Warranty Follow-Up: The 11-Month Text That Generates Replacements

You installed a system 14 months ago. At month 13, a part failed — just outside the 12-month parts warranty the customer never knew they had. They paid full price for the repair, felt vaguely taken advantage of, and told the neighbor "make sure you read the fine print with those guys." All of it was preventable. A single text at month 11 — "your warranty expires next month, want us to give everything a once-over while it's still covered?" — would have caught the part under warranty, delighted the customer, and kept the relationship warm for the next decade.

The 11-month warranty touch is System 7 (reactivation) applied to your install base — and part of the full-and-calm-calendar framework. It's the rare marketing message that is genuinely in the customer's interest, which is exactly why it converts.

Why month 11 (the timing logic)

• Before expiry, not after. Month 11 gives the customer time to schedule the check and you time to order any warranty parts. Month 13 is a eulogy.
• It's a service, not a pitch. "Your coverage is ending — let's make sure everything's right while it's free to fix" is customer advocacy. No one resents being told about money they're entitled to.
• It creates the inspection that creates the pipeline. The warranty check puts your tech eyes on a year-old install. Most are fine — and "everything looks great" is a trust deposit. The ones that aren't fine become warranty work now, and the aging observations become the replacement conversation in year 8–10, with you as the incumbent.

The 11-month text

Anatomy: the specific system and install month (proof this is personal, not a blast), the honest reason (warranty expiring), the free check (removes all friction), and the 30-minute frame (removes the time objection). No pitch, no ask beyond the visit.

The warranty check visit (what the tech does)

The visit has to be real — a fake "inspection" that finds phantom problems destroys the trust the text built. The tech's job:

• Run the full operational check: temperatures, pressures, electrical, airflow, controls — the same rigor as a tune-up.
• Document everything with photos, especially anything borderline.
• File any legitimate warranty claims on the spot — this is the entire point, and the customer watching you fight for their coverage is a loyalty event.
• Report honestly: "everything looks great" is the most common and most valuable outcome. Note the system's condition for the long-term record — this file becomes gold at year 8.

What the 11-month touch generates (the honest pipeline)

• Warranty work, done right. Parts replaced under coverage at no cost to the customer. You get paid by the manufacturer; the customer gets a free fix they didn't know they were owed. Everyone wins.
• The long-game file. Every warranty check adds a dated condition report to the customer record. At year 7–8, when you run the anniversary touch or a replacement campaign, you're working from actual history — "your system has been running well, but it's entering the age where we typically see [X]" — instead of guessing.
• Reviews and referrals. "They called me to tell me my warranty was expiring" is a story customers tell. It's remarkable in the literal sense — worth remarking on.
• Maintenance agreement conversions. The warranty check is the natural moment to pitch the agreement: "the warranty covered parts this year — our maintenance plan covers the ongoing care from here." (See the pricing and pitch guide.)

Setting it up: the date-triggered system

1. Record two dates at install: install date and warranty expiry date (they're not always 12 months apart — know your manufacturers' terms and any extended warranties the customer purchased).
2. Create the trigger: warranty expiry minus 30 days → automated text (script above) + task for the office to follow up if no reply in a week.
3. Handle the replies: "yes" → schedule the check within two weeks (before expiry). "No thanks" → log it and move on. No reply → one follow-up text, then let it go.
4. Close the loop: after the check, log the condition report in the customer record and set the next relevant touch (anniversary, agreement pitch, or the long-term replacement timeline).

This is a setup guide (standard operating procedure) that runs on dates, not memory. The CRM (customer relationship management software) holds the dates; the automation fires the text; the office handles the exceptions. Nobody has to remember anything.

Variations by trade

• Roofing: workmanship warranty check at 11 months — "your 1-year workmanship warranty expires next month, want us to walk the roof once more while it's covered?" Catches installation issues while they're free to fix.
• Plumbing: water heater and repipe warranty check-ins — same structure, adjusted timeline to the warranty terms.
• Electrical: panel upgrade warranty check — "want us to verify everything's still tight and labeled before the warranty period ends?"

Compliance note

Warranty texts to your own install customers: confirm marketing consent status, include opt-out language in the first text, respect TCPA (federal telemarketing law) quiet hours (no marketing texts before 8am / after 9pm recipient's local time). 10DLC business-texting registration required for business texting (1–7 day approval, ~$15–$20 one-time). General information, not legal advice.

Adapting the text for labor-only and manufacturer warranties

The 11-month text assumes a 12-month parts-and-labor warranty, but plenty of jobs don't fit that shape. Some shops warranty labor for a year while parts fall under the manufacturer's coverage. Some equipment carries a manufacturer warranty of five or ten years — but only if the unit was registered after install, which many aren't.

Adapt the text to the warranty, not the other way around. For labor-only coverage: "Your one-year labor warranty wraps up next month — want us to give everything a once-over before it does?" For manufacturer warranties, the 11-month text becomes a registration check: "Quick question — was your new system registered with the manufacturer? Unregistered equipment often carries a shorter factory warranty, and we can fix that in five minutes."

The principle never changes: contact the customer before the coverage they believe they have runs out. The warranty type just changes what you're warning them about. Either way, the customer hears from you before the deadline — which is the entire point.

Related guides in this series

The warranty touch is System 7 of the full-and-calm-calendar framework. It pairs with The Home Anniversary Touch (the 12-month relationship message) and feeds HVAC Maintenance Agreements (the ongoing-care conversion).

The done-for-you version

This post is System 7 from the Leveraged Owner Starter Pack — the done-for-you version with the full warranty-touch setup guide, the scripts, the date-tracking worksheets, and complete setup guides for all 8 systems.

No third-party research stats cited — all scripts and frameworks are the author's own.

Keep building your systems

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