Starting point
Complaints & returns
Automate Complaint and Returns Handling
Every complaint from the mailbox and the web form is linked to its order and checked against photos and the reported defect. Only cases outside the agreed deadlines or approval limits reach quality assurance or sales management; everything else gets its decision the same day.
Process architecture
From complaint to a closed decision.
The chain connects the intake channel with the ERP, quality assurance, and the company's document archive. Decisions follow the rules that are already agreed; anything beyond them is prepared for the responsible role and returns to the same flow once approved.
01Input
Complaint & context
The report is picked up from the mailbox or the form and enriched with the order, the customer, and the applicable deadlines.
2 Steps
02Process
Review & approval
Photos and the defect are evaluated, the claim and the approval limit are checked, and deviations are prepared for the responsible roles.
6 Steps
03Output
Decision & record
The customer and the warehouse receive the decision, the cause feeds the quality evaluation, and the case stays fully documented.
4 Steps
Source01Pick up the complaint
Reports from the shared mailbox and the complaint form are taken over with photos and the order reference as soon as they arrive.Details
Pick up the complaint
Reports from the shared mailbox and the complaint form are taken over with photos and the order reference as soon as they arrive.
Interfaces
- Microsoft Graph API
- SharePoint API
Next steps
- Load order and history
Data02Load order and history
Order, invoice, warranty deadline, and earlier complaints of the customer are attached to the case from the ERP.Details
Load order and history
Order, invoice, warranty deadline, and earlier complaints of the customer are attached to the case from the ERP.
Interfaces
- Azure AI Document Intelligence
- Mistral OCR
- Dataverse API
Next steps
- Evaluate the defect
Action03Evaluate the defect
Photos and description are read and matched to a defect category from the maintained catalog.Details
Evaluate the defect
Photos and description are read and matched to a defect category from the maintained catalog.
Interfaces
- Power Automate
- Azure Functions
- Microsoft Graph API
Next steps
- Check the claim
Decision04Check the claim
The system checks whether the order is known, the complaint deadline is met, and the defect category is clearly identified.Details
Check the claim
The system checks whether the order is known, the complaint deadline is met, and the defect category is clearly identified.
Interfaces
- Azure OpenAI GPT
- Anthropic Claude
- AI Builder
Next steps
- Check the approval limitClaim is clear
- Review the defect manuallyReview needed
Approval05Review the defect manually
If the deadline has passed or the defect is unclear, quality assurance decides based on photos, the order, and technical judgment.Details
Review the defect manually
If the deadline has passed or the defect is unclear, quality assurance decides based on photos, the order, and technical judgment.
Interfaces
- Teams Adaptive Cards
- Power Apps
Next steps
- Check the approval limitAfter review
Decision06Check the approval limit
The calculated refund value is checked against the approval limit the company has set.Details
Check the approval limit
The calculated refund value is checked against the approval limit the company has set.
Interfaces
- Azure OpenAI GPT
- Anthropic Claude
- AI Builder
Next steps
- Post the case in the ERPWithin the limit
- Approve the decisionApproval needed
Approval07Approve the decision
If the value exceeds the limit, sales management decides based on the calculation, the defect, and the customer history.Details
Approve the decision
If the value exceeds the limit, sales management decides based on the calculation, the defect, and the customer history.
Interfaces
- Teams Adaptive Cards
- Power Apps
Next steps
- Post the case in the ERPAfter approval
System08Post the case in the ERP
Credit, replacement, or rejection is created in the ERP and linked to the original invoice.Details
Post the case in the ERP
Credit, replacement, or rejection is created in the ERP and linked to the original invoice.
Interfaces
- Dynamics 365 API
- Azure Service Bus
Next steps
- Inform the customer
- Arrange the replacement
Result09Inform the customer
The customer receives the decision with its reason and, for a replacement, the planned delivery date.Details
Inform the customer
The customer receives the decision with its reason and, for a replacement, the planned delivery date.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- Record the cause
Result10Arrange the replacement
The warehouse and shipping receive the order for a spare part or the pickup of the defective goods, linked to the case.Details
Arrange the replacement
The warehouse and shipping receive the order for a spare part or the pickup of the defective goods, linked to the case.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- Record the cause
Result11Record the cause
Defect category and cause feed the company's quality evaluation, separate from the individual customer case.Details
Record the cause
Defect category and cause feed the company's quality evaluation, separate from the individual customer case.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- Archive the case
Result12Archive the case
Report, photos, review, and decision are stored in the document management system and stay linked to the case.Details
Archive the case
Report, photos, review, and decision are stored in the document management system and stay linked to the case.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
System landscape
Interfaces and apps working together.
- Microsoft
Microsoft Graph API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
SharePoint API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure AI Document Intelligence
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Mistral OCR
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dataverse API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Automate
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Functions
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure OpenAI GPT
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Anthropic Claude
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
AI Builder
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Adaptive Cards
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Apps
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dynamics 365 API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Service Bus
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power BI API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Webhook
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Interfaces in use
REST API
Reads order, customer, and invoice data from the ERP and writes the decision back to it.
- Interfaces in use
Webhook
Reports new complaints from the form and the shared mailbox as soon as they arrive.
- Interfaces in use
Ollama
Evaluates photos and description on the company's own servers and suggests the defect category.
- Interfaces in use
DocuWare REST API
Stores the report, photos, and decision in the document archive and keeps the index current.
- Interfaces in use
PostgreSQL
Writes defect category and cause to the quality evaluation, separate from the individual case.
- Possible apps & platforms
Complaint Form
Capture of the report by the customer with photos and the order reference.
- Possible apps & platforms
Shared Mailbox
Second intake channel for complaints by email.
- Possible apps & platforms
ERP Interface
View of the case for quality assurance and sales.
- Possible apps & platforms
DocuWare
Storage and retrieval of archived cases.
- Possible apps & platforms
Quality Dashboard
Overview of defect categories and causes for management.
Implementation in context
Traceable from the report to the decision.
The process replaces no system, it connects the existing ones: the ERP stays the owner of the order and invoice, document management stays the archive for records, and quality evaluation stays where manufacturing runs it today. What is new is the path that connects report, review, and posting without a break in media.
Decisions are rule-based where the deadline, the order, and the defect category are unambiguous, and human where they are not. The company sets the approval limit itself and can change it at any time without touching the chain; both paths stay traceable on the case.
Photos and the defect description stay inside the company's environment because the evaluating model runs on the company's own servers. Only the checked decision reaches the ERP, not the unstructured original text.
If the ERP is unavailable during a maintenance window, the complaint stays in the queue and is picked up later instead of being lost. Every case carries a unique identifier so a repeated report never triggers a second credit.
Target picture
Every complaint is linked to an order on the day it arrives and checked against the same rules. Quality assurance and sales management only decide where the deadline, the defect, or the value falls outside the set limits, and each of those decisions is documented together with its basis.
Expected benefits
- Complaints receive a first response on the day they arrive instead of several days later.
- Quality assurance and sales work only on the cases that deviate from the set rules.
- Every decision on credit, replacement, or rejection is traceable with its reason and its approver.
- Defect categories feed the quality evaluation immediately, without separate data entry.
- The stock of open complaints can be evaluated at any time without anyone keeping a list.
Prerequisites to start
- 01A documented ERP access with a technical user holding read and write rights on orders and invoices.
- 02A complaint form or a shared mailbox with clear ownership as the intake channel.
- 03A maintained list of defect categories shared by quality assurance and sales.
- 04A decision on the refund value up to which a case is resolved without approval.
- 05One named person in quality assurance and one in sales management for the respective approval level.
- 06A retention rule for photos, records, and decision logs in the document management system.
More use cases
Matching solutions from your industry
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Fewer capture errors, clear validation steps and an auditable path from document to accounting entry.
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Email & intake channels
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Knowledge & assistance
Make internal knowledge securely searchable
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Faster access to reliable knowledge with traceable sources and controlled permissions.
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Field service & operations
Capture data directly at the work site
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Approvals & compliance
Manage approvals without email ping-pong
Requests automatically follow the right roles, deadlines and delegates with a complete decision history.
Faster decisions, clear ownership and an auditable history without disconnected tools.
- Microsoft Graph
- ERP- oder HR-API
- Webhook / Adaptive Cards
- Microsoft Teams
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