FAQ: Warranty Categories and Trades

Written By JSB (Jason Brown)

Last updated 9 months ago

Warranty category and trade data are often unique to each team managing post-build fixes and customer satisfaction. While the general structure might resemble other companies, the specifics tend to evolve with your internal workflows, vendor relationships, and homeowner expectations. Rarely is there a perfect one-size-fits-all solution.

DigsCare™ supports flexibility in how you use categories and trades, giving your team room to tailor them to your needs. While you can dive right in, it's worth taking a few minutes to align with your team on how you'd like to use these fields. Thoughtful setup can improve long-term organization, reduce redundancy, and make ticketing more meaningful for both your team and the homeowner.

⚠️ Keep in mind: Category and Trade fields are visible to the homeowner. Use clear, professional language to maintain trust and transparency.

Creating a Warranty Trade or Category is easy. When in a ticket, simply click the topic and type a Category name. if it already exists, it will surface, else you are given the ability to Create a new one. Once created, it will be visible on all of your tickets as an option to choose.

  • At this time, we no not have the ability do delete Categories or Trades, so pre planning is needed to help avoid excess options. If you make a mistake though, don’t stress, that feature will come in the future

  • Remember to keep it all business! inside jokes can sometimes be shared with your clients.

Category by Urgency

Some teams categorize warranty tickets by urgency or response timeline. This helps triage requests and align them with your scheduling process.

Examples:

  • 30-Day Warranty

  • 11-Month Warranty

  • Emergency Repair

  • Cosmetic Issue

  • Routine Maintenance Request

  • Out of Warranty – Courtesy Evaluation

  • Seasonal Concern (e.g., HVAC startup or winterization)

  • Repeat Issue (previously addressed but recurring)

  • Structural Concern

Category by Location

Organizing tickets by the affected location can help batch similar types of work for efficiency. It also makes it easier for homeowners to understand and initially categorize their requests.

Examples:

  • Flooring & Carpeting

  • Cabinets & Countertops

  • Doors & Windows

  • Tile & Grout

  • Drywall & Paint

  • Appliances

  • Plumbing Fixtures

  • HVAC

  • Roofing & Gutters

  • Exterior Finishes & Trim

  • Landscaping or Grading

  • Garage & Driveway

Trades / Categories by Type of Work or Team

This field can serve a few purposes depending on your workflow. It might simply group tickets by trade for internal visibility, or it could help prepare for future ticket-to-vendor assignment workflows.

If you're also using a location-based category, you may find some overlap — but pairing urgency with trade-based groupings can create a powerful scheduling framework.

Example 1: Trade / Type of Work

  • General Builder

  • Plumbing

  • Electrical

  • HVAC

  • Septic or Sewer

  • Framing & Structural

  • Insulation

  • Drywall & Paint

  • Masonry or Concrete

  • Roofing

  • Finish Carpentry

  • Landscaping / Irrigation

  • Technology / Low Voltage

Example 2: Preferred Vendor or Team

This approach annotates the vendor or subcontractor likely to handle the work. It’s not a formal assignment but can help the warranty team prepare for vendor coordination.

  • BlueRidge Plumbing Co.

  • BrightSpark Electrical

  • NorthPine HVAC Solutions

  • Precision Finish Carpentry

  • Summit Concrete & Masonry

Final Thought

There’s no perfect setup, but the most effective teams treat their warranty categories and trades as strategic tools — not just labels. Taking a little time up front to define what these fields mean for your team can prevent confusion down the road, support faster responses, and help everyone (especially homeowners) feel confident in your process.