Subscriptions
THE ESSENTIALS
A Subscription is a collection of services that a contact subscribes to and is billed for on a recurring basis, according to the agreed pricing and billing terms.
Subscriptions are created when contacts order services from your business’s Product Catalogue. During this process, contacts select the services they want and choose the applicable price terms, which define pricing, billing, renewal, and contract conditions. Services are grouped into subscriptions based on their billing cycle, billing model, and currency.
CRM.COM enables your business to configure your Subscription and Billing models that effectively manage workflows of any complexity - from simple flat-fee termed services to bundled offerings with or without include devices and usage-based billing. Subscriptions support a wide range of rules and automations, allowing you to manage trials, cancellations, and service changes, define flexible billing models such as anniversary or period-based billing with immediate or delayed alignment and proration, and streamline invoicing and payment collection.
CRM.COM’s Billing Engine automatically manages subscription billing, handling key processes such as proration, billing cycle alignment, invoicing, and automated payments when an account exceeds its credit limit.
Throughout their lifecycle, subscriptions and their associated services move through various states. Some transitions occur automatically, driven by your business’s model, while others are initiated by contacts - for example, upgrades, downgrades, or cancellations.
There are three main ways to integrate CRM.COM Subscriptions into your business model and technology ecosystem:
Channel | Description |
|---|---|
CRM.COM Apps | A ready-to-use solution that allows contacts to subscribe and self-manage their subscriptions and billing. |
Self-Service Web APIs | Use CRM.CMOM’s APIs to build your own front-end experience. |
Back-Office Web APIs | Integrate server-to-server for scenarios involving externally managed subscriptions or in-app subscriptions. |
Before exploring Subscriptions in depth, let’s review some key terms commonly used throughout CRM.COM.
Subscriber
A subscriber is a contact or an organisation that subscribed to one or more of your services. A subscriber’s state indicates whether they are currently paying or not:
State | Description |
|---|---|
Active | The contact is a paying subscriber with at least one service in an Effective or Paused state. |
Inactive | The contact remains a subscriber, but all services are in Not Effective or Draft states. |
Churned | All services have been Cancelled or Regretted, and the contact is no longer considered a paying subscriber. |
Subscriptions
Subscriptions group services together based on their billing cycle, billing model (pre- or post-bill), and currency. It includes the billing terms and, optionally, a preferred payment method for automated payments. It also has one of the following states:
State | Description |
|---|---|
Active | At least one service in the subscription is in an Effective or Paused state, and the contact is actively being billed and paying for it. |
Inactive | No services in the subscription are Active, all are in Not Effective or Draft states. |
Churned | All services in the subscription have been discontinued (i.e. are Cancelled or Regretted), and the contact is no longer being billed. |
Subscription Services
A Subscription Service can be either a Termed or One-time service from your product catalogue. Each subscription service has a state:
State | Description |
|---|---|
Draft | The service has been ordered but has not yet been activated. |
Effective | The service is Active and in use by the contact. It is either being billed and paid for or is within a trial period. |
Not Effective | The service has been deactivated due to an outstanding balance or exceeded credit limit. It cannot be reactivated until the balance is settled. |
Paused | The service is temporarily suspended at the contact’s request and does not incur charges during this period. |
Cancelled | The service has been permanently terminated, either at the contact’s request or due to prolonged deactivation. Billing has stopped, and a new subscription is required to use the service again. |
Regretted | The service has been cancelled shortly after activation (within a defined period) and is eligible for a full refund. |
Subscription Terms
Subscription Terms define the agreement between the contact and the service provider. These terms include:
Term | Description |
|---|---|
Agreement Date | The date on which the subscription agreement is established. |
Billing Cycle | The frequency at which the subscription is billed (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly). |
Billing Day | The specific day the billing cycle begins.
|
Payment Method | The contact’s preferred method for paying recurring service fees. If not specified, the primary payment method is used for automated payments. The contact’s CRM.COM Wallet is considered the default primary payment method. |
Termed Period
A termed period is the agreed duration during which a service remains active and billable. It may span one or more billing cycles. When the termed period ends, the service either auto-renews (i.e. remains active and billed for another cycle), or expires, meaning it is deactivated and billing stops. Expired services can be reactivated for a new termed period upon the subscriber’s request.
Contract Period
A contract period is the defined timeframe during which the contact agrees to comply with specific business rules - such as restrictions on cancellations or changes to their services. In return, the business guarantees the continued delivery of the service and protection from any price increases during this period.
Trial Period
The trial period is a limited period during which a contact can try out a service, free of charge, with no billing or contractual obligations. It starts when the contact subscribes and is defined in the service’s pricing terms.
Usage Services
Contacts must subscribe to Termed or One-time services in order to consume usage-based services such as Data or Voice. The price terms of Termed and One-time services define the usage allowance, which specifies the services that can be consumed and may also include limits on the amount of usage permitted under the service’s pricing plan.
No Billing Services
Services marked as ‘No Billing’ are configured without a price. Contacts can subscribe to such services, but they are never invoiced for them. These services are grouped under a separate 'No Billing' subscription, which has no billing terms. They can be canceled at any time and may still be enabled on devices if needed.
Quantity-based and Line-based services
Termed services use an instance model to define how they appear on a subscription:
Mode | Description |
|---|---|
Quantity- based (default) | The service is added once with a quantity representing the number of units. All units share the same pricing and usage and are billed as a single invoice line. |
Line-base | Each order creates a separate service line. Each instance is managed independently (e.g. its own usage or device), has no quantity, and is billed on separate invoice lines, potentially across different billing periods due to alignment. |
Devices
Devices (such as set-top boxes or routers) are used to deliver services to subscribers. Contacts can use their own devices or opt to purchase or rent them from the business, which can manage the devices through its warehouse inventory. Once a device is assigned to a subscriber, the associated services are enabled on it, and CRM.COM’s Provisioning layer activates these services for the subscriber.
Billing
Billing is the automated process of charging subscriptions for a defined period, either on a pre-bill or post-bill basis. It takes into account all subscriptions and their services, as well as any scheduled changes (e.g. upgrades or cancellations). It includes Invoicing and automated Payments, ensuring that contacts are charged according to their service usage and pricing terms, as well as your business’s subscription and Billing model.
Refer to the Billing manual for more information on subscription billing.
Viewing Subscriptions
CRM.COM offers two ways to view subscriptions:
Subscriptions Summary
To access the full list, go to Subscriptions > Subscriptions. Click on any Subscription to view its billing terms and associated services and devices.
Contact Subscriptions
Navigate to Contacts > My Contacts > select a contact and view their Subscriptions by selecting the Subscriptions tab.
Subscriptions are grouped by their billing cycle, billing model and currency. The subscription’s key billing and payment details are displayed, including the billing date, the latest period billed, the next period to be billed and the expected payment date.
‘No Billing’ and ‘One-time’ subscriptions are also shown here. In both cases, there’s a single subscription, without billing terms, that groups together all of these services.
Enable the Show Churned toggle to view any churned subscriptions.
Subscribing to a Service
Contacts subscribe to services through the ordering flow, typically via a front-end app. When ordering, contacts select the service(s) to subscribe to and their pricing terms. On completing the Order, services are grouped into subscriptions based on the price terms' billing cycle.
Adding services to contacts can also be performed in the back-end, typically in B2B flows, when services are added by a user on behalf of the contact.
Subscription services can be offered individually or as part of a fixed or flexible bundle. In flexible bundles, contacts can view and select which services to include in their bundle, as well as any bundle restrictions and whether selecting a service incurs additional charges on their recurring billing.
At checkout, the order quotation includes a dedicated section detailing the contact’s first invoice for the ordered services - including the invoice amount, billing period, billing date, and payment due date.
If an order contains only services, it will be automatically Completed once placed.
For migration purposes, CRM.COM has a dedicated Web API to import subscriptions along with their related services and devices.
Managing Subscriptions
Contacts can manage their subscriptions through the front end, while backend users can make changes via the back end. Contacts may request updates that affect either the subscription’s billing terms (for example, the billing day) or individual services, such as upgrades, cancellations, or pauses. All such changes are recorded as subscription actions, which are governed by your business’s Subscription and Billing models. Actions can be applied immediately or scheduled according to your business rules.
Navigate to the Subscriptions dashboard (via Subscriptions > Overview) for a comprehensive view of your subscriber base, including key statistics such as the number of active, inactive, and churned subscriptions.
Managing the Subscription
Billing Address
This is the physical address of the contact used for billing purposes. It also indicates the physical location where devices (if any) are located. The billing address is chosen from one of the contact’s stated addresses.
Subscription Actions
To see the subscription actions, click on the ellipses button for the subscription in question.
Change payment method
Set or change the payment method for the subscription. If none is explicitly defined, the Contact’s primary payment method is used for automatic payments. By default, the CRM.COM Wallet is the primary payment method.
Change billing day
The billing day can be changed only when Anniversary Billing is enabled, and may be automatically adjusted based on certain changes to the subscription. However, if the contact has requested a specific billing day, that preference takes precedence and will not be overridden.
Grace Period
A Grace period prevents deactivation to allow contacts to settle their due payments. The duration must fall within the minimum and maximum limits defined in the business rules for Grace Periods. Grace Periods can be given either manually by back-end users or automatically through CRM.COM Automations. A Grace Period may be terminated before its intended end date through a dedicated action by back-end users.
Bill upcoming billing cycles
Bill the contact’s subscription in advance for a specified number of billing cycles or up to a specific date.
View Bill
View the next three upcoming subscription invoices including details such as the period to be billed, total amount, applied promotions and taxes and the services to be billed.
You can also preview bills for services that are still in trial. The bill preview shows the expected billing date and the amount to be charged. However, services in trial cannot be billed in advance.
View Usage
View the contact consumed usage for the selected subscription.
View Actions
View a complete log of all subscription actions, including those that have been executed, scheduled for future execution, cancelled before their scheduled date, or rejected due to insufficient funds. Only scheduled actions can be modified, either by cancelling them or rescheduling their execution.
Add Services
New services can be added directly to an existing subscription, but this option is available in the back-end for troubleshooting or B2B processes. Contacts must place orders in the front-end to subscribe to services.
As with the standard ordering process, the service is selected first, followed by the appropriate price terms. Optionally, the action might be scheduled to be performed on a future date.
You can also add a service to a specific Contact by using the Add Service from the options button on the contact's screen. The newly added service will either be added to an existing subscription (if one with the same cycle exists) or a new subscription will be automatically created.
Add Device
A single device can be associated with multiple services across various subscriptions for the same contact. Dependency rules can be used to define which devices are required for each service.
To add a device to a subscription, simply search for it using its serial number. Devices eligible to be added to a subscription include:
Devices owned by the Contact
Devices from your warehouse that have a rental price are provided to a contact as rentals, while your business retains ownership of the device.
Deactivate
Deactivate the services for the selected subscription all at once. This option is also available for individual services.
Pause
Pause all services for the selected subscription in one go. This option is also available for individual services.
Managing Services
Deactivate
Deactivate an Effective service. This action can be performed manually by a user through the back end, contacts cannot perform this action from the front-end. Services can also be de-activated automatically when there’s an outstanding debt or when the service expires. Automatic deactivation is processed once daily, at the end of the day.
Activate
Activate a service that is currently Not Effective or Draft. Service activation is controlled by your business rules, meaning that even when activation is requested, it will only proceed if the service has not expired, the credit limit is not exceeded, and there is no outstanding debt. Automated payments are triggered to maintain the credit limit within acceptable limits and ensure billing continues smoothly.
It’s also possible to configure an Automation to automatically activate a service when contacts make a payment or top-up their CRM.COM Wallet.
Change
Changing a service may involve one or more of the following modifications:
Change Type | Description |
|---|---|
Service | Switches the subscription to a different termed service. Allowed transitions are defined by the configured Tier Path. |
Price Terms | Modifies the billing frequency or pricing plan (e.g. changing from monthly to quarterly). |
Quantity | Adjusts the number of units for the service (e.g. number of locations where the service is provided). |
Flexible Bundles | Adds or removes component services within a bundle, allowing the subscription to be tailored to the contact’s needs. |
Billing will be adjusted automatically based on the changes made.
A service change will ultimately affect the subscription’s recurring charges. An increase in charges is classified as an upgrade, while a decrease in charges is classified as a downgrade.
Change Services rules determine when a contact’s request for an upgrade or downgrade can be performed.
Renew Service
Service term changes may include the following actions:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Opt out renewals | Changes the service renewal setting from auto-renewal to one that expires, or vice versa. |
Extend contract | Extends the service’s contract period by a specified duration (days, weeks, or months). |
There’s also the option to redeem a pass in conjunction with one of the above actions.
Redeem Pass
Contacts redeem their Promotion Passes to unlock a discount promotion for their service(s). Redeeming the pass applies the promotion, and its discount is applied on the next billing cycle.
Pause
A service is temporarily paused (deactivated) for a specified number of days. Once the pause period ends, the service is automatically reactivated. Services are (by default) credited for their paused period.
Resume
Resume a paused service before its intended resume date.
Manage Devices
Use this action to enable or disable a service on a device. To disable the service, select a device from the list of devices where it’s currently enabled. To enable a service, select any device that the contact owns or rents.
View Locations
View the locations (i.e. contact’s addresses) where the service is being used.
Manage Allowance
This option allows users to modify a service’s usage allowance. While the service’s price terms normally define the allowance, you can enable users to adjust it for specific services when needed. For example, a service may include refuelling up to 100L of diesel, but for larger fleets, the allowance can be increased to 1,000L.
By default usage allowance per service cannot be modified unless your business enables the Allowance Change option in your Usage Billing settings.
View Allowance
View the service’s allocated allowance for their usage service(s) and/or non-traceable physical goods.
View Remaining Allowance
View the allocated usage a contact can consume, as well as the remaining usage per transaction, day and billing cycle.
Regret
Terminate a service by initiating a regret action, in accordance with the configured Regret Period settings. If the request is successful, the contact will receive a full credit based on the original payment date.
Extend Trial Period
This option is only available during the trial period of the service. The trial period can be extended in one of the following ways:
Until a specific date.
By a specified number of days.
Cancel
Cancelling a service may incur cancellation fees, depending on your business rules.
If the service is cancelled with immediate effect and has been pre-billed, the account will be credited for the difference paid.
If there are no active services for the subscription, the subscription status will automatically change to Churned.
Good to know…
Once a service is cancelled, it cannot be reactivated - the contact must re-subscribe to use it again.
Create segments based on your subscribers’ scheduled actions - such as downgrades or cancellations. Use these segments to launch communication plans, notify contacts about upcoming changes, and offer targeted promotions to encourage retention.
Managing Subscription Devices
Use this set of actions to manage the devices for a subscription (if available). Such actions cannot be scheduled.
Return
Use this action to return rented devices back to the business’s warehouse. If the device was sold to the subscriber, it is removed from the subscription but remains listed as a device owned by the contact.
Replace
Swap a rented device with another available one from your warehouse. This action does not apply to sold devices.
The provisioning provider responsible for enabling services on devices extends the list of available device actions it supports.
Planned Changes
Actions can be executed immediately or scheduled for a future date. When scheduling, the back-user must specify either an exact date or the number of days until the change takes effect.
When Change or Cancellation business rules are in place, CRM.COM enforces these rules by suggesting allowed dates for the actions. For example, a cancellation may only be executed at the start of the next billing cycle. CRM.COM proposes the appropriate scheduled date and prevents immediate execution, ensuring compliance with your business rules.
Contacts can schedule changes to their services through front-end apps. However, your business rules govern how and when these requested changes are scheduled.
Future Subscriptions & Services
Subscriptions and services set to start on a future date are referred to as Future Subscriptions or Future Services.
Future subscriptions have a future billing cycle that begins on the date the first service is scheduled to be added, and that scheduled date also becomes the official billing day.
Time Travel
The Time Travel tool is available in Test Data mode and allows users to simulate how core subscription and billing processes would behave at specific points in time. Users move forward in time to validate outcomes such as service billing, applied promotions, and scheduled changes, ensuring accurate and reliable results.
Subscription Settings
To configure Subscription settings, select Settings > Subscriptions & Billing > Subscriptions.
This screen allows businesses to streamline the setup of their Subscription and Billing model by bringing all related settings together in a single, centralised location. To access or update a setting, simply choose the appropriate tab - Subscription Management, Billing, Invoicing, Payments, or Automations - and expand the relevant section.
Subscriptions Management
In this user manual, we’ll focus specifically on the settings found under the Subscription Management tab that pertain directly to subscriptions.
Trial Management
The Trial Management feature allows businesses to define how trial services are offered to contacts. Two configuration options are available:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Once per contact | A contact can receive only one trial service. If they subscribe to additional trial-enabled services, the trial will not be applied again, even if included in the service’s price terms. |
One per subscribed service | A contact may receive trials for different services, but each service can only be trialled once. If the contact re-subscribes to the same service, the trial period will not be offered again. |
Enable Trial period extension to allow back-end users to manually extend the trial by a number of days. Trial period can be extended only once and only by back-end users.
Cancellations
Establish business rules to control service cancellations more effectively. Cancellations may be allowed to be performed immediately or enforced to be scheduled depending on whether the service falls within or outside its contract period.
A service is out of contract period if it does not have an contract period in its price terms or, if contract period was set, then this is expired.
Change Service
Define rules for handling service upgrades and downgrades. While subscribers can request a change of service at any time, all changes will be automatically scheduled to take effect on a specific date.
Re-activations & De-activations
Set up the business rules for automatic service re-activations and de-activations.
Set the outstanding amount threshold to keep a service active - Set to 0 by default (in your business’s base currency), this threshold determines whether services are allowed to remain or become effective and it is used for automated deactivations and re-activations process.
Optionally, exclude services from automatic deactivations based on the subscriber’s account classification.
Determine whether automatic deactivations take place once a day or hour. Set to daily by default. In hourly deactivations, the service gets deactivated X hours after its activations, ensuring thus the service remains active only for the allowed number of hours.
Pause Periods
Determine how many times or for how many days contacts are allowed to pause their services, as well as restrictions per paused period.
Regret Period
Allow your subscribers to regret subscribing to a service and determine how many days after its ordering the service may be regretted. Note that after this date, subscribers cannot regret the service, so services will have to be cancelled.
Grace Period
Allow your subscribers additional time to pay off their outstanding balance and prevent deactivation. If at the end of grace period there’s still a balance, then services are deactivated. Note that grace periods are always billable.
Service Restrictions
Set a limit on the number of services a contact can subscribe to based on their account classification. This limit applies to the total number of non-churned services across all of the contact’s subscriptions.
Reasons for Actions
Give contacts the option to specify a reason when modifying their services, and collect this information for analysis and insights.
Billing
Refer to the Billing manual for billing settings.
Invoicing
Refer to the Billing manual for invoicing settings.
Payments
Refer to the Billing manual for payments settings.
Automations
Find out more about automations here.
Products
In addition to configuring the Subscriptions & Billing settings, Products must also be created to represent the subscription services offered by your business. You may also consider creating an Order Catalogue using pricing tables to showcase your services in front-end applications, offering a more user-friendly experience.
Refer to the Product Catalogue manual to learn more about creating products.
Navigate to Settings > Commerce > Products for subscription-related Product configuration. The settings listed below are clearly subscription-related only.
Tier Paths
Use Tier Paths to determine the allowed changes (upgrades or downgrades) between services. A service can be changed to any other service within the path, and the change is classified as an upgrade or downgrade based on the respective service prices.
Dependency Rules
Dependency Rules define restrictions between services that contacts order or subscribe to. There are two kinds of dependencies - a product requires another product or two products cannot co-exist.
Find our more in the Product Catalogue manual.
Reference Material
You may also find it helpful to refer to the following manuals for further reading about Subscriptions.
Contacts
Billing
Product Catalogue
Orders
Inventory
Accounts
Promotions
Automations
Time Travel
Reports
Insights
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