Three Key Ways Businesses Can Simplify the Returns Process

Returns are one of those parts of running a business that nobody really gets excited about. You’d much rather be sending products out to happy customers than dealing with parcels coming back.

But returns happen. Customers change their minds. They order the wrong item. They receive something that’s not quite right. Or they simply decide that a product isn’t for them. The important thing is making sure returning something isn’t harder than it needs to be.

A complicated returns process is not ideal. It’ll quickly lead to unhappy customers and extra work for your team. Thankfully, there are a few simple – and cost effective – ways to make things easier for everyone.

Keep reading on to learn more.

Implement Self-Service Portals

If a customer wants to return something, they shouldn’t have to send three emails just to find out what they need to do.

A self-service returns portal gives them a much easier option. They enter their order details, select the item they’re sending back, choose a reason for the return, and get the information they need to complete it.

It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference.

Customers get more control over the process. At the same time, your customer service team doesn’t have to spend their day answering the same basic return questions over and over.

Of course, there will always be customers who need a little extra help. That’s fine. The idea isn’t to remove customer service altogether. It’s just about giving people the option to sort out straightforward returns themselves.

Offer Flexible Drop-Off Methods

Getting a return back to a business can sometimes be the most frustrating part of the whole process.

If customers have to travel a long way or can only use one particular drop-off location, returning an item becomes a chore. Giving them a few convenient options makes a major difference.

Depending on the business and where its customers are located, this could include local drop-off -off points, parcel shops, or collection services. The more convenient the option, the less likely customers are to feel like they’re being asked to jump through hoops.

This is also where having the right fulfillment partner behind the scenes can help. Kase, for example, provides fulfillment services that support businesses with the logistics involved in getting products out to customers. They also handle what happens when those products need to come back.

For a business, that’s vital because returns don’t simply stop once a customer drops off a parcel. The item still needs to make its way back, be received at the right location, and go through the next steps. Having a clear process for handling those returns saves a lot of time.

It’ll also prevent returned products from becoming a pile of parcels that no one really knows what to do with.

Automate Backend Processing

Once a returned product reaches the warehouse, the work isn’t over.

Someone might need to check its condition. They’ll decide whether it can be sold again, put it back into inventory, or sent it elsewhere. The customer’s refund will also need to be processed.

If every part of that process is done manually, it takes a lot of time.

Automation takes some of the repetitive work away. Return details could be recorded automatically. Inventory levels could be updated. Certain actions could even be triggered as soon as the return is received.

That doesn’t mean every return should be handled by a machine. Some products will need someone to inspect them properly – particularly if they’re damaged or have been used. But there’s no reason for your team to manually handle every small admin task if software can do it for them.

To conclude, customers don’t expect every return to be exciting. They just want it to be straightforward. And this is what your business needs to guarantee.

If you follow the advice outlined above, things are more likely to go right. When they go right, returns become much less of a headache for everyone involved.