A return ends when the records reconcile
A parcel reached the warehouse, but the item remains blocked, inspection is incomplete and finance is waiting for a decision. Marking collection complete does not close the return. The pilot should track each case from request through physical disposition and reconciliation of related records.
Choose one site, one product family and a frequent return reason. Record who authorizes the return, receives it, decides disposition and validates its financial effect. The agent gathers context and routes pending work; each owner retains the decision assigned to their role.
Define states and evidence for each transition
Use explicit states: requested, authorized, collection scheduled, received, under inspection, disposition approved and reconciled. Cancellation, partial receipt and discrepancies need their own paths. Define required evidence and the system confirming each transition.
Received means confirmed physical custody; it does not mean available for sale. A photo can support inspection but cannot alone establish quantity, identity or quality. If an event arrives out of order, preserve its original timestamp and route the inconsistency rather than automatically moving the case backwards.
Link the product to the correct order and location
The data contract includes return ID, original order, item, unit, authorized and received quantities, lot or serial where applicable, location, condition and owner. Separate the reported reason from inspection findings. Also record event time and integration time.
GS1 describes EPCIS as an event standard recording what happened, when, where and in which business context. Use that structure as a traceability design reference. This does not imply EPCIS certification for a Zild deployment or that the ERP already publishes such events; confirm available formats during integration.
Test a partial return before the ideal case
Synthetic example: an authorization covers ten units. The warehouse receives eight; inspection releases five into available stock and keeps three in quarantine. The case balance is two units not yet received, five released and three awaiting disposition. Do not record ten available units merely because the authorization specified ten.
A second photo of the same receipt must not create another stock entry. Use a stable operation key tied to the case, item and receipt event. After a timeout, query the destination system before retrying. Financial credit follows the quantity and decision approved under applicable commercial and fiscal policy; it is not an automatic consequence of parcel arrival.
Compare disposition options using costs and constraints
For each item, gather permitted alternatives: return to stock, repair, return to supplier or another approved disposition. Compare recoverable value, transport, inspection, repair, storage and lead time. Specialists must validate technical and environmental constraints; an estimated margin does not authorize a prohibited disposition.
The 2023 literature review on used-product acquisition, sorting and disposition treats these decisions as related parts of circular supply chains. We use that framing to structure the process. The reference does not evaluate Zild, demonstrate AI gains or replace an operational economic assessment.
Close the loop between logistics and finance
Build a reconciliation queue with three pieces of evidence: confirmed physical quantity, approved disposition and the corresponding financial record where applicable. A discrepancy must show its source, disputed value or quantity and owner. Separate operational from financial closure so pending work remains visible.
The agent can prepare the document package, query the ERP and follow configured approval. Issuing or cancelling fiscal documents, write-offs, credits and payments remain subject to source-system rules and permissions. Confirm these operations in the integration scope rather than assuming every connector supports every write.
Measure correct completion, not just speed
Reserve previously resolved cases for evaluation: wrong item, missing lot, damage, duplicate collection, partial receipt, unreadable document and ERP outage. Compare recommendations against owner-validated decisions. Keep instruction-tuning cases separate from evaluation cases.
Track median and 90th-percentile time to reconciliation, returns without disposition, duplicates, release errors and cost per correctly closed case. Costs include APIs, human review, integrations and operations. Record return volume and mix; fewer difficult cases must not be mistaken for agent improvement.
Prepare a pilot with Zild
Start with queries and an exception queue: Admin organizes agents, access and connectors; Chat supports context queries; Flow can coordinate tasks and owners. The exact combination depends on events and operations available in the ERP, WMS and carrier systems.
Bring the current process map, anonymized cases, disposition rules and system list to the assessment. Define required approvals before ERP writes and failures that stop automation. The first milestone is a traceable, reconciled return; then expand by site, reason and partner.
Technical and research references
Connect one operational exception
Gather this information to scope the work with Zild. During the conversation, we assess integrations, owners and how to measure outcomes.
- A shipment or delivery with a resolved exception
- Events and systems showing progress
- The owner and deadline for the next action
Describe the process in the form; samples and documents can be prepared later without confidential data.
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