Reverse Logistics
Logistics is the sequence of events that delivers the product to the customer. In reverse logistics, the product travels at least one step back in the supply chain. Customer Returns is the reverse logistics function of FinancialForce SCM and enables you to receive returned items and provide customers with a refund, a replacement, or a repair.
Customer Returns
The customer return enables customers to return a product to a specified warehouse in order to receive a refund, a replacement, or a repair during the product's warranty period. The purchaser of the product must contact the manufacturer (or distributor or retailer) to obtain authorization to return the product. The resulting customer return number must be displayed on or included in the returned item's packaging. Once a customer return has been created for an item, the staff at the warehouse to which the record relates then expect the item to be returned, and create a receipt when it is returned. The returned items are inspected. Serviceable items are returned to inventory.
Reasons for Returning an Item
Customers may want to return an item they have received for one of the following reasons:
- The item is not what was ordered
- The item is damaged
- The item is defective
- The item is not required
You can specify why the items are being returned using one of the options from the Reason for Return drop-down list on the customer return header when the customer return is created. The reason for return value selected at header level will be the default value for any customer return lines that are subsequently created. You can change each line reason for return individually as required.
Defective Items
If an item is defective the customer can return it. The manufacturer organizes shipping of the defective item. The item continues to travel in reverse through the supply chain to the manufacturer. The manufacturer receives the item for testing, dismantling, repairing, recycling or disposal as appropriate to retain any possible use or value from the defective item.
Return Actions
The return action selected at the customer return header will be the default for the customer return lines. You can change each line action individually as required. The return actions you can select on a customer return are as follows:
- Customer Credit
- Exchange Item
- Repair
Serial Number Support
The enhanced SCM customer return feature supports item serial numbers. You can add the item serial numbers associated with the originating sales order line to the serial numbers related list in the customer return line (for more information, see Selecting Serial Numbers for a Customer Return Line). This enables you to track the item serial numbers through the system as items are received into your designated customer returns warehouse and processed. Once the return item serial numbers are in the system you can enter them on the related credit invoice and print them on a credit note in FinancialForceAccounting as required.
To use the enhanced customer return process with serial numbers you should first assign the following customer return object lightning record pages as org defaults:
- Customer Return
- Customer Return Line
You can assign the lightning record pages using the Switch on Enhanced Customer Returns Feature Console feature. For more information on this Feature Console feature, refer to Switch on Enhanced Customer Returns.
If you would like to use your custom Lightning Record Page for your Sales Order, Customer Return and Customer Return Lines, you should perform the following feature console steps:
- Add the 'Create Customer Return' quick action button to your custom Sales Order Layout for approved inventory Sales orders. The quick action button enables the creation of the customer return header from a sales order.
- In your custom lightning record page for the customer return replace the standard customer return line related list with the custom customerReturnLineRelated list.
- Add the 'Select Serial Number' quick action button to your custom Customer Return Lines Layout. The quick action button opens the Select Serial Numbers window to enable you to select the serial numbers for a customer return line.
You can then use the FinancialForce custom related list 'customerReturnLineRelatedList' to create customer return lines for the customer return.
The customer return line has a Serial Numbers related list to enable you to keep track of the serial numbers returned on each customer return line.
The following information is displayed in the serial numbers related list:
- Serial Number Name
- Item
- Serial Number
- Ownership Code
- Received Date
- Shipment Date
- In Inventory
- On Hold
- Type of Serial Number
Lightning Mode
The first four fields are displayed by default in the serial numbers related list when viewed in lightning mode. You can view all of the serial numbers related list fields by clicking View All.
A customer return line lookup field on the return information section of the serial number page enables you to track a customer return line associated with a particular serial number.
Creating a Customer Return from a Sales Order
You can create a customer return from a sales order header by clicking the Create Customer Return in the quick action button drop-down list. This will open the customer returns creation page. From this page you can select the return warehouse for the returned items, enter a customer return confirmation email address and select the reason for return and return action:
Note here about FC step that removes the QA button from the SO line related list.
The following non-editable information is available on the sales order line selection page:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Sales Order Number | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Customer Site Sold To | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Customer Purchase Order | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Sales Order Currency | Same currency as on the related sales order header. |
| Item Description | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| Item Number | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| Original Quantity Purchased | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| Original Sales Unit price | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| Original Extended Unit price | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| SO line number | Taken from the related sales order line. |
| Already Returned | The quantity that has been received or has a customer return line open. |
The following editable information can be viewed on the sales order line selection page:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Reason for Return | Available on header and lines. |
| Return Action | Available on header and lines. |
| Return Warehouse | Available on header and lines. The warehouse the returned items will be received into. The return warehouse must be active. |
| Confirm To | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Quantity Being Returned | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| RMA Unit Price | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Customer Purchase Order Number | Taken from the related sales order header. |
| Currency | Same currency as on the related sales order header. |
| Item Description | Taken from the related sales order line. |
Customer Return Statuses
The status of a customer return is updated by the system as the return items progress through the customer return process.
The active status values are:
- New
- Submitted for Approval
- Approved
- Partially Received
- Received
- Inspected
Related Lists
The following related lists display by default when a new customer return is created:
- Customer Return Lines
- Receipts
- Credit Invoices
Customer Return Line Custom Related List
The following columns display on the customerReturnLineRelatedList:
- Customer Return Line Number
- Item Master
- Status
- To Return
- Unit Price
An action drop-down is available on the customer return lines related list with the following options:
- Edit
- Delete
Selecting Sales Order Line Items for the Customer Return
You can add sales order line items to a customer return from the customer return lines related list. Clicking the New button on the related list opens the New Customer Return Line popup that lists all the sales order line items that are available to add to the customer return line. When a Sales Order Line Item is selected and the To Return quantity is entered and saved, the customer return line related list updates immediately with the new customer return line.
Searching and Filtering Sales Order Lines
You can select sales order lines using the checkbox adjacent to each line. You can select all the sales order lines at once using the checkbox at the top of the sales order line list. A Show Selected filter positioned above the sales order line list indicates the number of lines you have selected. You can click the Show Selected filter to display just the sales order lines you have selected. A Back to Results filter displays to enable you to return to the sales order line selection popup.
A search box on the New Customer Return Line popup enables you to search for a specific sales order line item using the following search criteria:
- Sales Order Line
- Item Master
- Item Description
The sales order line search results display according to the criteria you enter. You don't need to enter complete search criteria, such as a full item description. The search filter is case insensitive, and the search results update as you type.
You can select sales order lines and also use the search box to narrow down your results. In this case only the sales order lines selected by checkbox that also meet the search criteria are displayed.
You can click Back to Results which will return you to the sales order line selection popup.
Customer Return Quantities
If more than one customer return and customer return line is associated with a single sales order line, the system calculates the total quantities on all of the customer returns. This ensures the quantity already returned plus the quantity still to be returned does not exceed the quantity that was shipped on the original sales order line when a new customer return line is created. The Already Returned quantity is the sum of the following:
The quantity of customer returns already received and the quantity of returns on open customer returns.
The Already Returned field is available on the sales order line so that the sales order line quantity and the quantity shipped can be compared to the quantities that have been returned for tracking purposes. The Already Returned field is also available on the Customer Return Line so you can easily see what remaining quantity can be returned for a given customer return line. The Actual Quantity returned field is automatically updated as return items are received and cannot be edited manually.
Updating Customer Returns
You can manually update the following fields on a customer return that has a status of "New" or "Submitted for Approval":
- Reason for Return
- Return Action
- Return Warehouse
- Sales Order
- Status
Updating Customer Return Lines
If customer return line items are incrementally received, the already returned value is updated to reflect the new quantity. The To Return value is updated by the same quantity and the system checks that the already returned quantity is still lower than or equal to the quantity shipped.
You can manually update the following fields on a customer return line that has a status of "New":
- Item Master
- Sales Order Line
- Status
- To Return
Approving Customer Returns
You can approve a customer return once you have created and saved at least one customer return line. A Submit for Approval button is available to use on the customer return page layout after you create the appropriate custom approval processes in your Organization Setup.
To enable you to configure your approval process, the following customer return status changes are available, either with an approval process or manually:
- From New to Submitted for Approval
- From New to Approved
- From Submitted for Approval to Approved
- From Submitted for Approval to New
Customer Return Line Status Changes
The customer return lines status updates as follows:
- Customer return header status changes to Submitted for Approval - All associated customer return lines remain at a status of New
- Customer return header status changes to Approved - All associated customer return lines automatically update from New to Approved
- Customer return header status changes from Submitted for Approval to New - All associated customer return lines remain at a status of New
The Submitted for Approval status relates to the customer return header and not the associated customer return lines.
Deleting Customer Returns and Customer Return Lines
When a customer return line is deleted the already returned quantity is reduced by the quantity of the deleted line.
Receiving Customer Returns
Once a customer return is approved it can be received at the designated receiving warehouse. The warehouse operative receipts the returned items arriving at the receiving warehouse.
Inspecting Customer Returns
Once a customer return has been received into the designated return warehouse it must be inspected. The inspection process is initiated from the action queues Inspection tab and the received items are listed with an inspection type of Customer Return on the Inspection action queues page. When all the customer return lines have a status of "Inspected", credit invoices are created so the customer can be reimbursed for the returned items.
Pagination
The total number of customer return lines supported is 2000. The customer returns selection page is paginated to ensure the sales order line list is easy to view and navigate when the sales order line count is high.
The pagination links are as follows:
- First
- Previous
- Page number (of total pages)
- Next
- Last
You can find the pagination links at the bottom left of the sales order line selection page. When you navigate between pages, any selections already made are preserved.
You can select the number of lines to display on each page from the drop-down list at the bottom right of the sales order line selection page. You can select 50, 100 or 200 lines per page.
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