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Process documentationReturns Authorization with Activated System Configuration for SPM

 

You can use this process to create either a return material authorization (RMA) item or a scrapping authorization item for a released returns request item in a returns transaction, used part return transaction, or a complaint transaction.

Prerequisites

There is an existing transaction that includes a returns request item with status Released or Investigation Required.

CRM Customizing

  • You can only use these functions if you have activated the system configuration for service parts management. For more information and prerequisites, see Service Parts Management (SPM).

  • You have defined item categories, item category usages, and item category determination according to your requirements in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) by choosing Start of the navigation path Transactions Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Define Item Categories Usages and Next navigation step Define Item Category Determination End of the navigation path.

  • You have defined action profiles and the actions themselves, which you have also assigned to these profiles.

    Creation of authorization items is triggered by an action. The standard system includes the following combinations of action profiles and actions for returns:

    Technical Name of Action Profile

    Description of Action Profile

    Technical Name of Action

    Description of Action

    RMA_ITEM

    Returns Authorization Attachment

    RETURN_ITEM_RMA

    Automatic Returns Approval

    CL_SH_CRRI

    Returns Request for Underdelivery

    CL_SH_CRRI_CREATE_RAI

    Creation of Returns Authorization

    CL_OE

    Incorrect Purchase Order

    CL_OE_RETURN_ AUTHORIZATION

    Creation of Approval Item

    CL_WD_CRRI

    Returns Request for Incorrect Delivery

    CL_WD_CRRI_ CREATE_RAI

    Creation of Returns Authorization

    CL_OV_CRRI

    Returns Request for Overdelivery

    CL_OV_CRRI_ CREATE_RAI

    Creation of Returns Authorization

    CL_UD_CRRI

    Returns Request for Unrequested Delivery

    CL_UD_CRRI_CREATE_RAI

    Creation of Returns Authorization

    If the action profiles delivered by SAP do not meet all your needs, you can define your own actions in Customizing. To do so, in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management, choose Start of the navigation path Basic Functions Next navigation step Actions Next navigation step Actions in Transaction Next navigation step Change Actions and Conditions Next navigation step Define Action Profiles and Actions End of the navigation path. Then define the schedule condition and start condition for each action definition by choosing Define Conditions.

    For more information, see Post Processing Framework in CRM.

  • Following the return authorization, if you want to send more than one return together, you must make settings for Customizing for periodic deliveries by choosing Start of the navigation path Customer Relationship Management Next navigation step Transactions Next navigation step Settings for Complaints Next navigation step Integration Next navigation step Logistics Integration Next navigation step Periodic Release of Returns Authorizations End of the navigation path.

CRM Product Master Data

In the product master data in the control data for complaints and returns, you have selected the Returns Process indicator according to your needs. Possible values include:

  • <blank> –– Undefined

  • A –– Returns with immediate storage

  • B –– Returns with immediate scrapping

  • C –– Returns with inspection

  • E –– Scrap at customer site

  • F –– Returns with external decision (Note: This means that follow-up activities are defined in goods receipt and are processed using SAP Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM)).

CRM Business Partner Master Data

In the master data for business partners with role Sold-To Party, using the sales area data in section Complaints and Returns, you have set the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator if the customer must confirm the delivery that was created for the returns authorization in application Extended Complaints and Returns in E-Service.

Process

Possible Authorization Items

For an approved returns request item in a returns transaction, used part returns transaction, or complaint transaction, one of the following authorization items is created either manually or automatically, according to your Customizing settings:

  • Returns authorization (RMA) (item category RAIN)

  • Authorization for scrapping at customer site (item category SAIC)

  • Returns authorization vendor (item category RAIS) for returns requests for complaints with third-party order processing

Status of Subitems

Depending on the status of the main item, which is set by the automatic execution of business rules, the process runs as follows:

  • Status Released

    The Post Processing Framework starts an action that automatically creates the authorization item and immediately releases it.

  • Status Investigation Required

    The Post Processing Framework starts an action that automatically creates the authorization item with an initial status of Open.

    You can change the quantity and status manually. You can also decline the authorization item that was created automatically (status: Rejected) and use an action to manually create and release a new authorization item.

Determining Item Categories of Subitems

For each product and sales area, you use the indicator for controlling the logistics process in returns (Returns Process) to indicate whether the product should be returned or scrapped. The system determines this indicator for returns request items and copies it into the Process Indicator field. You can change the value, if you like.

Using an action that automatically creates the returns authorization (RETURN_ITEM, CL_SH_CRRI, CL_OE, CL_WD_CRRI, CL_OV_CRRI, CL_UD_CRRI), and depending on the Process Indicator, the system determines one of the following item category usages:

  • RETR Returns authorization (process indicator <blank>, A, C, F)

  • SCRP Scrapping (process indicator E)

  • RESC Scrapping/Plant (process indicator B)

  • RETS Return deliveries to vendors

    Note Note

    End of the note.

Automatic determination of item category usage is dependent on Customizing and controls determination of the subitem for the returns request item. Depending on the item category usage, a subitem with category returns authorization or a subitem with category scrapping authorization is created. The following table displays the combinations of process indicator, item category usage, and item category:

Process Indicator

Item Category Usage

Item Category

<blank>

RETR

RAIN

A

RETR

RAIN

B

RESC

RASC

C

RETR

RAIN

E

SCRP

SAIC

F

RETR

RAIN

Returns Authorization

If the item category usage is RETR or RESC, the following process is triggered:

  1. A returns authorization item (RAIN) or a returns authorization with scrapping in the plant (RASC) is created for the returns request item. The item contains the data for the physical return.

    The number of the return or complaint, together with the number of the subitem, results in the unique returns material authorization (RMA) number.

    The order quantity of the returns authorization item is determined as follows:

    The system copies the Approved Quantity from the returns request item into the Quantity field of the returns authorization item. This quantity is the order quantity, which you can change if necessary.

    In a complaint with reference to a billing document, if the returns authorization item has an invoice correction, an invoice correction request item is also created as a subitem.

    For more information, see Actions for Complaints Items Without Returns.

  2. For physical returns, locations (ship-to parties - returns) are required for the parts to be returned. These locations can be one or more plants. If a destination location exists in a preceding transaction such as a marketing campaign, the system copies this destination location into the returns authorization item. Otherwise, the location is determined by SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO).

    For more information, see Location Determination with Active System Configuration for SPM.

  3. After the returns authorization item is released, Entitlement Management determines the entitlement to deposit refund and the deposit amount for the returns authorization item.

    For more information, see Entitlements Check.

  4. After releasing the RMA item and saving the transaction in SAP CRM, the RMA item for logistic processing is replicated in SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC). In other words, a delivery with a corresponding delivery item is created automatically. This only happens if there are no delivery blocks for the item (see "Periodic Delivery", below). The delivery item contains the returns authorization number from the returns authorization item in SAP CRM. At this point, the data for physical returns and the unique returns authorization number are also available in SAP ECC.

  5. Depending on the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator, the process continues as follows:

    • If the target location is a plant/storage location that is maintained in SAP SCM, and if the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator is not set, the system replicates the delivery to SAP SCM, where it also generates a warehouse request with inspection outcome.

    • If the target location is a plant/storage location that is maintained in SAP SCM, and if the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator is set, the customer must create one or more shipping notifications in SAP Supply Network Collaboration (SAP SNC). The system then creates one or more deliveries and replicates them to SAP SCM, where it generates warehouse requests with inspection outcomes.

  6. After goods receipt and depending on the process indicator, the follow-up activities are triggered:

    • If the process indicator is C or F, the follow-up activities for returns authorization items are defined after goods receipt and the Quality Inspection.

    • If the process indicator is A or B, the follow-up activities for SAP SCM are defined in advance in SAP CRM. These follow-up activities are executed by SAP SCM immediately following goods receipt.

    For more information, see Follow-Up Activities for the Logistical Process and Data Exchange for Complaints: SAP CRM – SAP ECC.

Periodic Delivery

To minimize freight costs and administrative effort when processing returns, you can group returns into batches and send them once each month, for example.

When you have made the appropriate settings in Customizing, all returns authorization items initially get status Delivery Block –I1130.

Use transaction SM36 to schedule the CRM_COMPL_INTERVAL report. The report introduces the following processing steps:

  • Determination of relevant items, in other words, items with status Delivery Block and the data field Cust. Interval is skipped

  • Deletion of the delivery block

  • Creation of a delivery in SAP ECC

Returns Authorization for External Vendors After Third-Party Order Processing

If the item category usage is RETS, the process runs as follows:

  1. Similar to point one in the "Returns Authorization" section above.

    A returns authorization item (category RAIS) is created for the returns request item. The item contains the data for the physical return.

  2. The system copies function Vendor from the complaint item in the function Ship-To Party for Returns in the returns authorization item.

  3. Similar to point three in the "Returns Authorization" section above.

  4. After releasing the RMA item and saving the transaction in SAP CRM, the RMA item for logistic processing is replicated in SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC). In other words, a delivery with a corresponding delivery item is created automatically. The delivery item contains the RMA number from the RMA item. At this point, the data for physical returns and the unique returns authorization number are also available in SAP ECC.

    • If the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator is not set, the physical return is completed for SAP CRM. The customer returns the parts to the vendor directly.

    • If the Customer Must Confirm Delivery indicator is set, the customer must create one or more shipping notifications for the deliveries in SAP SNC. One or more deliveries are then created. This completes the physical return of these deliveries in SAP CRM. The customer returns the parts to the vendor directly.

Scrapping Authorization

If the item category usage is SCRP, a subitem with type authorization for scrapping at customer site (category: SAIC) is created. This means that instead of sending back the part, the customer scraps it.

The system copies the Approved Quantity from the returns request item into the Quantity field of the scrapping authorization item. You can change this quantity, if necessary.

The assigned business partner (Responsible Scrapper) dictates who should create the scrapping confirmation: the customer or you, the manufacturer.

  • If the customer is responsible for scrapping, he or she confirms scrapping in application Extended Complaints and Returns in E-Service. Then, a confirmation with a credit memo item is created automatically as a follow-up transaction.

  • If you are the one responsible for scrapping, you create a scrapping confirmation with a credit memo item in SAP CRM as a follow-up transaction.