Dealer returns with credit notes
A dealer sends back damaged, expired or wrong goods against the order they came on, with photos, from its portal. Once approved, a return delivery and a credit note at the order's prices and taxes are made.
PLANSFrom GrowthWith SmartMy Desk
The problem it solves
- Returns arrive at the depot with a note in the box and nobody knows which bill they belong to.
- Dealers send back more than they were ever delivered, or the same goods twice.
- The credit note is typed by hand at a different price than the bill, and the dealer's statement never matches.
- A dealer waits weeks to hear whether its return was accepted.
How it works
- On the portal the dealer opens Returns > New Return and chooses the order the goods came on. Only orders with something left to return are listed.
- It enters the quantity going back per item, up to what was delivered less earlier returns. It picks why, adds details such as the batch, and up to 6 photos.
- Send for Approval. The return waits in Orders > Dealer Returns for a distribution manager, or for the levels of your Dealer Return approval chain.
- Approve and Credit makes the return delivery for your warehouse to receive. It posts a credit note at the order's prices, discounts and taxes.
- Reject asks for the reason. Either way the dealer is told, and the portal shows the decision, the collection and the credit note PDF.
Everything it does
Raising a return
- From the portal (Returns > New Return) or in the back office (Orders > Dealer Returns)
- One return per order; the dealer picks from its last 100 confirmed orders that still have goods to return
- Why: Damaged (to start with), Expired, Wrong Item, Other; Details up to 2,000 characters
- Photos: up to 6, images only, up to 8 MB each, kept on the return
- Free goods from a scheme can be returned too; they are marked Free and credit nothing
- Numbered DRT/2026/00001 and so on
Checks
- A line cannot return more than was delivered, less what other returns (not rejected) already take
- The order must be the dealer's own
- The checks run again when the return is approved
When approved
- Return delivery: made from the order's done deliveries, newest first, marked to refund, so the order's delivered quantities follow once the goods are received
- Credit note: the order's prices, discounts and taxes, linked to the order lines, posted at once
- The return's value is shown before tax; the credit note carries the tax
What the dealer sees
- Returns list with status (To Approve, Approved, Rejected), date, order, why and value
- Each return: items, quantities, value, photos, order, why, details, Collection (delivery number and state), Why Rejected
- Credit note with View and PDF once approved
Effects elsewhere
- Dealer points: the goods credit note takes the points of those goods back
- Slab schemes over the period: returns approved in the period are taken off the dealer's quantity before the slab is chosen
Who uses it
DealerRaises returns with photos and follows them to the credit note.
Distribution managerApproves and credits, or rejects with a reason.
SalesmanCan raise a return in the back office for a dealer.
WarehouseReceives the return delivery as any incoming goods.
Where you use it
- Dealer portal: Returns, New Return and each return's page
- Web: Distribution > Orders > Dealer Returns (Not Decided to start with)
- Approvals: the request in the approval engine, with the levels on the return's Approval Levels tab
- Not in the salesman app: returns are raised on the portal or the web
What you control
Settings
- The Dealer Return approval chain: distribution managers with no set-up; add levels or conditions on the value
- The Dealer Return Decided event's channels and templates in the notification settings
Approvals
- Dealer return: distribution managers approve with no set-up; add levels, conditions on the return's value, or set it to Approved at Once
Notifications
- Dealer Return Decided: to the dealer, when approved (collection and amount credited) or rejected (with the reason). Channels: in-app, email, push, SMS (from Growth), WhatsApp (Scale). Sent at once
- Approvers get a to-do for each return waiting
Questions
Can a dealer return goods that were never delivered?
No. Each line can return at most what was delivered on that order, less what earlier returns already take. Rejected returns free the quantity again.At what price is the dealer credited?
At the order's own price, discount and taxes. The credit note is linked to the order lines, so the bill and the credit note agree.Who decides a return?
A distribution manager, with no set-up. You can add levels to the Dealer Return chain, for example an area manager first and finance above a value.Does the warehouse have to type the return?
No. Approval makes the return delivery from the order's own deliveries. The warehouse receives it when the goods arrive.Can a dealer return part of a line?
Yes. It enters any quantity up to what is left to return, and can raise another return later for the rest.Related features
DEALERSDealer portal: catalogue, ordering and deliveryEach dealer gets its own web pages. They show a catalogue at its own prices and the credit it has left. They also show every order with its status, deliveries, proof and invoices. It opens on any phone or computer, in the dealer's language.DEALERSDealer orders with credit and overdue checksEvery dealer order is checked when it is confirmed: the dealer's status, its credit limit with open orders, and bills overdue past its credit days. An order that fails waits for an area or distribution manager and is confirmed by itself once approved.DEALERSDealer statement and online paymentDealers see their account on the portal for any period, with every bill, credit note and payment and a running balance. Each bill opens its own page to pay online, and invoices, credit notes and the statement download as PDF.ACROSS SMARTMY DISTRIBUTIONApproval chainsNew dealers, orders over credit, claims, returns, new retailers, points and gifts go to the right people in the right order, set up without code. Every decision is kept with who, when and why.ACROSS SMARTMY DISTRIBUTIONNotificationsSmartMy Distribution tells dealers when an order is confirmed, held or dispatched and when a claim or return is decided. It reminds them to report stock, and tells managers about approvals, alerts and their team's day, by WhatsApp, SMS, email, phone notification and in-app.MARKET INTELLIGENCESlab schemes over a month or quarterA quantity slab scheme can be reached on everything a dealer buys over the scheme's period (QPS) instead of order by order. When the period ends, the slab each dealer reached, less goods it sent back, is claimed and credited through your approval chain.
See your market on it.
Tell us how many dealers and salesmen you have, and how orders and claims reach you today. We will set up your dealers, price lists and beats with you.