IT playbook · AI Employee: Ivy

RMA & Repair

RMA workflow reduces repair cycle by 50%

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The problem

RMAs are IT's least-favourite ticket. Employee's laptop screen cracks, they file a ticket, IT asks for photos, opens an RMA with the vendor (Apple, Dell, Lenovo — each with different portals), waits for a shipping label, coordinates a loaner, tracks the return, receives the repair, and reissues. The employee is either working from a loaner they hate or has no laptop for a week. IT loses hours per RMA on coordination that shouldn't need a human.

At a glance
Trigger
Form
Approvals
IT manager approval for expedited replacement
What it does
Writes to your systems
Systems
Hardware vendor APIs · Asset DB · Procurement
How it feels in production

An hour-by-hour walkthrough.

Priya files a ticket: "MacBook Pro screen has vertical lines, getting worse." Ivy picks up the ticket, requests a diagnostic photo, and confirms hardware failure (not a display driver issue). Looks up Priya's device: - MacBook Pro 14" M3, serial C02XXXX, purchased 2025-06 (still under AppleCare+) - Priya's role: Senior Engineer, remote in Berlin - Warranty entitlement: AppleCare+, screen repair covered Ivy drafts the RMA path: - Option A: Ship to Apple depot (Berlin service center), 5-7 business day turnaround - Option B: On-site Apple business technician (Berlin metro), next-day, adds €150 for on-site - Loaner: MacBook Pro from local warehouse (stock: 3 available), pre-imaged, ships tomorrow AM Priya picks the on-site option + loaner. Ivy: - Opens the RMA with Apple via their business portal (auto-populated with serial + AppleCare + on-site request) - Confirms Apple on-site slot (Priya sees the calendar options; picks Wed AM) - Ships the loaner with pre-imaging complete (data-migration guide included, though most engineers just re-clone the repo) - Creates the asset-tracking record: original device out for repair, loaner assigned, return-loaner task scheduled for post-repair - Notifies Priya's manager of the swap (informational, no approval needed for warranty repair) On repair completion, Ivy tracks: original returns from Apple, loaner returns from Priya (or is retained if Priya prefers), assets reconcile, and the case closes. Priya lost 2 days of the original laptop, never lost productive time.
How it works

Step by step.

  1. 01

    Diagnose + confirm hardware failure

    User photo + description. Ivy classifies (hardware failure vs. software issue vs. user error). Common patterns (screen cracks, keyboard sticking, battery bulging) have known signatures. Escalates ambiguous cases to IT ops.

    Ticketing · MDM diagnostic data · Vision AI
  2. 02

    Look up warranty + entitlement

    Device serial → vendor + purchase date + warranty tier. AppleCare, Dell ProSupport, Lenovo Premier Support each have different portals + procedures. Warranty status determines cost path.

    Apple Business · Dell TechDirect · Lenovo · Asset registry
  3. 03

    Draft RMA path with loaner + cost options

    Options: mail-in vs. on-site vs. courier. Loaner from local warehouse stock. Cost implications per option (some warranty tiers include on-site; others charge). User picks based on urgency + convenience.

    Warehouse inventory · Vendor service tiers · User calendar
  4. 04

    Execute RMA + loaner deployment

    Open RMA via vendor portal (populated with serial + entitlement + preferred option). Ship loaner with pre-imaging complete. Create asset-tracking records for both original + loaner.

    Vendor portals · Warehouse · Asset tracking
  5. 05

    Track repair + close the loop

    Repair progress tracked with vendor. On completion: original returns to user, loaner returns to warehouse (or retained if user prefers). Assets reconcile; case closes.

    Vendor portals · Shipment tracking · Asset registry
Systems and wiring

What you connect to make this run.

Apple Business · Dell TechDirect · Lenovo Premier

read+write

Vendor RMA portals. Different auth + workflow per vendor; Ivy wraps them uniformly. Repair status polled + surfaced to user as "we're waiting on the vendor" with visible expected date.

Warehouse inventory · Loaner pool

read+write

Loaner devices tracked separately. Pre-imaging state maintained so a loaner is same-day-ready. Post-loaner cleanup (wipe + re-image) queued automatically on return.

Shipment tracking · Courier APIs

read+write

FedEx, UPS, DHL for shipment coordination. Return labels generated by vendor; loaner outbound + return labels generated by us. Tracking events feed the case timeline.

MDM · Jamf · Intune · Kandji

read+write

Loaner enrollment (already-managed), original device unenrollment on ship-out (prevents ghost-device drift). Pre-imaging via zero-touch enrollment when the loaner deploys.

What changes

Before and after, honestly.

Time from RMA request to loaner in hand
Before
2-5 business days
After
Under 24 hours
IT hours per RMA case
Before
60-120 minutes
After
5-10 minutes (exceptions only)
Employee productive hours lost per hardware failure
Before
8-24 hours
After
Under 1 hour (loaner covers immediately)
Loaner pool utilisation accuracy
Before
60-75% (spreadsheet)
After
98%+ (real-time)
Related

Playbooks that pair with this one.

IT

Proactive Device Health

Health degradation forecast prevents most RMAs from being urgent.

IT

Asset / Inventory Sync

RMA events flow through the asset registry; nothing goes untracked.

IT

New Device Order

For end-of-life devices, RMA route redirects to full replacement.

Frequently asked

Answers about this playbook.

What if warranty is expired?

Out-of-warranty path: cost quote from vendor + comparison to replacement cost. Ivy surfaces the decision to user + IT ops. Common outcome for older devices: replace rather than repair.

How does it handle accidental damage vs. defect?

AppleCare+ + similar tiers cover accidental damage with deductible. Warranty-only covers defects. Ivy identifies coverage per case; user knows the deductible before proceeding.

What about data recovery from failed devices?

Data-recovery path for critical failures. If user data isn't backed up, Ivy pauses RMA + offers data-recovery service (usually via vendor or third-party). Otherwise routine backup restore.

Can we use it for peripheral RMAs (monitors, docks)?

Yes — same mechanism for any warrantied hardware. Some peripherals have simpler vendor workflows (return + replace); some require full RMA. Configurable per peripheral type.

How does it coordinate with the security team on data-bearing devices?

Any device with local storage requires wipe or physical-destruction attestation before RMA return. Vendor gets a wiped-drive claim; Ivy tracks the attestation for the audit trail.

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