Preparing the Return, Service, and Package Records You Need

Before recording any return or service activity, make sure your Pams navigation includes Goods Return Notes, the external service movement area, and Package Inventory. These areas let you trace products after they leave their original location, whether they are being returned, sent for service, or held together in a package. If one of these areas is not available in your navigation, do not create the movement elsewhere because the stock history may no longer match the physical goods.

Collect the original document number before creating a Goods Return Note. This may be the related Goods Receipt Note, Delivery Note, Goods Issue Note, Transfer Order, or external service movement reference. The original reference is important because it identifies where the products came from and helps you return only quantities that were previously received, delivered, issued, or transferred.

For stock held in a package, identify the exact package identifier or package label before opening Package Inventory. Use the identifier printed on the physical package rather than a product description. A package can contain several products, so checking the package record first helps you avoid returning or sending the wrong contents to a service provider.

When arranging external work, confirm the external service provider, the products being handed over, and the quantity of each product. Review any package details before the goods leave your premises. If only part of a package is being sent out, identify which products and quantities are included rather than treating the whole package as one item.

Keep the original reference and package identifier with the physical goods during the handover. This makes it easier to compare the items in Pams with the items actually returned or sent for service.

Creating and Processing Return Notes

Use Goods Return Notes when products physically return from a previous receipt, delivery, issue, or other inventory movement. Start the return from the original movement or related transaction whenever that option is available. This keeps the return connected to the correct source record and prevents a returned quantity from being applied to an unrelated product movement.

Open Goods Return Notes and create a return note using the original movement or related transaction as your starting point. Locate the source record by its reference number, such as the related Goods Receipt Note, Delivery Note, Goods Issue Note, or Transfer Order.
Select the products being returned. For each item, enter only the quantity physically returning. Do not enter the original full quantity unless every unit from the original movement has been returned.
Enter the Return Reason and record the source reference. Use a clear reason that explains why the product is coming back, such as an incorrect item, an incomplete delivery, damage, or a product no longer required.
Review each line before saving the return note. Check the Product, Quantity, Return Reason, and any package information against the physical goods. Where a package is involved, confirm that the listed package contents match what is being returned.
Save the completed Goods Return Note and use its reference when reviewing the related inventory movement. The returned quantity should be traceable to the original document and should not remain treated as stock at its previous destination.

For movements that were previously issued or transferred, follow the movement process described in Transferring and Issuing Goods before creating a return. The return note records the reverse physical movement; it does not replace the original issue or transfer record.

Sending Items to an External Service

Record an external service movement when products leave your internal stock for processing, repair, testing, finishing, or another external service. The movement provides a clear record that the items are no longer physically available inside your warehouse while work is being carried out by the service provider.

Open the external service movement area and create a new outbound movement. Select the external service provider responsible for the work. Confirm you have selected the provider that will physically receive the goods, especially when more than one provider is involved in the same project or order.
Add the products being sent out. Enter the actual Quantity handed over for each Product. If the goods are packed together, record the relevant package details so the movement can be checked later in Package Inventory.
Review the product lines against the handover list before saving. Confirm that product descriptions, quantities, and package contents match the goods prepared for collection or delivery to the service provider.
Keep the external service movement reference with the handover paperwork. Use this reference whenever you need to identify stock held internally versus stock currently held by the service provider.
Save the outbound movement only after the physical handover has been checked. Once saved, use the movement reference to follow up on products still away for service and to record their return.

Do not include products that have not yet left your premises. If a provider collects only part of the planned quantity, record the quantity actually handed over. The remaining units should continue to be treated as internal stock until they are included in a separate external service movement.

Recording Items Returned from an External Service

When a service provider returns products, open the related external service movement rather than creating an unrelated inbound record. Using the same movement reference connects the returned goods to the original outbound quantity and shows which items, if any, remain with the provider.

Locate the external service movement using its reference number, service provider, product, or package details. Check the original outbound lines before recording anything received back.
Compare the physical goods with the original movement. Verify each Product, Quantity, and package identifier. Check that the returned items are the same items that were sent out and that the package contents have not changed unexpectedly.
Record the quantity physically received back from the service provider. If all items have returned, record the full outstanding quantity. If the provider has returned only part of the items, record only that partial quantity.
Treat differences separately. For shortages, damaged products, or items still held by the provider, do not include them in the received quantity. Use the movement record and its related notes to distinguish returned stock from outstanding stock.
Save the inbound service movement after checking the lines. Review the movement afterward to confirm that the returned quantity is available in inventory and that only the remaining quantity continues to appear as held at the external service.

If the service provider returns goods in different packages, use the package details that match the physical return. This is particularly important where one outbound package is split into several packages during the service work.

Reviewing Inventory by Package

Use Package Inventory when you need to find products held in a specific package or investigate a difference between package contents and recorded inventory movements. Package records are especially useful when products are returned together, sent to an external service, or received back in grouped quantities.

Open Package Inventory and search using the exact package identifier or package label. Enter the identifier as it appears on the physical package. A product name alone may show several packages and can make it difficult to locate the correct one.
Open the matching package record and review the products and quantities associated with it. Compare the package contents in Pams with the physical contents before moving, returning, or sending the package to an external service.
Check whether the package is currently internal, listed on a Goods Return Note, or associated with an external service movement. Use the related document references to understand why the package is in its current location or status.
If you are investigating a discrepancy, compare the package record with the related Goods Return Note or external service movement. Look at each product line and quantity rather than comparing only the package total.
Use the package record as the starting point for follow-up. If a product appears in the physical package but not in Package Inventory, check whether it was recorded under a different package or included in another return or service movement.

Package Inventory helps you trace grouped stock, but the physical package must still be checked before you complete a return or external service movement. Record what is physically present, not what you expect the package to contain.

Fixing Return and External Service Quantity Mismatches

A quantity mismatch usually means that the physical movement and the recorded movement do not describe the same products, quantities, package, or reference. Start with the original document and work forward through every related Goods Return Note and external service movement. Do not rely only on the current inventory quantity when investigating a difference.

If a return quantity is incorrect, open the related Goods Return Note and verify the original movement reference first. Compare the Product and Quantity on the original document with the product and quantity on the return note. Correct the return note before using the resulting inventory balance for another transfer, issue, or service movement. Also check whether the same product was returned more than once against the same source reference.

If an item still appears at an external service after it has physically returned, locate the original outbound external service movement. Confirm that the inbound return was recorded against that same movement reference. An inbound movement recorded against another provider, product, or package will not clear the original outstanding quantity.

When a package cannot be found in Package Inventory, search again using the exact package identifier. Then check whether the package was emptied, included on a Goods Return Note, or associated with an external service movement. A package may no longer show the expected contents after all its products have been returned or moved out.

For package-content differences, compare every product line on the package record with the related return and service records. The first movement where the quantities differ identifies the record that needs attention.

Overview

Pams uses Goods Return Notes, external service movements, and Package Inventory to keep a clear record of stock that moves back, leaves for external work, and returns after service. These records are most useful when you need to answer practical warehouse questions: which products were returned, which items are still with a service provider, and what is currently inside a specific package.

A Goods Return Note links a physical return to an earlier inventory movement. The key controls are the original movement reference, the Product lines, the returned Quantity, and the Return Reason. Recording these details together makes it possible to trace a returned product back to its source document.

External service movements separate items held in your warehouse from items temporarily held by a service provider. The outbound movement records what left, while the inbound movement records what returned. The difference between those quantities represents items still outstanding with the provider.

Package Inventory adds another way to verify stock by grouping products under a package identifier or label. When a discrepancy occurs, compare the package contents with the associated Goods Return Note or external service movement. This helps identify whether the difference began during a return, an outbound service handover, or an inbound service return.

Use these records alongside the earlier warehouse movement process in Transferring and Issuing Goods. Together, they provide a continuous record from internal movement through return or external service activity.

Prerequisites

Before processing a return or external service movement in Pams, make sure you have the information needed to match the record to the physical goods. The most important requirement is a reliable source reference. Use the relevant Goods Receipt Note, Delivery Note, Goods Issue Note, Transfer Order, or external service movement reference rather than relying on a product description alone.

Prepare the following before opening Goods Return Notes or the external service movement area:

The original movement reference and the related Product lines.
The physical quantity being returned, sent for service, or received back from service.
The package identifier or package label for any packaged stock.
The external service provider for items leaving for service or returning from service.
A clear Return Reason for each return note.
The physical package contents where the movement involves more than one product.

Check that the physical goods are available before entering an outbound service movement. For a return, confirm that the product is actually returning from the destination shown in the original movement. For an inbound service movement, confirm that the service provider has physically returned the items before recording them as available in inventory.

You also need access to Goods Return Notes, the external service movement area, and Package Inventory in Pams. Review package contents before saving a movement whenever the package holds multiple products. This prevents a package label from being associated with an incorrect quantity or product line.

Managing Returns And Services