Function: Customer returns management

The objective of this business function is to manage the return of goods including the processing of claims, warranties, returned consignment stock, and rejected or obsolete products. Both the physical and administrative handling and payment of returns are taken into account in this function.

The objective of this process is to manage returns from the customer. The starting point of this process is a request from the customer to return received goods.

Usually, a complaint form must be sent together with the returned goods. In this form, the customer documents the category of the return, the applicable quantity, whether the customer wants to keep the product or not, and whether the customer wants a debit or credit note.

After reviewing the complaint form, the original sales order is checked against the returned goods. If the return order is accepted, the sales order can be blocked. Then, the return order can be created, after which the customer will be informed. The customer can be notified either by EDI or manually. Now, the order can be released to warehousing, where a receiving procedure will be started. If the return order is not accepted, the customer will be informed and the goods will possibly be returned to the customer.

If the return request is accepted, a sales order of the Customer Return type will be created, based on the original sales order. The order will then be released to the warehouse.