Purchasing Guides / Returns & Exchanges

Returns & Exchanges

A guide to buying an AI workflow that checks return requests against your store policy, drafts customer replies and prepares actions for your team's approval.

Yearly running cost

Assuming 12,000 returns a year

By hand: $48K / year; 1,600 hours of work
Subscription: $1.9K+ / year
This workflow: $562 – 1.5K / year; Machine usage only; setup, hosting and review are extra.

Store connectionsWhat should the workflow do for your team?

Check the order and your returns policy, flag exceptions and draft a reply. Choose whether it works from exports or connects to your store.

Prepare decisions and repliesUse case and order exports. Your team takes the next step.$1,152 – 3,360 setupConnect my store and helpdeskRead live orders and carry out approved actions.$2,592 – 7,200 setup

Your team approves every store action. No unattended refunds.

What is included

Guide prices assume a tested support workflow adapted with AI-assisted development. You supply your policy, authorised order data and historical requests with expected decisions.

Works from controlled case and order exports. Evidence, decision and reply drafts for your team; no store access, no refunds, no messages sent.

The connected scope assumes Shopify and an agreed helpdesk. Exchange eligibility and recommendations are included; stock reservation, replacement orders and shipping labels need an additional scope.

AccuracyHow closely should decisions follow your policy?

Set targets for correct decisions and for handing difficult cases to your team. Test them on your past requests.

Policy-checked repliesCheck eligibility, explain the policy and flag exceptions.≥98% policy-correct decisions · ≥95% of required handoffs caughtIncludedStronger policy checksTest more difficult cases against stricter targets.≥99.5% policy-correct decisions · ≥98% of required handoffs caughtSetup +$432 – 1,440My own requirementsDescribe your targets in the notes below.Quote separately

How accuracy is measured

These are acceptance targets, not measured results. Your support lead labels held-out requests; compare the proposed decision, evidence and handoff against those answers.

Targets for your selected checks
What is checked	Target
Decisions that match policyShare of labelled requests whose proposed action, eligibility and preconditions match the answer approved by your support lead.	≥98%
Claims backed by a sourceShare of order, item, amount and policy statements in the drafts that cite a correct source, version and currency.	≥99%
Cases correctly handed to a personShare of cases that needed a person or more evidence and were handed over or blocked, including permission, conflict and state-change cases.	≥95%
Approvable without re-investigationShare of in-scope requests where the draft could be approved as prepared. Timeouts, errors and justified escalations stay in the denominator.	≥60%

Your team reviews every request during the pilot. Missing evidence, policy conflicts and identity doubts go to a person. No preset removes approval of the action, order, items, amount and currency.

SpeedHow quickly do you need a decision and reply?

Choose a target for checking a request and preparing a reply. Approval, shipping and refund settlement take extra time.

Within 60 secondsIncludedWithin 30 secondsSetup +$144 – 480Within 15 secondsSetup +$288 – 960

Timing details

From request received to decision and draft ready, including queueing, retries and store reads. At least 95% of test requests should meet the target, with 2 in progress at a time. Confirm conversation and order sizes with your provider.

Running-cost targetHow much do you want to spend checking a request?

Select what your workflow can spend checking a return and drafting its reply. This may affect how many AI checks and revisions it can run.

Up to $0.35IncludedUp to $0.20Setup +$144 – 480Up to $0.10Setup +$288 – 960

Cost details

Reference machine cost: $0.11 – 0.31 per request assessment at 1000 assessments a month. Includes model calls and allocated hosting, not staff time, maintenance, store subscriptions, shipping or refund amounts.

Reassessing a request uses the workflow again, so this is not the cost of resolving a whole ticket. Your selected budget is a target to test alongside accuracy and speed.

Your environmentWhere do you want it to run?

Choose where it runs and whether approved order and conversation details can be sent to an external AI model.

Run it on AI model access

Data and access details

Runs in your own cloud account. Workflow state and approval records stay there; what leaves is decided by the model access option.

Only approved order and conversation fields go to the named model provider to support interpretation and reply drafting. The guide running cost assumes this option.

An offline workflow uses authorised exports, not live Shopify or helpdesk access. Approval records must be retained; uncertain store results need checking, not a blind retry.

InterfaceHow do you want to use it?

Use your existing AI agent, a dedicated support agent or a review web page. You can choose more than one.

My existing AI agentAsk your agent to check a return and retrieve the proposed action.Setup +$144 – 480A dedicated support agentReview requests, ask for missing information and approve actions in chat.Setup +$216 – 720A review web pageSee the order, policy, proposed action and reply together.Included

Anything else your provider should know?

Optional. Add your volume, budget or special requirements. We include your selections automatically.

Request assessments per monthYour setup budget (USD)

Your store, policies or other requirements

Common questions

When should I buy this instead of subscribing to a support tool?

Buy when you need your own policy checks, approval process or internal connections. If an existing support or returns product already fits, using it may be simpler and cheaper than maintaining a custom workflow.

Will it refund customers without asking me?

No. This scope requires an authorised person to approve the exact action, order, items, amount and currency. The file-based option only prepares suggestions; the connected option checks the store result after each approved action.

Does this include exchanges and return shipping?

It can check exchange eligibility and prepare options. Reserving stock, creating replacement orders, collecting price differences and buying shipping labels need an additional scope. Keep your existing returns portal and warehouse process.

Can I use another store, helpdesk or returns policy?

Yes. Describe your systems and requirements, then agree the final scope and price with your provider. The connected estimate assumes Shopify and an agreed helpdesk; other systems need their permissions and connectors checked.