Returns
Handling the return of your rental items back to your store
Last updated
Handling the return of your rental items back to your store
Last updated
Product Rentals Pro has a dedicated screen for assisting with return of rented items.
The Returns screen can be accessed via the main menu, and shows you all rentals that recently ended in the last X days (you can adjust X). An example of the screen is below.
By showing rentals that ended recently, you are in effect seeing the rentals where the return of one or more of your items is expected.
You will develop your own preferred process, but a very basic example process might be:
Go to the Returns screen and apply a filter of Rental Status = Dispatched
Go down the list of rentals and check if the items in each have been returned by the customer. If they have, update the status to Returned using the "Update v" link next to the existing status badge.
If the items for a rental haven't been returned on time, and the Delivery Method for the rental is Post, click on the Return Tracking number to be taken to the tracking on the postage provider's website. If there is no evidence the return has been lodged, send the customer another reminder using the "Send a Reminder" link on the screen.
If the Delivery Method for the rental is Customer Pickup/Drop-off, send the customer a reminder using the "Send a Reminder" link on screen, or give them a call to find out why it hasn't been returned yet.
Ensure any late returns don't impact other rentals by looking at the list of rentals for those Products. See Find All Rentals for a Product or Rental Calendar for a Product.
You can filter by Rental Status = Dispatched to only show rentals where an item left your store (according to what you've recorded in the system).
The filters at the top of the screen allow you to narrow the list of rentals by Rental Status or Delivery Method (e.g. post, pick-up or local delivery).
The Rental Status filter allows you to only show rentals that have been Dispatched, but haven't yet been marked as Returned.
The rental list screens in Product Rentals Pro (Rentals, Fulfillments and Returns) all allow you to view rentals in two ways: 1) in a table, and 2) as cards.
If a Return Tracking Number has been entered for the rental, it will appear in this section. If a Return Tracking Link has been entered, then the Tracking Number will be a link that opens the tracking link in a new window, allowing you to quickly check on it's status with the relevant postage provider.
Below the Return Tracking Details will be a link to send a return reminder to the customer. This will use the notification template you have saved under the Notification Settings screen, for the Rental End (Return Reminder) notification trigger, with the Delivery Method of the rental, and the notification type of Email.
Very soon, you'll be able to select either Email or SMS (where supported) as the notification type, and also make adjustments to the notification template before you send it. For example, you may want to add a slightly more stern comment to the notification if the customer's return is very late.
Select the number of days to look back from today, for rentals that have ended.
You can choose and toggle between these at your leisure using the link at the top right of screen, depending on whether you want to see more or less information about each rental in the list. Product Rentals Pro will remember your last selection for each of the rental list screens and default to that view when you return to that list.
When using Card View, each rental has an Update link beside the current rental status badge. This allows you to quickly update the status of the rental without needing to go the the rental detail page/form. For example, you can very quickly update the status from Dispatched to Returned as soon as you've confirmed the items from a rental have come back.
When using Card View, each rental has a section on the right side of the card that relates to return of the rental.
