AI Returns Intake: Prepare the Case Without Promising a Refund

Define the Intake Boundary

AI returns intake prepares a case for review: who is asking, which purchase is involved, what happened, and what information is missing. Refund approval, legal obligations, and exceptions belong to authorized staff using current policy and applicable advice.

Provide the assistant with the approved policy version and a limited view of the relevant order. Require it to distinguish customer statements from verified purchase facts. "Customer reports damaged packaging" is different from "item was damaged in transit."

If the complaint mentions a possible safety issue, route it through the business's established escalation process. Do not require the customer to complete a routine return questionnaire before a person sees the concern.

Case Preparation Table

The reviewer should see the original message next to the summary. This makes it possible to catch a softened complaint, omitted urgency, or an allegation that the draft incorrectly presents as fact.

Three Examples of Different Review Needs

A Clothing Shop Receives a Size Complaint

An illustrative request says the item does not fit but provides no order number. The assistant can prepare a short request for the purchase reference and preferred resolution. It should not state that the item is eligible before staff verify the order and relevant conditions.

An Equipment Seller Receives a Fault Report

The customer describes a device behaving unexpectedly. Intake can record the model, reported symptoms, and existing correspondence. It should not generate repair instructions or ask the customer to keep using a potentially unsafe product. A trained employee handles the safety and service response.

A Custom Furniture Business Receives a Specification Dispute

The customer says the dimensions differ from what was ordered. Assemble the approved specification, relevant messages, and submitted measurements for review. The assistant should expose differences without deciding who is responsible or asserting that a custom-order policy removes the customer's rights.

Keep Empathy Separate From Entitlement

An acknowledgment can recognize inconvenience without deciding liability. Ask for the smallest amount of information that allows the team to proceed. A long automated questionnaire can make a simple problem feel harder, especially when the customer has already supplied the requested facts.

Use a visible handoff state when a person takes over. Stop automated information requests during that review unless the owner requests them. This prevents the customer from receiving a human response and an unrelated automated reminder at the same time.

Restrict access to customer photos and attachments. Avoid copying identification documents or payment details into general-purpose summaries. Follow the business's approved retention practices rather than keeping evidence indefinitely by default.

Common Pitfalls and Pilot Measures

Avoid evaluating cases using sentiment alone. An angry message may be incomplete, while a calm message may describe a serious problem. Also avoid presenting policy excerpts as legal advice or letting a polished draft imply that a decision has already been made.

Test the workflow on duplicate requests, missing order references, and cases that required exceptions. Measure repeated questions, incorrect purchase matches, missed escalations, and reviewer edits. Response speed matters only if the customer reaches the right decision process.

Your Next Step

Have your support lead label a small set of past returns by the next action actually needed. Use those examples to design the intake fields and routing rules. Keep refund and replacement actions outside the initial pilot.

FAQ

Should the assistant calculate the refund amount?

Use the approved order and refund process for amounts. The assistant may organize the case, but staff should verify any amount before communicating or processing it.

Can it reject requests that appear outside policy?

Route them to review during the pilot. Exceptions and applicable consumer obligations can require context beyond the intake message.

What if the customer has already sent photos?

Reference the existing evidence instead of asking again. Request additional material only when the reviewer needs it and the collection is appropriate.

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