Process: Capture return without prior approval
Flow
Objective
Capture return products without prior approval, thereby allowing merchandise to be returned to the seller without the customer having obtained approval first.
Description
The process describes returns processing without prior approval, meaning the customer sent the merchandise back to seller without obtaining prior approval and obtaining an RMA number.
A customer-service representative or returns administrator will use the information received with the returned merchandise to find the customer information. If the customer information is not found, the options are to create a new customer record or terminate the return process and notify the customer that the refund will not be issued. Having created a customer record, the receiver will examine the returned merchandise and create a return goods summary report, which will be used to find the original order(s). If the order(s) cannot be found, the customer may be able to help identify the order. Whether the original order is identified or not, the returns administrator will decide whether the goods will be accepted or not. If the goods are not accepted, the customer will be notified as such and the process will be terminated. If the goods are to be accepted, either a return request is created containing items from the original order or an ad-hoc return request is created and order items from the catalog are added to it. Note that ad-hoc items can also be added to a return created from the original order. After all the items being returned have been added to the return request, the refund method is determined.
Note: For consumer direct, only the original payment method in the order is used as the refund payment method. Without customization, this means that if the original order was not found a refund cannot be issued automatically by the system. For B2B direct, terms and conditions can be used to specify the refund method, which can be the original payment method for the order or line of credit.
Following the determination of the refund method, the process will try to determine the refund amount. The system will calculate the amount based on the contents of the return request including taxes. The returns administrator may also apply adjustments to the amount.
After the refund amount has been determined, the return request must be approved. The system can automatically approve the return based on business policy, or it can be manually approved. Manual approval may require negotiation and changes to the return request. Once approved, the system generates an RMA number.
Features
- Returns life cycle
- RMA generation
- Return approval
- automatic by defined business policy and manual
- Dispositioning
- Return to inventory
- Ad-hoc return (B2B direct)
- Automatic refund amount calculation, including taxes
- Refund amount adjustment
Customization
- Alternate approval mechanisms
- Refund type determination including independent credit
- Alternate forms of dispositioning -- for example, requiring specific steps or approval
- Alternate forms of refund amount calculation -- for example, restocking fees, adjustments off based on business rules
Edition
Professional, Enterprise
Subprocesses
- Add ad-hoc items to return request
- Add order items to return request
- Add order items to return request
- Administer return request
- Administer return request
- Determine refund method
- Determine refund method
Tasks
Task Description Role Create ad-hoc return request Create an ad-hoc return request. This is a return request without a pre-existing order.
Returns Administrator Create customer record Create a new customer based on information obtained:
- Logon
- Password
- Name
- Challenge question/answer
- Preferred currency/language
- Address
- Contact information
- Demographic information
The customer should be enabled.
Customer Service Representative Create return request Create a return request using the original order as input.
Returns Administrator Examine goods (external) Examine the goods that have been returned. This task will produce a received goods summary.
Receiver Find customer Find the customer using information obtained from them
- Logon ID
- First name
- Last name
- Phone number
- e-mail address
- Zip/postal code
- Account (BE)
Customer Service Representative Find order(s) Find by: order number and customer logon Id
Advanced query: by all order fields: address, order status, date (start end), e-mail, phone
Returns Administrator Notify customer about RMA number (external) Notify the customer that a Return Merchandise Authorization(RMA) has been generated and provide the RMA number for reference.
Customer Service Representative Notify customer order doesn't exist (external) Inform the customer that the order does not exist in whatever means the business supports.
Customer Service Representative Notify customer refund won't happen (external) Notify the customer that the refund for the return request will not be issued to the customer. An example of when this might occur is for a store that does not support refunds to a person that is not a registered user.
Customer Service Representative Reject goods (external) Reject the goods preventing them from being accepted and restocked.
Receiver
Business artifacts
- Customer record
- Goods
- Original order
- Received goods summary
- Return request
- RMA
- Written refund request
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