Customer Stories
How Leroy Merlin Accelerated Refunds and Returns
Modernizing Operations with intelligent automation for faster, seamless customer experiences.
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Leroy Merlin is a global leader in the home improvement and gardening retail sector, with a presence in over 30 countries. With a workforce of around 100,000 employees, the company offers a wide range of products and services aimed at enhancing living spaces, both indoors and outdoors.
To eliminate inefficiencies in the refunds and returns process that were impacting customer satisfaction and operational costs.
Why
A fast, scalable automation solution that streamlined order corrections, refunds, and customer service workflows.
What
Xebia partnered with Appian to implement a unified, automation-driven solution using RPA and intelligent document processing — delivered in just four months.
How
The Challenge Behind Returns and Refunds
Leroy Merlin, a global leader in home improvement and gardening retail, operates in over 30 countries and serves millions of customers through a vast range of products and services. However, a surge in online and in-store orders led to a spike in refund and return requests, placing immense pressure on their existing operations.
The legacy manual processes—laden with paperwork and disjointed systems—struggled to keep up. Data was scattered across platforms, leading to delays in approvals, occasional financial discrepancies, and ultimately, a dip in customer satisfaction as reflected in Net Promoter Scores. Tasks were duplicated, oversight was minimal, and order fulfillment lacked accountability, all of which contributed to increased turnaround times and delivery failures.
Recognizing these operational cracks, Leroy Merlin set out to modernize the process and deliver a smoother, more reliable customer experience.
“At Xebia, we believe that in these ever-changing times, agility isn’t just a strategy – it’s a way of life for us. It isn’t just limited to embracing on-the-go changes; it’s more about nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and having a mindset that welcomes change as opportunity, not challenge.”
Akhilesh Natani
Managing Director, Intelligent Automation - Xebia
Accelerating Operations with Intelligent Automation
To address the operational breakdown, Leroy Merlin partnered with Xebia to implement a robust automation-led solution using a leading low-code platform. The project, launched in late September, was delivered in just four months—testament to the clarity of execution and collaboration. The primary focus was to transform the refunds and returns process, which was riddled with inefficiencies. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) was introduced to eliminate tedious tasks within the finance team, such as searching for unprocessed transactions across various payment portals.
Xebia further streamlined the workflow by integrating intelligent document processing, enabling quick data extraction and automatic population of refund details. These upgrades not only eliminated manual errors but also ensured faster processing, enhancing both internal productivity and external customer satisfaction.
Read also: Xebia Celebrates Leroy Merlin’s Win of the 2024 Appian Innovation Award
Real-Time Impact and a Scalable Future
The impact of this transformation was immediate and measurable. Refund processing time dropped from a sluggish 10–12 days to just 1.5 to 2 days. Manual interventions were significantly reduced, leading to an automation rate of nearly 90% across the refund and return processes. Stores that previously handled up to 90 unresolved orders per cycle now reported fewer than 10.
Fulfillment operations, once plagued by ambiguity and delays, are now supported by real-time alerts and performance insights. The solution even extended to payment gateways and refund transactions, enhancing reliability and accountability across the board. With better visibility, streamlined workflows, and smarter automation in place,
Leroy Merlin is now well-positioned to extend these efficiencies to other areas of its operations—and take its customer experience to the next level.
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