Patent ID: 8408459

Claim:
A reverse logistics management system for automating different business rules and controls used by processors and agents of a logistics integrator for a plurality of customers and makes and models, for automating inbound and outbound tracking at the order, order line, and serialized unit level, and for providing results, cost and component visibility and service level and performance metrics through reports and client interfaces, comprising: a return order and repair order status tracking module for processing and tracking a returned product wherein the processing includes inspecting the returned product according to an applicable set of inspection criteria selected from a database of inspection criteria sets to service a plurality of customers and product types with a plurality of processing rules, wherein the return order and repair order status tracking module is configured to automatically determine disposition of the returned product based on inspecting the returned product and based on if the returned product (i) is under warranty, (ii) includes insurance, and (iii) is beyond economic repair; a repair order module in communication with the return order and repair order status tracking module for facilitating repair and maintaining a repair status database by order, order line and unit; a distribution and financial module in communication with the return order and repair order status tracking module and the repair order module for processing accounting entries for a plurality of customers according to a plurality of corresponding business rules; and a data repository and reporting module in communication with one or more of the return order and repair order status tracking module, the repair order module, and the distribution and financial module, operated by the logistics integrator to extract, consolidate and report transaction metrics and event data internally and externally to support process management, claims verification and billing, wherein the logistics integrator comprises a fourth-party logistics enterprise configured to integrate and process information from a plurality of third-party logistics providers.