Starting point
Every return clicked through by hand, one case at a time
Returns were handled by hand. Customers reported them in a shop or through customer service, and staff clicked through each case separately. The brand runs several independent stores, so one customer's orders could sit in several places at once. There was no single view showing all of a customer's orders and what they could still return. Staff had to work that out themselves before they could even accept a return. As a result, handling a single case took 3 to 4 days.
What we did
One panel over all of the brand's stores
We built a returns panel on Symfony and Angular. It connects the stores, the ERP and the couriers, so it gathers the data needed to decide on a return by itself.
- 1
Orders from every store by email or phone
An email address or phone number is enough for the panel to pull the customer's orders from every Magento 2 store at once. Nobody has to check each store separately or put orders together by hand. The customer and the service team see everything the customer bought across the brand's stores in one place.
- 2
A connection to Comarch XL
The panel is connected to Comarch XL, the brand's ERP, where the company keeps its data. When it assesses a return, it works from the same information as the rest of the business, alongside the orders pulled from the stores. Staff do not have to switch between the ERP and the panel to gather the facts of a case.
- 3
Real parcel status from the couriers
The panel is integrated with the InPost and DPD couriers. It knows the actual status of each parcel, so nobody has to look it up on a carrier's website or ask the customer. That information goes straight into the check on whether the return can be accepted.
- 4
An automatic check on whether a return is allowed
With the orders, the ERP data and the parcel status in hand, the panel checks on its own whether a product can still be returned. Customers see straight away what they can send back across all of the brand's stores. Staff no longer have to work this out by hand for every case.
Outcome
A return in hours instead of days
A return that used to take 3 to 4 days is now handled in 2 to 3 hours, roughly 30 times faster. Customers see what they can send back, whichever of the brand's stores they bought from. The panel gathers orders from every Magento 2 store, knows the parcel status from InPost and DPD and decides whether a return is allowed, so staff no longer click through each case on their own.
- Orders from every store in one view
- Parcel status pulled from InPost and DPD
- Automatic check of return eligibility
