to click. Once a suggested part is on the unit, its chip disappears, and the suggestions row goes away when every suggested part has been added.

In the parts table, each row shows the part's SKU with its name in small grey text underneath (hover a long name to read it in full), so every column fits on screen. The State column reads Used for a part taken from stock and Planned for one that isn't yet — the same words Bench uses.

If the part tracks serial numbers, a Serial numbers field appears once you've set the quantity, and the part can't be saved until you've entered (or scanned) exactly that many serials.

A planned row's check icon (Use part) takes it from stock now, and its bin icon removes it. A used row's undo icon puts the part back in stock — unless the salvaged piece has already been used elsewhere, in which case it's refused with "The salvaged <sku> has already been used, so this part can't be undone." A warning also shows wherever the used quantity ends up different from what was planned, for example "<SKU>: 2 used vs 1 planned (+1)."

Harvest is only offered on brand-owned units. Removing a part from a customer-owned unit is refused outright — "Parts can only be removed from brand-owned units. A customer-owned unit is never valued, so its parts cannot go to stock."

What this does to stock and FIFO​

A used Fit draws down stock at FIFO (or FEFO for lot-tracked parts, skipping expired lots), and is refused with a clear "Only N on hand at <warehouse>" message rather than letting stock go negative. A Harvest enters the salvaged part back into stock at zero cost, deliberately — the donor unit keeps its full value, and the salvaged part carries none of it, so it never discounts the unit's own refurbish cost either.

6. Track labour time​

In Labour, Start, Pause, or Stop a per-unit timer, or log a manual entry (minutes plus an optional note). The stopwatch times the current session: Pause keeps its time and Start carries on from it, while Stop logs the session and resets it to 00:00:00. Beside it, Total logged (for example "Total logged 00:08:00") adds up every finished entry on the unit. The display also shows the estimate for the found issue types — for example "of ~45 min" — so you can see how you're tracking as you go. Only one timer runs per person at a time — starting a new one automatically pauses whatever you had running elsewhere. A running entry can't be deleted, and a timer left running past your tenant's daily cap is stopped automatically and flagged capped, for you to confirm. The labour line on the unit's cost is a single row, restated from every finished entry — hours times the technician's rate, billed to the customer at either the issue's flat price or an hourly bill rate. The entries table's Who column names the person who logged each entry, even someone who isn't on the technicians list, such as an administrator.

Coverage, piece & origin, and risk signals​

The right-hand column keeps three cards alongside the work itself:

  • Coverage — the live decision (In warranty, Out of warranty, Goodwill, or Unknown), the matched policy, the purchase date and proof of purchase, the term, and the plain-language reasons behind it. Click Override to set it yourself — you need the Override coverage permission, and a reason of at least 3 characters. Pick a different option from the policy's and the dialog reads "You're choosing something different from the policy. A reason is required and appears in the activity log." Pick the option the policy already chose and it reads "This is what the policy decided. Saving keeps it as a manual decision; the reason still appears in the activity log." Either way, Save override stays disabled until you type the reason. Overriding is blocked once the unit is resolved ("Unresolve it first") or the case is closed ("Reopen it first"). See How warranty coverage is decided.
  • Piece & origin — the matched product (and, for a set, which piece needs work), serial and lot links, the purchase order and supplier it most likely came from (flagged Estimated when no serial or lot pins it to an exact receipt), and the piece's ownership (Customer-owned / Brand-owned) and custody (With customer / Inbound / On hand / At vendor / Outbound / Delivered / Disposed). A warning plus a Match product dialog appears whenever a claim-form description was never matched to a real product. That dialog's product list offers only finished pieces, not repair parts.
  • Risk signals — warnings that never block the claim on their own: a duplicate claim on the same order line or serial inside the repeat-claim window, a serial that doesn't match what shipped, a customer over the claims-per-year threshold, a photo matching another claim's, wear claimed suspiciously soon after purchase, several customers' claims to the same address, a claim made very soon after delivery, or proof of purchase that's only an unverified retailer receipt. Each links to the related repair when there is one.

The header's primary button always names the single next thing to do — Submit repair, Receive item, Start diagnosis, Send quote, Start repair, Move to QC, Resolve, Buy return label, or Close — worked out from the case's status and every unit's own stage and coverage. Clicking it jumps straight there. It's disabled, with "You don't have permission for this step. Ask someone with repairs access," when you lack the permission for that step, and it disappears once the case is closed, rejected, or canceled.

Repair Actions menu​

The Actions menu on the repair's header covers the rest: Submit repair, Close repair, Reopen repair, Send to vendor…, Build plating batch…, Copy customer status link, Replace status link, Print bench tags, Reject repair…, Cancel repair…, and Delete draft — each greyed out with a tooltip naming exactly why when it doesn't apply (for example "Only draft or requested repairs can be submitted." or "Only drafts with no costs, shipments or receipts can be deleted. Cancel it instead."). Delete and Cancel/Reject are marked in red.

Reject repair… and Cancel repair… both open a dialog asking for a reason of at least 3 characters — "the customer may see this." Rejecting also shows a checked-by-default Email the customer the "Not covered" notice box, with an Edit email link straight to that template's editor; clearing the box skips the email. Canceling explains "Canceling stops the repair before any work starts. It can't be undone; the customer is not charged." Canceling is blocked once any cost or work is recorded — use Reject instead at that point.

Replace status link asks you to confirm first — "The customer's current status page link stops working straight away. Send them the new one." Print bench tags is blocked with "Add a unit first: tags are printed per unit" on a repair with no pieces yet.

Notes and tags on the repair​

The repair's Overview tab carries two cards for your own team, never shown to the customer:

  • Notes — type into Add a note… and click Add. Pin a note to keep it at the top, or delete one. Notes need the Update repairs permission, and are read-only once the repair is closed, until you reopen it.
  • Tags — type to pick an existing tag or create a new one (press Enter to add it), and click a tag's × to remove it. Same permission and closed-repair rule as Notes.

Work the same unit from Bench mode​

Bench (also reachable from Orders → Repairs → Bench) is the full-screen, scan-driven version of this same page, built for a technician at a bench.

  1. Scan a repair tag. A big, auto-focused field accepts a scanner's input — a tag code, a serial, or a bare repair number — with a camera-scan fallback. A bad scan shows "Nothing matches '<code>'" and refocuses the field without losing your place.
  2. My queue, below the scan box, lists your own open units in bench stages, oldest first with their SLA due date, so you don't need a tag in hand to keep working — tap one to open it.
  3. Once a unit is open, a slim header (Board, the tag code, Next unit, and your name) sits above the piece summary, a compact stage stepper, and large Diagnosis / Checklist / Photos / Parts / Timer / QC section buttons — the same data and actions described above, laid out for one-handed, gloved use. As on the detail page, Save diagnosis stays greyed out until you change the found issues, root cause, fault or notes, and greys out again once it's saved.
  4. Scan a part. In the Parts section, scan or type a barcode or SKU (camera fallback available), set a quantity and unit, and Add part. Suggested compatible parts appear as one-tap chips — each reads "Pick serial & add" when the part tracks serial numbers and some is available at this warehouse, or "Add <default quantity>" otherwise; a part with none available at this warehouse plans it instead of using it. Each suggestion drops off the list once it's added, and when all of them are on the unit the list reads "Every suggested part is on this unit." Parts on the unit show a State of Used or Planned.
  5. Complete → QC stops any running timer and moves the unit to Quality check (blocked until the current stage allows it, and blocked again with "Finish the QC checklist first" until every required QC item is answered). Once the unit is already at Quality check, the same spot reads "QC passed — resolve," which hands off to the full repair page to choose the outcome. The footer also offers Print tag, Open repair, Next unit, and Send to vendor (or a link to its existing vendor dispatch).

Next steps​

Video transcript

To get started, open Orders in the left sidebar. Then open Repairs inside it, and choose List, at the very top of its menu. Every claim and warranty case lives on this page. Click the search box, type the repair's number, and press Enter to run the search. When it appears in the results, click its ID to open the details. Then open the Units tab, near the top of the page. Each piece is its own card, with a stage stepper under its header. Click the Found on the bench field, and type to search for the actual problem. Pick the matching issue, and the root cause fills in from that issue. Then click Save diagnosis to record what you found. If saving changes the piece's coverage, a banner explains the change. Scroll down to the Checklists section, just below the diagnosis. The blue banner lists each required item that still needs a response. Answer each one with Pass or Fail, from top to bottom. Nothing is kept yet, so finish every item first. Then click Save checklist, and the inspection shows Complete. Scroll down to the Parts and findings section. Saving the diagnosis already added a suggestion for the found issue. Click it to bring up the Add part dialog. A blue chip has stock, so the When field starts on Use it now. Click Use part, and the part comes out of the repair warehouse. Scroll down to the Labour section, just below the parts. Click Start when you begin work on the piece, to run the stopwatch. You can pause it too, and each person runs only one timer. Click Stop when you finish, and the session joins the total logged time. The Coverage card shows the live decision, with its reasons listed under Why. To set it yourself instead, click Override, in its top right corner. Any change needs a written reason, so here, close the dialog with Cancel. Open the Overview tab, the first one in the row of tabs. Click into Tags, type a short label, and press Enter to add the label. Next, click into Notes, and type an internal note for the rest of your team. Click Add to save it, and it appears below with your name. Tags and notes are only for your team, never for the customer. When you're at your workbench, open Repairs under Orders in the sidebar, then click Bench. This full-screen view is built to be driven by a handheld barcode scanner. Click the scan box, then scan the repair's tag, its serial, or its number. Press Enter if you typed it, and the unit opens in the bench view. The same sections appear here, laid out for one-handed, gloved use. Open the Parts tab, in the row just below the stage buttons. Click the scan box, and scan or type the barcode or SKU. Press Enter, and it appears with its quantity and an Add part button. Suggestions already fitted leave the list, and show under On this unit.

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