Despite supply chain disarray, holiday sales are expected to be strong this year: the National Retail Federation predicts December will be up 10.5% over 2020 and eMarketer expects an increase in ecommerce sales (up from 17.5% in 2020 to 18.9% this year).
Along with a strong shopping season comes many product returns, including items that need to be repaired because of damage in transit or manufacturing defects. And this year, a shortage of workers and an unpredictable supply chain make product repairs even more burdensome and costly for retailers.
Smoothly managing product repairs is especially important for companies that offer high-value items. Although many rely on home-grown or older systems for repairs management, these solutions offer limited visibility, no real-time parts management, and little automation or task standardization.
With a robust returns management system (RMS), you can improve the complete lifecycle management of product repairs. Let’s take a look at how to better prepare for the holiday rush of returns.
Workflows and Rules
Give your team and third-party partners the tools to guide them through each step of the repairs process.
- Configure workflows by item type or brand: Ensure sensitive customer information is deleted from electronics or that a designer accessory is cleaned prior to returning it to the customer.
- Set rules to reflect sustainability goals, such as recycling parameters or re-packaging requirements.
- Ensure product evaluation and repair tasks are standardized and consistent throughout your locations or partner network.
Before ReverseLogix, a manufacturer of high-end suitcases and bags couldn’t finish processing holiday returns and repairs until April. With ReverseLogix automation and efficiency, the entire season is now completed in two weeks.
Automation
Improve workforce productivity around repairs, even when headcount is tight and the holiday season is looming close.
- Parts management tools guide each employee on which parts to pull from inventory and how to efficiently repair an item.
- Customized billing codes minimize guesswork and manual tasks by quickly informing employees about the repair issue they’re dealing with, the parts needed, and which workflows to execute.
- Real-time, detailed reports help you catch bottlenecks and issues before they become major problems.
A Better Customer Experience
Repairs can be a stressful situation for customers that just want a working product back as fast as possible. Control the customer experience, communication, repair process to protect their loyalty.
- Create a menu of unique in-warranty repair offerings to keep customers happy even when a product doesn’t meet expectations.
- Automate communications regarding repair status and shipping.
- For products that aren’t covered by a warranty, create immediate quotes and invoices before performing a repair to better inform customers.
Learn about the ReverseLogix Repairs Management Module
The ReverseLogix Repairs Management Module is part of the only technology platform on the market that manages the full lifecycle of a repair: Determining repairability on the front end and supporting simple or complex repairs.
Implement the module in just a few weeks and integrate it with other supply chain software for complete visibility into repairs. Equip yourself with the right tools to face the holidays with efficiency and consistency!
Learn more about the Repairs Management Module
