Complaints Processing After Third-Party Order Processing (TPOP)

You create complaints following third party order processing (TPOP complaints) if problems with invoices (delivery, sales order) resulted from third-party order processing.

You can create complaints either in the Customer Relationship Management WebClient user interface (CRM WebClient UI), in the Extended Complaints and Returns in E-Service application, or by using EDI.

Integration

Complaints processing is integrated with the following sales transactions: sales order, delivery, and invoice.

You need the following systems:

SAP CRM
SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC)
SAP Supply Chain Management, Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP SCM, APO)

Prerequisites

You can only use these additional functions if you have activated the system configuration for service parts management. For more information and prerequisites, see Functions for Service Parts Management (SPM).
A TPOP-relevant complaint exists in the system. This means that the complaint was created as a follow-up transaction to an invoice that belongs to a sales order with third-party order processing.
If you have defined your own item categories for transaction type Complaints with Reference to Billing Documents, you have defined whether each one is relevant for third-party order processing.
You can find this setting in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management by choosing Transactions Basic Settings Define Item Categories . For business transaction category Complaints, choose Customizing Item, and then set the TPOP-Relevant indicator.

Features

Problems that arise from third-party order processing can lead to the following:

Invoice corrections for customers
Credit memos or debit memos for vendors (external vendors or other customers)
Physical returns or scrapping

How the processing of a returns request in a TPOP complaint is handled depends on the type of third-party order processing:

Third-party order processing using sourcing

Instead of the vendor making the delivery, an external supplier delivers directly to the vendor’s customers.

If a return occurs, SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) determines whether the parts should be returned to the supplier or to the vendor. If the parts are returned to the supplier, SAP APO determines the corresponding plant.
Third-party order processing using product allocation

One of the vendor’s customers delivers to another of the vendor’s customers.

If a return occurs, the parts are always returned to the customer who delivered them. SAP APO is not necessary because the customer who delivered the parts is determined in the complaint transaction.

For more information, see the SAP Library for SAP Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM) under Start of the navigation path SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Next navigation step Global Available-to-Promise (Global ATP) Advanced Availability Check Methods Third-Party Order Processing in Global ATP Third-Party Order Processing by Source Determination and Third-Party Order Processing by Product Allocation End of the navigation path .

Activities

Creating Complaints

You create a complaint for an invoice.
For more information, see Creation of Complaints with Reference to Billing Documents.
The system automatically checks whether the following conditions were met:
- The category of the complaint item is TPOP-relevant.
- The invoice refers to third-party order processing. To determine this, the system uses the date of the sales order that corresponds to the invoice.
The system determines the supplier from the preceding transaction (CRM sales order) and copies it into the complaint item.
While it is creating the returns authorization item, the system checks whether the parts should be returned to the supplier or to the vendor.
- Third-party order processing using sourcing
  
  In SAP APO, the system tries to determine a location with location category 1011 (supplier).
  - If the system finds a location, the parts are either returned to the vendor or scrapped. The item category usage is RETR.
    
    For more information, see Returns Authorization with Activated System Configuration for SPM, in the sections "Returns Authorization for External Suppliers After Third-Party Order Processing" and "Scrapping Authorization".
  - If the system is unable to determine a location using SAP APO, the parts are returned to the supplier. In this case, the item category usage is RETS.
    Further processing is the same as that described under "Third-party order processing using product allocation" below:
- Third-party order processing using product allocation
  
  In this case, the parts are sent back to the supplier, according to the standard system setup. The item category usage is RETS.
  
  However, it is possible to make settings in Customizing for SAP APO so that the returns are sent back to the vendor. In this case, the location is determined for location type 1010 (customer).
  - Depending on the Customizing settings in the standard system, authorization item RAIS, Returns Authorization for Vendor (TPOP), is created for an authorized returns request item in the complaint transaction. This authorization item is created either manually or automatically, using an action. The authorization item contains data for physical returns.
    The number of the complaint, together with the number of the subitem, results in the unique return material authorization (RMA) number.
  - The Approved Quantity in the returns request item is copied into the Quantity field of the returns authorization item. This quantity is the order quantity, which you can change if necessary.
  - The system copies partner function Vendor from the complaint item into the partner function Ship-To Party in the returns authorization item.
  - After releasing the RMA item and saving the transaction in SAP CRM, the RMA item is replicated in SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC) for logistic processing. In other words, an inbound delivery with a corresponding delivery item is created automatically. 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. This completes the physical return. The customer returns the parts to the vendor directly.
Depending on the type of complaint, invoice request items are created and invoice corrections are triggered for customers, and credit memos or debit memos are created for vendors.
The following example for a complaint due to underdelivery illustrates how the main items and subitems are interrelated:

A customer ordered 100 pieces, but received only 90. This customer wants to return 20 of the 90 pieces. The customer received an invoice for 100 pieces.

After the returns authorization item is released and the transaction is saved, an invoice correction request item is created as a subitem of the returns authorization item, either manually or automatically.
- SAP CRM Billing creates a billing document for the invoice correction request. This triggers a debit memo to be created automatically in SAP ECC for the external supplier.
In addition to the complaint item, a second invoice correction request is created as a subitem.
- SAP CRM Billing creates a billing document for the second invoice correction request. This leads to a second automatic debit memo request in SAP ECC for the external supplier, if the delivery location is the external supplier him- or herself.
Hierarchically, it looks like this:

Complaints process
- Main item: Complaint due to underdelivery
  - Subitem: Returns request for complaint with reference to billing document (quantity: 20)
    
    Subitem: Returns authorization for supplier (quantity 20)
    
    —> Delivery in SAP ECC
    
    Subitem: Invoice correction request (Correction quantity: 70)
    
    —> Billing document in SAP CRM for customers
    
    —> Debit memo in SAP ECC for supplier for 20 pieces
  - Subitem: Invoice correction request (Correction quantity: 90)
    
    —> Billing document in SAP CRM for customers
    
    —> Debit memo in SAP ECC for 10 pieces