App builder

Track each return in a recovery logistics app
from RMA to final disposition.

Describe how returns and retired equipment reach you, and Netiva’s AI builds a web app for RMA requests, pickups, grading and disposition — in a live preview, with code you can export.

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Starter prompt

Build a recovery logistics web app for an IT asset recovery company that also handles warranty returns. Clients sign in to request a return or an on-site pickup, listing serial numbers, the reason and the site address. Staff approve requests, issue RMA numbers and set pickup windows. Technicians grade each unit on a phone: grade A to D or Salvage, test result, battery condition and damage photos. Each unit then gets one disposition: Restock, Refurbish, Resell, Recycle or Return to vendor. Block Resell until a data-bearing unit has a sanitization method and certificate. Clients see only their own units and certificates.

Build it in Netiva Paste the prompt into a new workspace and adjust it to your business.
Overview

Who this recovery logistics app is for

Returns teams, refurbishers and IT asset recovery companies often track one unit in four places: a returns inbox, a pickup calendar, a grading spreadsheet and a shared drive of wipe certificates. When a customer asks about a refund or a client wants proof its laptops were wiped, someone has to piece the story together. A recovery logistics app gives every returned or retired unit one record, from the RMA request and pickup through inspection and grade to its final disposition, so each reverse logistics decision is made once and written down.

Key features

What your recovery logistics app can do

  • Return and pickup requests

    Customers and business clients sign in to ask for a return or a collection, listing serial numbers, the reason and where the equipment is. A coordinator approves it, rejects it or asks for photos before anything moves.

    • An RMA number and instructions emailed once a request is approved
    • Reasons such as defective, damaged in transit, wrong item or no longer needed
    • Pickup window, site contact and dock or access notes on each collection
    • Each requester sees only their own requests and units

  • Inspection and grading

    Technicians pull up a unit by scanning the barcode on its serial number label or asset tag with the phone camera, then record the cosmetic grade, test result, missing parts and battery condition, with photos of any damage.

    • Grades A to D plus Salvage, each with your written definition
    • Pass, fail or not-tested result with a note on what failed
    • Units received but not yet graded, oldest first
    • Every inspection stores who graded the unit and when

  • Disposition queues and rules

    Each graded unit gets one outcome — restock, refurbish, resell, recycle or return to vendor. The app suggests one from the grade and test result and holds back choices your rules don’t allow.

    • A saved view for each disposition queue
    • Resell and restock blocked until a data-bearing unit has a wipe record
    • Swollen or damaged batteries routed to a separate hold
    • Recovery value logged when a unit is sold or credited

  • Client portal and certificates

    Clients open their own list of collected units with grade, outcome and recovery value, and download the sanitization and recycling certificates attached to the units they cover.

    • Units grouped by pickup with serial numbers and final outcome
    • Sanitization method, date and certificate on each data-bearing unit
    • A summary email when every unit from a pickup is closed
    • Recovery value totals per pickup for settlement
Data model

The collections behind it

Netiva keeps your records in built-in collections. Here’s a starting structure — the agent adapts it to your prompt, and you can change it any time.

Return requests

One record per RMA or collection request, from submission until every unit on it is closed.

  • RMA number Issued when the request is approved Text
  • Requested by (required) Filled in from the signed-in customer or client Text
  • Request type (required) Customer return, warranty return, lease end or IT asset pickup Text
  • Reason (required) Defective, damaged in transit, wrong item, no longer needed or end of life Text
  • Status (required) Submitted, Approved, Pickup scheduled, Received, Closed or Rejected Text
  • Pickup window Start of the agreed window; blank for shipped returns Date & time
  • Site details Pickup address, site contact and dock or access notes Paragraph
  • Expected units The client’s estimate, used to size the truck and crew Number

Units

Each returned or retired item, tracked by serial number from receipt to disposition.

  • Serial number (required) Text
  • Return request (required) Relation to Return requests
  • Make and model (required) Text
  • Asset tag The client’s own tag, if the unit has one Text
  • Received at Blank until the unit is logged at your facility Date & time
  • Data-bearing (required) Yes or No; Yes units need a sanitization record before resale Text
  • Sanitization method Clear, Purge or Destroy, as named in NIST SP 800-88 Text
  • Sanitization certificate From your erasure tool or shredding vendor File

Inspections

What the technician found on the bench, one record per grading pass.

  • Unit (required) Relation to Units
  • Grade (required) A, B, C, D or Salvage, as defined in your grading guide Text
  • Test result (required) Pass, Fail or Not tested Text
  • Findings What failed, missing parts and accessories Paragraph
  • Battery condition OK, Swollen, Damaged or No battery Text
  • Damage photo Image
  • Inspected by (required) Filled in from the signed-in technician Text
  • Inspected at (required) Date & time

Dispositions

The final decision for a unit, where it went and what it recovered.

  • Unit (required) Relation to Units
  • Decision (required) Restock, Refurbish, Resell, Recycle or Return to vendor Text
  • Destination Stock location, buyer, repair bench, recycler or vendor Text
  • Recovery value Sale price or credit received; 0 for recycled units Number
  • Recycling certificate From the downstream recycler, for recycled units File
  • Decided by (required) Filled in from the signed-in staff member Text
  • Closed on Date

Required field. Types are Netiva collection field types.

Screens

Pages and screens to start with

A typical first version. Ask the agent for more, or annotate the preview to change any of them.

  • Request a return

    A signed-in customer or client lists serial numbers, picks a reason, adds photos and chooses a shipped return or an on-site pickup window.

    Signed-in users

  • Approval queue

    New requests, oldest first, with reasons, photos and expected unit counts; approving one issues the RMA number and sends the instructions email.

    Your team

  • Grading bench

    Scan or type a serial, then record the grade, test result, findings, battery condition and damage photos for one unit on a phone or tablet.

    Your team

  • Disposition queues

    Graded units split into restock, refurbish, resell, recycle and return-to-vendor lists, with blocked units and battery holds at the top.

    Your team

  • Recovery report

    Closed units by month, client and outcome, with recovery value and how many were reused versus recycled, ready for account reviews and settlements.

    Your team

  • My units

    A client’s units by pickup with grade, disposition and recovery value, plus links to the sanitization and recycling certificates.

    Signed-in users
How it works

From prompt to a live recovery logistics app

  1. Map your returns flow

    Tell Netiva where returns come from — customer RMAs, warranty claims, lease ends or IT asset pickups — which grades you use and where units can go next. The agent drafts collections for requests, units, inspections and dispositions.

  2. Write down your grading guide

    Add grade definitions, test steps and disposition rules. Enter open requests in the collection grid, or have the collection assistant draft sample units so you have something to grade.

  3. Grade a test unit in the preview

    Walk a sample laptop from request to recycling in the live preview. Annotate any screen that’s off, such as a missing test step or a disposition that should be blocked, and the agent changes it.

  4. Open the portal to clients

    Publish in one click, invite customers and clients to sign in and turn on the status emails. Every change is checkpointed, so a rule that sends units to the wrong queue can be rolled back.

Why Netiva

Netiva vs a traditional build

Building a recovery logistics app with Netiva compared with a traditional build
Criterion With Netiva Traditional build
Grading and disposition Grade, test result and outcome saved on the unit, with rules that hold back risky choices Grades typed into a spreadsheet and outcomes decided later from notes taped to the pallet
Wipe and recycling proof Certificates attached to each unit and listed in the client’s own signed-in view Certificates emailed as PDFs and matched to serial numbers whenever a client asks
Getting started Describe what you need in chat and watch it take shape in a live preview Hire developers, or stitch together templates, plugins and a hosting plan
Content and data Built-in collections with nine field types, bound straight to your pages Set up and connect a separate database or CMS
Making changes Ask the agent; every change is checkpointed and reversible File a ticket, wait for a sprint, redeploy
Hosting and domain Global hosting and automatic SSL; connect a custom domain from the Starter plan Buy hosting, then install and renew SSL certificates yourself
Code ownership Clean production code you own and can export Locked into a template, plugin or agency setup
Examples

Ways teams use it

  • A furniture and appliance brand with bulky returns

    Items too large to ship back get a pickup request instead of a label. The warehouse grades each one, restocks open-box pieces that pass, sends fixable ones to repair and lists the rest for liquidation.

  • A phone and laptop refurbisher

    Trade-in lots arrive by the box. Technicians scan each device, grade it, note battery condition and failed tests, and the remarketing lead works the resell queue while parts-only units go to recycling.

  • An ITAD company serving schools and offices

    Retired Chromebooks, desktops and servers are collected on scheduled pickups. Each drive gets a sanitization record and certificate, and the client signs in to see every serial, its outcome and the value recovered.

Good to know

Before you build

  • Wiping happens in your erasure tool

    The app records the sanitization method, date and certificate; it doesn’t erase drives. Follow your own sanitization policy — NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 describes clear, purge and destroy methods and treats certificates as evidence.

  • Damaged lithium batteries ship differently

    Under 49 CFR 173.185(f), damaged or defective lithium batteries that could overheat or short circuit move by highway, rail or vessel only, individually packed and marked. The app can flag them; trained staff decide how they ship.

  • Choose certified downstream recyclers

    Netiva doesn’t recycle or resell anything. EPA recommends R2 or e-Stewards certified recyclers for used electronics, so keep each recycler’s certification on file and attach its certificates to the units it took.

  • Refunds and credits stay where they are

    The app tracks approvals and recovery value, not payments. Refunds still run through your store or payment provider and client credits through your accounting software; linking them needs that provider’s REST API.

FAQ

Questions about building a recovery logistics app

Can customers start an RMA request on their own?

Yes. Customers and business clients sign in to their own account and fill in a return request with serial numbers, a reason and photos if you ask for them. Each person sees only their own requests. The request waits in your approval queue, and once a coordinator approves it, the app issues an RMA number and emails shipping or pickup instructions.

How does the app choose between restock, refurbish, resell and recycle?

You set the rules and the agent builds them. A common setup sends grade A units that pass testing back to stock, fixable failures to refurbishment, working units with cosmetic wear to resale and anything graded Salvage to recycling. The app suggests an outcome from the grade and test result, and a technician or lead confirms it, with their name saved on the disposition.

Can it keep data sanitization records for laptops, phones and servers?

Yes, as records. Each data-bearing unit stores the sanitization method — clear, purge or destroy, the categories NIST SP 800-88 uses — along with the certificate from your erasure tool or shredding vendor. The app can refuse a Resell or Restock decision until that record is complete. It doesn’t wipe drives itself, but if your erasure software has a REST API, you can connect it with your own key.

How do scheduled pickups for large IT asset collections work?

A client submits a collection request with the site address, dock or access notes, a preferred window and an estimated number of devices, which helps you size the truck and crew. Your coordinator confirms the window, and a scheduled email reminds the site contact the day before. When the equipment reaches your facility, each serial is logged against the request, so the client can follow those units from pickup to final disposition.

Do grading technicians need a handheld scanner?

No. Netiva builds web apps that open in the phone’s browser, so a technician can scan a serial number or asset tag barcode with the phone camera and land on that unit’s grading form. Nothing needs installing, a bench tablet works the same way, and units with worn or missing labels can still be found by typing the serial.

Can the client portal run on our company’s domain?

You can build and test the whole app on the free plan in the live preview. Serving the client portal from your own domain, such as a returns subdomain, needs the Starter plan or higher: add the DNS records Netiva shows at your registrar and SSL is set up for you. See Netiva’s pricing page for the current plans.

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Drafted with AI assistance from Netiva’s product pages and reviewed by the Netiva team. Example data models, screens and prompts are illustrative starting points, not customer projects.

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