Analyse & Strategy
Circular StrategyCircular Foundation
Circular Supply ChainExtend life cycles
Circular ProductsReturns management is a process that starts with customers wishing to return a product, and ends with collecting, qualifying and restocking that product. The process includes customer support, logistics, and inventory management.
We develop a customized return management strategy aligned with your goals and challenges, planning, implementing, and managing reverse logistics tailored to your needs. We handle the entire process, from collecting parts at dealerships and repair workshops, sorting and assessing them at logistic centers, to restocking suitable parts in your central warehouse. Unsuitable parts are recycled by certified recyclers, ensuring timely and accurate credit notes.
Increase customer satisfaction in aftersales
Implement efficient processes for return management
Optimize return processes to enhance efficiency
Drive growth in aftersales through reverse logistics
Markus Lehner
Head of Project Management
Would you like to optimize your return management? We will assess your current return management and provide optimization recommendations or even do it for you.
Contact me for an initial, non-binding conversation and let us explore how we can best support you in optimizing your return management.
Efficient return management enables automotive manufacturers to keep costs low or even reduce them. To enable efficient and optimized return processes, you need a partner with experience in automotive aftersales return management. Fully digitalized return processes are very important, because only then will you have the relevant data and the corresponding transparency to be able to optimize the existing process landscape in a targeted and cost-efficient manner.
The automotive industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its ecological footprint. Returns management enables the automotive industry to close product loops in aftersales. An efficient, digitally optimized returns management system aims to close loops as efficiently as possible, i.e. with as few transport kilometers as possible, which has a positive impact on the environment and costs.
Effective return management helps to streamline the supply chain. For many OEMs, the core competence and focus is not on returns management, which means that there is often a lot of untapped potential in this area of the reverse supply chain. A partner specializing in this area, such as Encory, can help you streamline your return management.
The crucial part of returns management is the quality control of the parts; this process step is also known as sorting. The returns must be checked to determine whether they can be forwarded to an OEM’s warehouse in forward logistics or distribution logistics. The sorting of the returns requires various system checks as well as visual inspections of the packaging and the part. This process step in returns management is the most complex and time-consuming in the whole returns process, so it should be the focus if the quality of returns or efficiency in returns management is to be increased.
Automotive companies must adhere to regulations related to environmental responsibility and waste disposal. Proper return management helps in complying with these regulations, reducing the risk of legal and environmental issues.
The customers of car manufacturers in the area of returns management are the affiliated dealers. They attach particular importance to the fact that a returns order can be created in an easy-to-use system without much effort, that the credit note is quickly transferred to their account and that they have full transparency during the returns process as to where their parts are currently located in the reverse supply chain. An efficient return management system, such as Encory’s, provides full transparency and short lead times. In addition, Encory offers a dealer front-end in which dealers can easily and efficiently set up return orders and which provides individual monitoring for the dealers.
No matter if you just want to optimize your existing reverse supply chain for new parts (returns management and claims management) or if you are seeking a partner to run your reverse supply chain for new parts end-to-end, we can help you with both.
Our experienced experts assist you in all measures to optimize your reverse supply chain. We aim for a close and collaborative partnership with the people who know your current reverse logistics processes and IT-systems best: your employees. Together, we upgrade your reverse supply chain to meet the challenges of the future—sustainably and on an equal footing.
We analyze, run and optimize all the processes of your entire reverse supply chain to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted customer experience. The aim is to establish returns management and claims management that seamlessly integrate into your aftersales operations, allowing your team to focus on forward logistics and distribution logistics.
We first assess your processes and IT-systems and compare them to our best practices. Based on this evaluation, we develop recommendations for improvements. We can also examine your planned or ongoing projects under the same criteria, providing support in the definition of project scope and goal setting.
We can also set up reverse logistics for new parts (returns management and claims management) for you from scratch. We create a tailor-made solution for you using our best-practice processes and IT-systems. This allows you to benefit from our many years of holistic experience in the field of reverse logistics.
We also accompany system transitions in your organization or handle them entirely on your behalf. Additionally, we conduct audits of your internal processes or collaborations with external service providers based on economic, legal, and quality criteria, as well as in terms of fulfilling the management mandate.
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