Returns Automation

The operational problem

Returns teams face repetitive triage, inconsistent policy interpretation, fragmented order data, and pressure to resolve cases quickly without leaking margin.

A naive automation project tries to approve refunds end-to-end. That may reduce handling time, but it also creates financial risk, inconsistent customer outcomes, and weak evidence for finance review.

The right agentic pattern splits the workflow: automate classification and preparation, then hold financial resolution at the approval boundary.

Governed workflow

1. Read order history, fulfilment status, customer reason code, policy rules, and return window.
2. Classify the case as standard return, exchange, warranty issue, fraud-risk, or policy exception.
3. Draft the recommended resolution and supporting explanation.
4. Route simple cases to an operator approval queue and exceptional cases to supervisor review.
5. Execute refund, credit, or CRM update only after human approval.

HARNEXA Harness controls

• Order, policy, and case reads are READ_ONLY and logged.
• Refund, credit, and goodwill actions are FINANCIAL and gated.
• Policy exceptions produce an explicit escalation state instead of hidden auto-approval.
• Every case carries a reason code, evidence summary, and approval decision.
• AgentOps reporting highlights refund volume, approval latency, and exception drift.