Door-Step-Swap: Consumer friendly exchange service
Returns | Consumers | RMA | Exchange
Consumer Returns Management via exchange services
The Door-Step-Swap (DSS) web-portal is a reverse logistics system enables customers to exchange a unit to be returned for a replacement right at the doorstep of their home. The system manages the different supply chain parties involved in this process of swapping items at end-customer homes.
With the DSS solution we can manage a closed customer-returns loop that starts with a customer request to a contact center followed by the setting of an appointment for the actual pickup and swap at the consumer’s home or company address.
DSS can ideally be used in situations whereby several different supply chain entities are involved and therefore there is a need to communicate, but whereby full system integration between these parties is not (yet) possible or not favorable.
The DSS solution is a good choice for logistics setups that involve up to several hundreds of shipments per month and a high diversity of supply chain partners (OEM, support center, repair center, transportation provider, stock entity, end-customers). In these setups it is essential that each party is pro-actively triggered to take the appropriate action when required and informed of the respective status of the open orders.
DSS will bring efficiency to your solution as the portal enforces a standardized, system-guided process, reducing dependency on the various resources and parties within the chain. The cost of implementation and deployment is limited as no system integration is required. All order details and statuses are available in one single environment thus increasing the effectiveness of the reverse logistics chain.
The Steps
DSS manages the subsequent process amongst the different parties in the reverse supply chain:
- The customer support center receives a complaint from an end-customer and decides to trigger a swap request order in DSS.
- The stock-keeping entity is alerted by DSS to ensure such swap is available and prepared for shipment.
- The transportation provider is alerted by DSS to make an appointment with the end-customer and the details of the appointment are updated in DSS.
- The transportation provider picks up the swap unit at the stock location, delivers it to the customer, and returns the defective to the repair entity / warehouse.
- The repair entity confirms the receipt in DSS.
DSS is used to pro-actively trigger these steps to the relevant parties (“action required”) and to allow the entities to update the relevant data and statuses in DSS so all parties can view the latest status online.
The statuses are monitored and daily exception triggers are issued to the various stakeholders, ensuring that all agreed Service Level Agreements are being met by the various supply chain partners and that full transparency is available towards the OEM.