Automation Rules Overview

Automation rules enable you to handle various steps of the return and exchange process automatically. These include tasks such as approving return requests, releasing exchanged items, issuing refunds, and marking RMAs as completed. 

What are Automation Rules?

Automation rules are predefined guidelines associated with certain policy rules to automatically execute various steps in the returns process. You can set different automation rules for different scenarios by creating policy rules with different conditions and handling processes. 

The steps can be manual, automated, or a combination, enabling you to tailor the returns process to your store’s needs.

Requirements

To set up automation rules in ReturnGO, you need:

• The relevant automation rule enabled in your ReturnGO account.
• Configured return policies and criteria.
• Clear definitions of the criteria for each automation rule.

How to Configure Automation Rules

To configure automation rules:

1. Go to Settings > Return Policy.
2. Open the Return or Exchange section.
3. Click the pencil icon to edit the relevant policy rule.

4. Open the RMA Handling Process section.

5. Set the step of the process you want to automate to Automatic and set the trigger if necessary.

6. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

Automation Rule Types

There are a few automation rules you can configure.

Auto-Approval

Auto-approval is an automation rule that automatically approves return requests if they meet certain criteria.

This updates the RMA status automatically and triggers generating a return label if relevant, which is sent to the customer. If there is an issue generating a return label, the RMA remains in Pending Request status.

Auto-approval is always applied to Returnscore Instant Credits resolutions like Ship it later, Keep the item, and Donate the item.

Requirements for Auto-Approval

• Available in all subscription plans.
• Cannot be used with policy rules with a no shipment required return method, except for keep the item or donate the item resolutions.

Configuring Auto-Approval:

1. Go to Settings > Return Policy.
2. Click EXPAND ALL to view all existing policy rules.
3. Click the pencil icon on the right of a policy rule to configure it.

4. Open the RMA Handling Process section.

5. Set the Approval Process setting to AUTOMATIC.

6. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

Repeat steps 3 to 6 for each policy rule you want to set to auto-approval.

Auto-Exchange

Auto-exchange is an automation rule that automates the release of exchanged items when certain conditions are met. The exchange order includes all items the customer requested to exchange. If any item requires manual release, then the entire order will be released manually. 

Auto-exchange triggers can be configured based on events such as item validation, RMA approval, shipment in transit, or shipment received. You can choose to trigger the auto-exchange feature immediately or delay it by hours or days.

Requirements for Auto-Exchange

• Available as an add-on.
• Can be configured on variant and product exchange policy rules.
• If the trigger is shipment in transit - requires integration with a shipping service that supports live tracking status updates.

Configuring Auto-Exchange

1. Go to Settings > Return Policy.

2. Click EXPAND ALL to view all existing policy rules.

3. Click the pencil icon to the right of an exchange policy rule to configure it.

4. Open the RMA Handling Process section.

5. Set the Exchange Process setting to AUTOMATIC.

6. Set the event that will trigger the exchange to be released.

7. Set the timing of the trigger.

8. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

Repeat steps 3 to 8 for each exchange policy rule that you want to set to auto-exchange.

Auto-Refund

Auto-refund is an automation rule that issues a refund automatically when certain conditions are met. Refunds can be triggered based on events such as item validation, RMA approval, shipment in-transit, or shipment received. The refund can be triggered immediately or delayed by a specified number of hours or days.

Requirements for Auto-Refund

• Available as an add-on.
• Can be configured for refund to payment method, gift card, and store credit-type policy rules.
• If the trigger is shipment in transit - requires integration with a shipping service that supports live tracking status updates.

Configuring Auto-Refund

1. Go to Settings > Return Policy.
2. Open the Return section to configure an existing refund policy rule.
3. Click the pencil icon to the right of the policy rule to configure it.

4. Open the RMA Handling Process section.

5. Set the Refund Process setting to AUTOMATIC.

6. Set the event that will trigger the refund.

7. Set the timing of the trigger.

8. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

Repeat steps 3 to 8 for each refund policy rule you want to set to auto-refund.

Partial Auto-Refund

When using item validation as the trigger for auto-refund, you can issue partial refunds as each item is validated, instead of waiting for all items in the RMA to be validated. 

For example, if 3 out of 4 expected items have been returned, a refund can be issued for the items that were returned. Similarly, if all the items were returned but 1 of them arrived damaged or worn, a refund can be issued for all other items.

Auto-refund can be triggered multiple times for the same RMA, and only the validated items will be refunded each time.

To enable automated partial refunds:

1. Open the RMA Handling Process section of the policy rule you want to edit.
2. Set the Refund Process setting to AUTOMATIC.
3. Set the trigger to Items have been validated.
4. Set the validation condition:

• Returned
• Returned + restockable

5. Enable the Automated Item-Level Refunds toggle.

To avoid sending multiple notifications to the customer for each item refund, it is recommended to apply a delay. This enables the system to group validated items and process the refund as a single transaction when possible. 

If all items are validated, the system will issue a full refund. If only some items are validated, a partial refund will be issued for those validated items.

Canceling Auto-Refund

If you need to stop the auto-refund process before it’s executed, you can manually mark the RMA as Cancelled, Rejected, or Done. This will prevent the refund from being processed.

Auto-Mark as Done

Auto-mark as done is an automation rule that automates marking a return request as Done when all steps are fulfilled. The automation is triggered based on actions related to the resolutions applied in the RMA.

If an item in the RMA requires manual marking, the entire request will need to be manually marked as done.

Triggers for Auto-Mark as Done

• All resolutions are variant/product exchanges, and the draft order is marked as Released.
• All resolutions are the same refund type, and the refund issued equals or exceeds the balance.

Requirements for Auto-Mark as Done

• Available as an add-on.
• Does not apply to mixed resolution RMAs.

Configuring Auto-Mark as Done

1. Go to Settings > Return Policy.
2. Click EXPAND ALL to view all existing policy rules.
3. Click the pencil icon to the right of a policy rule to configure it.

4. Open the RMA Handling Process section.

5. Set the Mark as Done setting to AUTOMATIC.

6. Click on the save icon to save your changes.

Repeat steps 3 to 6 for each policy rule you want to set to auto-mark as done.

Auto-Mark as Done After Partial Validation

This setting marks RMAs as done once all actions are completed, even if not all items have been positively validated. The automation is triggered once all items in the RMA have a validation status, regardless of whether the result is positive or negative. It’s useful when no further action is expected on the RMA. 

For example, if one item is marked as not returned and another was returned but isn’t restockable, the automation will be triggered once all items in the RMA have been validated. This ensures that the RMA is marked as done, even if some items were negatively validated, as long as no further actions are required.

To enable Auto-Mark as Done After Partial Validation:

1. Open the RMA Handling Process section of the policy rule you want to edit.
2. Set Mark as Done to AUTOMATIC.
3. Enable the Mark as Done After Partial Validation toggle.