Returns, refunds, orders. Controlled at scale.
Running retail back-office operations that reduce friction across returns, refunds, and order management.
Managing our consumer experience is complex. The communications and clarity we now get are taking that complexity away. Through a simplified, harmonized approach, Firstsource has created a solution with a consistent methodology and real benefits at its core."
WHY THIS MATTERS
Returns are a margin problem
Up to 30% of online apparel is returned. Manual processing compounds the cost at every step, and COOs are under pressure to automate without losing accuracy.
Return Rates
19%-25%
Average ecommerce return rates sit near 17–20% in the US, with online fashion and footwear often reaching around 25% or higher.
National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, “2025 Retail Returns Landscape”
Automation Gains
40%-60%
Retailers using automated returns workflows can cut refund handling times by 40–60%, shrinking 8–10-day manual cycles to under 3 days.
Quickchat, “The Guide to Return and Exchange Chatbot Automation”
Proven Savings
40%
Retailers that redesign processes around automation consistently report double-digit cost savings alongside gains in speed, accuracy, and service quality.
Auxis, “TigerDirect Gains 60% in Labor Savings from Nearshore Model”
PROVEN OUTCOMES
Back-office results from live retail operations
Every figure from a live back-office engagement, automation delivering against real retail volume.
£1.4M
annual savings
Back-office automation and offshoring for a leading DIY retailer took CSAT to its highest ever recorded level.
50%
revenue growth
Post-transformation order management for a leading furniture retailer produced 50% revenue growth from deliveries.
15%
cost reduction
Skills-based routing implementation for a leading furniture retailer reduced costs by 15% through efficiency gains.
45%
spend reduction
The redesigned framework shifted from default monetary vouchers to an app-credit mechanism, retaining satisfaction while cutting cost.
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
Support scaled from 12,500 to 140,000 monthly contacts
How a leading UK furniture retailer transformed customer operations to support unprecedented growth.
A leading UK furniture retailer experienced a 40% surge in demand during the pandemic, driven by rapid growth in online orders. Its existing customer support operation could not keep pace with the increase in contact volumes while maintaining service quality.
Firstsource transformed the customer support operation into a centralized, scalable model capable of supporting sustained growth. The redesign improved operational efficiency, reduced costs by 15%, and contributed to a 50% increase in delivery-related revenue while enabling the business to successfully manage a more than tenfold increase in monthly customer contacts.
Firstsource transformed the customer support operation into a centralized, scalable model capable of supporting sustained growth. The redesign improved operational efficiency, reduced costs by 15%, and contributed to a 50% increase in delivery-related revenue while enabling the business to successfully manage a more than tenfold increase in monthly customer contacts.
50%
increase in delivery revenue
TESTIMONIAL
Operators who changed how they run retail
We have come so far in this time and it's really down to all of your hard work. It's also worth pointing out that our competitors didn't make it onto any of the lists below. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in this journey of transformation.
You took over a significant backlog with zero experience of our business, right at the start of Retail Peak and Black Friday. You took control, spoke to customers without them having to wait. Being there for customers made a massive difference, taking us to a whole new level.
Managing our consumer experience is complex. The communications and the clarity we get from [Firstsource] is taking that complexity away. Through a simplified, harmonized approach, they have created a solution with a consistent methodology showing real benefits at its core.
INSIGHTS
Latest from the Firstsource team
Insights from the field, real operations, real outcomes, and perspectives from the people making it work in live operations.
Case Study
Building a strong foundation for growth: how a leading dental plan transformed operations with strategic partnership
Discover how a leading dental plan partnered with Firstsource to transform operations, reduce costs, improve CSAT, and enable scalable growth through AI and a hybrid delivery model.
contact us
Returns volume is growing. Your back-office model may not be.
Diagnosed from your actual returns and exception data not a generic retail operations audit.
- Diagnosed by operators running retail back-office not advisors reviewing your returns rate.
- Deployed in weeks, peak-season readiness built in from day one.
- Priced on the exception resolution rate and SLA performance it delivers, not the headcount it takes.