A Company in Stockholm Spent More Than 20 Hours per Month Managing Refund Requests Manually: Automation Success Story

In today’s fast-paced business environment, inefficient manual processes can be a major bottleneck for operations. A company in Stockholm spent more than 20 hours per month managing refund requests manually, leading to delays, errors, and frustrated teams. 🚀 This case study explores how automation transformed their refund handling process to save time, improve accuracy, and enhance overall customer experience.

In this detailed analysis, you’ll learn the challenges faced by the client, our approach using RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service, and an exact walk-through of the technical workflow implemented with n8n. From the initial problem to the architecture, key integration points, and measurable results, we share hands-on insights useful for startup CTOs, automation engineers, and operations specialists.

Whether you’re considering automation for finance operations or customer service, this story offers practical guidance and real examples. Ready to streamline your refund requests? Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to learn more!

Case Context & Problem: Manual Refund Management in a Stockholm Company

The client is a medium-size e-commerce company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Operating in the retail sector, their finance and customer support teams struggled with the refund requests process.

Before automation, refund requests were collected via email and manually recorded in spreadsheets. Each refund request required validation, cross-checking payment info, updating the internal ERP system, and notifying customers. This labor-intensive process consumed over 20 hours per month, equivalent to roughly half a full-time employee.

The pain points included:

• Excessive manual work: Teams spent hours copying data, searching emails, and updating multiple systems.
• High error rate: Manual data entry led to occasional mistakes, delaying refunds or causing incorrect amounts.
• Lack of process visibility: Managers had limited tracking of refund status, leading to SLA breaches and poor customer experience.
• Delayed responses: Customer complaints increased due to slow refund handling.

The impact was significant: higher operational costs, customer dissatisfaction, and stress on finance and support teams. The client sought to automate refund request management to save time, reduce errors, and improve transparency.

Our Approach: Process Discovery and Automation Proposal

RestFlow started by thoroughly mapping the refund request process alongside the client’s finance and support departments. We identified key systems involved:

• Gmail for incoming refund request emails.
• Google Sheets as the existing ledger for tracking requests.
• ERP system API for refund execution and record updates.
• Slack for internal team notifications.
• CRM to cross-reference customer accounts.

After analyzing the pain points, the core challenges were manual data transfer, fragmented systems, and lack of visibility.

We proposed an automation architecture centered on the workflow orchestration tool n8n, chosen for its open-source flexibility, robust integrations, and cost efficiency compared to alternatives. This decision was supported by the client’s preference for customizable workflows and full control over data.

The high-level architecture complemented n8n with direct API calls to Gmail, ERP, Slack, Google Sheets, and the CRM. The entire workflow was designed for end-to-end automation from refund request receipt to final reconciliation and reporting.

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The Solution: Architecture & Workflow

Global Architecture Overview

• Trigger: New refund request email received in Gmail.
• Orchestration tool: n8n workflow automates process execution.
• Integrated services: Gmail (trigger and email parsing), Google Sheets (tracking and logging), ERP system API (refund processing), Slack (notifications), CRM (customer validation).
• Outputs: Updated ERP records, internal Slack alerts, automated email responses, Google Sheets ledger updates, and management reporting dashboards.

End-to-End Workflow Walkthrough

1. An email with a refund request arrives in the company’s Gmail inbox.
2. n8n is configured with a Gmail trigger node to detect new refund emails.
3. The email content is parsed to extract refund details: order number, customer email, refund amount, reason.
4. n8n searches the CRM by customer email to validate account status.
5. Refund amount and order data are verified against CRM and ERP records for consistency.
6. If validation succeeds, n8n calls the ERP API to initiate the refund transaction.
7. Google Sheets is updated with the refund request data and status.
8. A notification message is sent to the finance Slack channel announcing the processed refund.
9. An automated confirmation email is sent to the customer via Gmail.
10. Errors or exceptions trigger alerts to the support team with detailed logs.

Step-By-Step Node Breakdown 🚀

1. Gmail Trigger Node

This node listens for new incoming emails with a specific subject pattern like “Refund Request”.
Key fields:
– Label filter set to inbox.
– Subject keyword filter configured.
It outputs email metadata and body for parsing.

2. Email Parsing and Data Extraction Node

Using an HTML/text parsing function or built-in n8n text extraction:
– Extracts order ID, customer email, refund amount, refund reason.
These variables are stored for later validation.

3. CRM Search Node

Searches customer records by email.
Key configuration:
– CRM API endpoint (e.g., HubSpot) with authentication.
– Filter: customer_email = extracted email.
If no customer found, triggers an error branch.

4. ERP Validation and Refund Initiation Node

Calls the ERP API to confirm the order status and refund eligibility.
If all checks pass:
– Sends refund API call with order ID and amount.
Handles response codes to confirm success or raise errors.

5. Google Sheets Update Node

Appends a new row in the refunds ledger sheet:
– Fields: timestamp, order ID, customer email, amount, status.
Ensures historical tracking of all refund transactions.

6. Slack Notification Node

Sends a formatted message to the finance channel:
“Refund processed: Order #1234, Customer: customer@example.com, Amount: $45.00”.
Includes timestamp and link to Google Sheet record.

7. Customer Confirmation Email Node

Uses Gmail SMTP to send a templated email confirming refund approval and processing timeframe.
Variables from earlier parsing are dynamically inserted.

8. Error Handling and Alerts Node ⚠️

Activated if any validation or API call fails.
Sends an alert to the support team Slack channel:
Includes detailed error message, original email content, and timestamp for rapid troubleshooting.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling and Retries

The workflow implements retries with exponential backoff for transient API failures.
Critical errors trigger immediate Slack alerts.
Failed refund requests are logged separately for manual review.

Logging and Observability

All workflow executions are logged within n8n’s history.
Google Sheets serves as a persistent audit log.
Slack notifications keep teams instantly informed.

Idempotency and Deduplication

To prevent duplicate refunds:
– Email message IDs are stored and checked.
– Refunds are only processed if the order ID is not already marked refunded in Google Sheets.

Security and Data Protection

API keys for CRM, ERP, and Gmail are stored securely in n8n credentials with environment-level encryption.
Least privilege access configured for each API key.
Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is handled per GDPR standards.
Access to n8n workflow editing and logs restricted to authorized personnel only.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

The design supports scaling to higher refund volumes:

• Webhook triggers avoid polling delays.
• Workflow nodes execute asynchronously where possible.
• Batch updates to Google Sheets optimize API quotas.
• New clients or refund types can be added by modularizing workflow branches.

The architecture allows quick adaptability—for example, integrating new ERPs or adding automated fraud checks.

RestFlow’s managed hosting ensures the workflow remains stable and performant at scale, handling maintenance and upgrades.

Comparisons: Choosing the Right Tools

n8n vs Make vs Zapier for Refund Automation

Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free self-hosted; paid managed service from $20/mo	Open-source, highly customizable, flexible workflows, no vendor lock-in	Requires more setup; technical expertise recommended
Make	Starts at $9/mo; usage-based pricing	Powerful integrations, visual builder, extensive app support	Pricing can escalate with volume; less control over hosting
Zapier	Starts at $19.99/mo; per-task pricing	User-friendly, many app integrations, quick setup	Limited workflow complexity; higher cost for heavy use

Webhook vs Polling for Integration Triggers

Method	Latency	Resource Usage	Reliability
Webhook	Near real-time	Low (event-driven)	High, but depends on endpoint stability
Polling	Delayed (depends on interval)	High (frequent API calls)	Moderate, possible missed events

Google Sheets vs Database for Refund Tracking

Option	Setup Complexity	Scalability	Accessibility
Google Sheets	Low	Limited (performance degrades with large data)	High (easy access and sharing)
Database (e.g., PostgreSQL)	Medium to High	High (handles large datasets efficiently)	Moderate (requires queries, restricted access)

Results & Business Impact

After implementation, the company experienced remarkable improvements:

• Time savings: Manual refund processing dropped from over 20 hours/month to less than 2 hours, a 90% reduction. [Source: internal metrics]
• Error rates: Refund data entry errors fell by 80%, minimizing costly mistakes.
• Response time: Customer refund confirmations were sent within minutes of request receipt, improving SLAs by 70%.
• Team productivity: Finance and support teams could focus on more strategic tasks, boosting morale.
• Visibility: Managers gained real-time dashboards monitoring refund volumes and statuses in Google Sheets and Slack.

Overall, automation significantly streamlined refund management, delivering measurable business value and better customer service.

Pilot Phase & Maintenance Disclaimer

The project included a dedicated pilot phase where the automation ran alongside manual processes with real but controlled data. During this phase, minor bugs, edge cases, and adjustments were addressed to ensure reliability.

Post-pilot, RestFlow continues to provide fully managed hosting, monitoring, updates, and workflow maintenance. This ongoing partnership guarantees that the automation remains robust, secure, and adaptable as business needs evolve.

Automation success depends on iterative improvement, and RestFlow stands by to support clients over the long term.

Conclusion: Transform Your Manual Refund Process with RestFlow Automation

This case study demonstrates how a company in Stockholm spent more than 20 hours per month managing refund requests manually—but by leveraging RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service, they reduced manual effort by 90%, minimized errors, and accelerated customer communication.

By combining n8n workflows with Gmail, Google Sheets, CRM, ERP, and Slack, we delivered a fully integrated, end-to-end solution tailored precisely to the client’s needs.

RestFlow remains a trusted partner, offering end-to-end automation services including design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and maintenance. Whether you want to improve finance operations, customer support, or any manual process, we provide expertise and proven workflows.

Ready to optimize your workflows and boost productivity? Explore the Automation Template Marketplace or Create Your Free RestFlow Account to get started today!