3 Features Your RMA Solution Should Have (Part 2): Integration

Let’s return to Return Merchandise Authorizations. Last week I talked about the importance of having a flexible RMA solution. This time I’ll talk about why it should integrate with your inventory management software and other solutions. Once again, I’ll focus on how Fishbowl’s RMA module helps in the return process. Fishbowl’s integration of its RMA with the rest of its inventory management functions allows you to:

• Immediately update your inventory records when you accept returns
• Not have to enter the same numbers in several different places, saving time, increasing productivity, and eliminating data-entry errors

Here are a number of modules and solutions that Fishbowl’s RMA module integrates with to speed up returns and limit data-entry problems:

Sales Orders and Purchase Orders

After an RMA is created, Fishbowl generates an SO to facilitate the return process. If you need to get a replacement or substitute product to a customer, you can also quickly generate a PO in Fishbowl and cross ship the new item while the defective one is still in transit to your facility.

Work Orders

Fishbowl Manufacturing can generate work orders for a variety of purposes, for repairs, replacements, or whatever else is needed.

Quality Management

You can keep track of all of your vendors with Fishbowl. And you can generate reports on RMAs and other things, which can help you to notice trends in returns on products provided by a certain vendor. Fishbowl also has custom fields, which come in really handy in cases like this. You can create a custom field to keep track of a product’s expected quality level.

Accounting Software

Fishbowl integrates with QuickBooks. After an SO is created, Fishbowl sends a message to QuickBooks, telling it to update its accounts payable and accounts receivable, as necessary.

Payroll

Fishbowl has a new workforce management solution for exactly this kind of thing. It’s called Fishbowl Workforce, and it helps with keeping track of employee hours, payroll, commissions, and more.

Inventory Management

This is Fishbowl’s specialty. Fishbowl can help you restock, receive, pick, pack, ship, or scrap inventory involved in an RMA, among other things.

CRM

Fishbowl integrates with Salesforce, so salespeople can see when orders are being fulfilled and also how the return process is progressing.

Conclusion

Fishbowl’s RMA module is part of a larger inventory management solution that also integrates with QuickBooks, Salesforce, and numerous other software solutions and apps. With Fishbowl, you can quickly update SOs, POs, WOs, accounting records, payroll and commissions, inventory records, and your CRM when you process a return. Come back next week for the final part of this three-part series: The importance of converting information from RMAs into detailed reports. These blog posts are based on an excellent article from Find Accounting Software. I definitely recommend checking it out.