RMA Returns
Process customer and supplier returns — authorise, receive, inspect, and resolve with full margin-slippage context.
Overview
RMA Returns is a cross-reference workstation that bridges your Sales Quotations and Purchase Orders. Instead of managing customer returns and vendor returns in separate screens, one workbench lets you authorise, receive, inspect, and resolve any return — with the full context of both the original sale price and the supplier cost price visible side by side.
This dual-context view is the key differentiator: it surfaces the margin slippage of every return so your team can make an informed decision about whether to restock, scrap, or return to the vendor.
One Screen, Two Document Types
RMA Returns reads from both the Sales module (quotation data, customer sold price) and the Purchase module (PO data, vendor cost price). No data entry is duplicated — the workbench assembles the full picture automatically when you load an RMA record.
Four RMA Stages
Every RMA moves through a strict four-stage state machine. Stages cannot be skipped — each transition must happen in order.
| Stage | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Authorized | Amber | The return has been agreed with the customer or vendor, but physical goods have not yet arrived at the warehouse. |
| Received | Sky Blue | Physical goods have been received and logged at the dock. Quantity confirmed against the RMA number. |
| Inspected | Violet | Goods have been assessed by an inspector. The resolution type is now unlocked for selection. |
| Resolved | Emerald | The RMA is fully closed. Inventory has been adjusted according to the chosen resolution (Restock, Scrap, or Return to Vendor). |
Stage Machine is Strict
You cannot advance an RMA from Authorized directly to Inspected, or from any stage backwards. Each transition must happen in sequence to maintain a complete audit trail of the physical return process.
Resolution Types
Once an RMA reaches the Inspected stage, the inspector selects a resolution. The resolution determines what side effects fire when the RMA is finalised.
| Resolution | Side Effect |
|---|---|
| Restock to Inventory | When the "Restock to inventory" toggle is on and the RMA is finalised, live stock for the returned SKU is automatically incremented. The units are added back at the bin location specified during inspection. |
| Scrap / Write-off | No inventory side effects. The units are written off the books. A scrap record is logged for reporting purposes. |
| Return to Vendor (RTV) | Appends a timestamped note to the linked Purchase Order: "[RTV YYYY-MM-DD] RMA rma-xxx: N× SKU flagged for vendor return." No inventory movement — the physical goods are re-packaged for supplier collection. |
The Order Intersection
The RMA workbench right panel shows two context sections that appear side by side when a linked Sales Quotation and/or Purchase Order can be found.
Sales Context (Sky)
Shows the originating Sales Quotation number, customer name, and the sold price at which the item was invoiced. This is the revenue figure at risk.
Supplier Context (Violet)
Shows the linked Purchase Order number, vendor name, and the cost price from the original procurement. Used to assess vendor recovery options.
Margin Slippage Banner
When both Sales and Supplier context data are available, a Margin Slippage Banner is calculated and displayed between the two context panels. The formula is:
(sold_price − cost_price) × quantity = margin impact
- Red banner — negative margin impact. The return will cost more than you recover. Consider RTV or scrap rather than unrestricted restock.
- Green banner — positive margin. You are recovering goods that still have net value. Restock is likely the right call.
Use Margin Slippage to Guide Resolution
A deep red margin on a Restock resolution is a signal to escalate — either negotiate a credit with the vendor via RTV, or write off the units rather than accepting a net loss on restocked goods that may not sell again.
RMA Queue Ledger
The left panel lists all active RMA records. Each row in the ledger shows:
- Stage badge (colour-coded)
- RMA reference number
- SKU and product name
- Return quantity
- Date authorized
Click any row to load the full RMA workbench in the right panel. The ledger is filtered by default to show only open RMAs (Authorized, Received, Inspected). Use the filter tabs to include Resolved records.
Inspection Console
When an RMA is loaded in the workbench right panel and is at the Inspected stage or being advanced to it, the Inspection Console becomes active:
- Inspector name — who performed the inspection (free text)
- Inspection notes — condition assessment, damage description, lot numbers if applicable
- Resolution dropdown — only enabled after the RMA has been advanced to Inspected stage
- Restock to inventory toggle — only visible when Restock to Inventory is selected as resolution
- Finalise button — disabled until a resolution is chosen; clicking closes the RMA and fires the resolution's side effects
AI Assistant
RMA Returns includes a right-edge AI Assistant panel that can analyze your return records and answer natural-language questions about them.
Root-Cause Analysis
Ask which return reasons are most common, and which SKUs or customers return most often.
Aging Review
Flag RMAs sitting too long in a stage — especially "Authorized" awaiting receipt, or "Inspected" awaiting resolution.
Resolution Mix
Get a summary of how returns are being resolved — restocked, scrapped, or sent back to the vendor.
Vendor Quality Signals
Surface SKUs with recurring defective or damaged-in-transit reasons that may indicate a vendor issue.
Selection Sets the Context
If you select one or more RMA records before opening the assistant, only those records are sent as context for your question. With nothing selected, the assistant analyzes every record currently visible in the queue.
Quick Start
- Navigate to Warehouse → RMA Returns in the sidebar.
- Click a record in the RMA Queue Ledger on the left to load it into the workbench.
- Use the stage advance buttons to move the RMA through Authorized → Received → Inspected.
- In the Inspection Console, enter inspector details and notes, then select a resolution from the dropdown.
- For Restock: enable the "Restock to inventory" toggle, then click Finalise — units are added back to live stock automatically.