Who takes this stepCustomer support
01. Connect each return to the original sale
Link each case to its order, reason, expected item and destination.
The next decision
Give receiving identifiable cases; authorisation does not promise refunds.
Returns and after-sales
Manage every return from first message to restock.
Customer service, transport and warehouse teams work from one case with a clear next action.
Follow the operation
How the business operates.
Who takes this stepReturns receiver
02. Record the thirty physical arrivals
Identify arrivals and record quantities with parcel identity and available evidence.
The next decision
Send items to inspection before saleable stock.
Who takes this stepQuality inspector
03. Separate condition from customer entitlement
Check condition and identity, including serial numbers, and retain evidence of any mismatch.
The next decision
Escalate any mismatch and request disposition approval.
Who takes this stepReturns supervisor
04. Authorise the physical outcome
Apply authorised outcomes; quarantine stays unavailable and disposal requires approval.
The next decision
Send authorised units to putback and retain cases that still require investigation.
Who takes this stepWarehouse operator
05. Complete the actual return to a location
Complete case-linked tasks with destination locations and physically restocked quantities.
The next decision
Confirm placement without a second disposition charge.
Who takes this stepSupport · finance
06. Decide the commercial resolution separately
Prepare credit-evidence cases and replacement orders according to authorised decisions; keep pending decisions visible.
The next decision
Authorised staff separately approve credit issuance, application or follow-up.
What to include in your cost model
ActivityBasis to agree or measure
- Receiving and inspection
- Measure actual returned parcels and agreed inspection work.
- Disposition
- Apply contracted restock, quarantine or disposal activity only where relevant.
- No duplicate charge
- Putback execution must not bill disposition a second time.
What makes the first operation ready
- 01
Identity exception
Hold the item with a mismatched serial number while the team investigates.
- 02
Physical stock
Trace one approved restock through completed putback.
- 03
Financial authority
Assign the stock decision and the customer credit to their authorised reviewers.
The technology behind the workflow +
The technology behind the workflow
Return records connect orders, evidence, inspection and commercial follow-up; API return data supports connected tools.
At your fingertips
Operators use supported handheld return screens; merchants see their account’s return information.
Applications ↗Prepare your first operation
- 01Define policies and approval roles
- 02Agree return identification and evidence
- 03Connect inspection and customer-service procedures
Understand the request before moving the product
Reason and request
Error, damage, withdrawal, failure, exchange or another reason linked to the order and lines.
Initial evidence
Photos, comments, serial numbers and available documents before authorisation.
Applicable policy
Window, eligibility, approval, responsibility and proposed outcome according to channel.
Authorise a route and an expectation
The authorisation states what returns, where, by which service and by when. It does not presume received condition or final refund.
Keep photos and information with the parcel
Return transport
Label or pickup, milestones, exception and handoff evidence stay linked to the authorisation.
Return receiving
WMS observes unit, quantity, apparent condition, accessories and identity before inspection.
Inspect before deciding
- 1
Identify
Reconcile product, order, lot or serial and after-sales case.
- 2
Document
Capture condition, damage, completeness, photos and quality checks.
- 3
Decide
Approve disposition according to authority, value, safety and policy.
Give every unit an explicit destination
Restock
Return only inspected, conforming quantity to availability with its new status.
Repair or refurbish
Create work, custody and outcome before renewed availability.
Hold, recall or destroy
Retain approval, proof and custody chain for irreversible outcomes.
Close the commercial case separately from inventory
OMS and after-sales own exchange, backorder, refund, customer response and closure. The commercial decision may await inspection without hiding its progress.
Turn returns into an operational signal
Product and packaging
Find defects, breakage, identification errors and inadequate packaging.
Warehouse
Connect picking error, packing, proof and return handling.
Transport and channel
Distinguish transport damage, commercial promise and customer reason.
One case, the right tools at every step
OMS follows the customer request, WMS inspects the product, transport handles the journey and finance manages the credit or settlement.
Simplify your returns journey
Tell us about your reasons, authorisation rules, inspections, restocking and customer decisions.