Annotated flow diagram

E-commerce return handling

Flow for return request submission, support approval, warehouse inspection, and finance refund issuance. The diagram includes happy path, decision points, and failure paths. It remains readable without JavaScript because all step details are duplicated below the graphic.

Primary path: 4 steps Failure branches: 3 SLA owner: Support ops Refund target: 3 business days
Approval SLA4 hrs
Inspection SLA1 day
Refund SLA3 days
Manual review rate12%

Flow map

Primary and failure paths

Returns workflow diagram Customer submits return request, support approves or rejects, warehouse inspects item, and finance issues refund or routes to manual review. 1. Customer submits return Order page, reason, photos 2. Support approval Policy check and label issuance 3. Warehouse inspects item Condition and completeness 4. Finance refunds Full or partial refund Eligible? Within policy window Yes Reject and notify customer Out of policy or excluded item No Condition matches? Inspect item, accessories, serial Yes Manual exception review Damage, missing accessories, fraud concern No

Legend

How to read the diagram

Main process Decision point Failure or manual branch

Step details

Detailed notes by stage

These notes work as the no-JavaScript fallback and also serve as annotations for implementation and operations teams.

1. Customer submits return request

Inputs: order id, SKU, return reason, photos when applicable, pickup or drop-off preference. Failure path: missing evidence routes to follow-up request before approval.

2. Support approves

Support checks policy window, category exclusions, prior refund abuse markers, and warranty status. Output: prepaid label or rejection note.

3. Warehouse inspects item

Warehouse compares condition with the approved reason code, verifies serial number where required, and flags accessory mismatches. Failure path routes to manual exception review.

4. Finance issues refund

Finance issues full or partial refund, updates order ledger, and triggers customer confirmation. For gift-card orders, refund destination can differ from original payment method.

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