Enabling Post-order customer service
Authors:
Michael Wholohan, Holger Lierse
Changed on:
17 Nov 2025
Problem
Without integrated systems supporting cross-channel customer service, retailers can only process simple refunds and cannot offer customers the convenience of exchanges, store credits, or resolution across different channels.
This limits customer retention opportunities, forces customers into less desirable outcomes, and prevents service teams from providing flexible solutions. The inability to support omni-channel returns and exchanges results in lost revenue from customers who would exchange rather than return, and creates inconsistent experiences across touch points.
Example
A sporting goods retailer could only process returns as refunds through their system, losing customers who wanted to exchange for different sizes or colours. Store associates couldn't look up online orders or process returns for online purchases, forcing customers who came to stores to ship items back instead. This inflexibility resulted in lost exchange revenue as customers took refunds and repurchased from competitors rather than waiting for the two-transaction process. The retailer estimated significant revenue loss from customers who would have exchanged but instead returned and never repurchased.
Solution Overview
Fluent Order Management provides the customer service and store teams with a Single Source of Truth of all orders and the tools necessary to handle complex, high-value post-order interactions. Fluent centralises all order history, fulfilment status, and customer information into a single, accessible view, which drastically cuts average handle time and provides the context needed for complex solutions.
Fluent OMS can also be configured for Flexible Service Actions, providing any service teams with user actions allowing them to easily initiate exchanges (processing the return and new order simultaneously) or issue store credits or appeasements directly, alongside standard refunds. This capability is extended to the physical network through Omni-channel Return and Service Handling, enabling store associates, via the Fluent Store application, to look up online orders and process returns or exchanges for web purchases. Agents are also empowered with controlled Order Amendment Control to perform in-flight modifications without requiring cancellation.
By implementing Fluent OMS for post-order customer service, retailers can transform their customer service offerings driving significant benefits including;
- Increased Revenue Retention: The ability to offer immediate exchanges and store credits minimises refunds, directly preserving revenue that was previously lost to competitors.
- Seamless Omni-channel Service: Store staff can now fully support online customers, eliminating the friction of "ship-back-only" policies and improving the overall brand experience.
- Higher Service Efficiency: Agents spend less time looking up data across systems and more time resolving issues, leading to reduced handle times and lower service costs.
