Real-time Refund Tracking & Dynamic Refund Eligibility
To reduce support load and friction by automating refund decisions and providing transparency, while protecting against abuse and enforcing merchant accountability, I will implementing real-time refund tracking and dynamic refund eligibility, leveraging AI, risk modeling, and integrated platform data:
1. Real-Time Refund Tracking
Infrastructure
- Embed a “Refund Status” widget in the Groupon app & website (order details page).
- Integrate with internal support systems and merchant CRM to reflect status updates in real time.
Refund Journey Stages
- Request Received.
- Eligibility Being Assessed.
- Merchant Response Window (e.g., 24h).
- Auto-approved (if no response or based on rules).
- Refund Processed – ETA: X days.
Notifications
- Push/email updates at every stage.
- In-app chatbot for “Where is my refund?” queries.
2. Dynamic Refund Eligibility Logic
| Factor Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Customer Profile | Loyalty tier, refund history, fraud signals, CSAT |
| Merchant History | Refund rates, trust score, response SLA compliance |
| Deal Type | Event date passed? Perishable item? |
| Support Case Context | Sentiment, previous interactions, evidence submitted |
AI Decision Tree
- High-trust customer + low-risk merchant → Instant Auto-Approval.
- Risky merchant + unresponsive → Customer Wins by Default.
- Fraudulent pattern detected → Flag for Manual Review.
3. Escalation Rules
- If merchant disputes refund, trigger triage queue for human resolution.
- If refund is delayed > X days, trigger apology credit automation.
4. Dashboards & Monitoring
- Internal refund intelligence dashboard: merchant refund rate trends, time-to-resolution, CSAT impact.
- Merchant-facing view: refund cases, reasons, and their trust score impact.
Why This Works
- Customers get transparency and faster outcomes.
- Merchants are nudged toward accountability.
- Groupon reduces manual handling while improving NPS and trust.