Return Material Authorization
A return material authorization (RMA) is a return order your customers use to ship items back to your company to either return the item for repair or to receive credit for the returned item.
When you receive a request from a customer to return goods, the order manager initiates an RMA order based on the original customer order (the order status must be closed or partially closed). This initiation automatically creates an RMA record in Oracle Receiving and a shipment in Oracle Shipping.
Taking on the role of the shipping manager, the order manager identifies the shipments that have been automatically generated for the RMA order. The order manager generates and emails the packing slip and commercial invoice for the shipment number to your customer. The customer can then send back the physical goods with the RMA paperwork to your company.
When your company receives the returned items, the receiving agent creates a receiving advice for the RMA using the RMA number referenced in the paperwork. A quality team inspects the returned items. If the items pass inspection, the goods are sent back to the customer. If the items do not pass inspection, the returned items are slated for repair or salvaged, and a credit memo is created and sent to the customer.
The inventory manager performs the put away for the RMA to the appropriate subinventory. Receipt confirmation runs in the background to update order management about the RMA receipt, triggering the RMA order lines status to change from Awaiting Receiving to Awaiting Billing.