How do subscriptions automatically or manually renew?
You can set up subscriptions to automatically renew or you can manually renew them.
You can manually renew a subscription when it's Active or Expired. To manually renew a subscription:
- In the Subscriptions page, open a subscription and click .
- On the Renew Subscription page, enter the new subscription number.
- Click Save and Continue.
Your renewed subscription is created according to the configured subscription profile. When one-time charges are associated with your subscription, these charges are added to your new subscription. You can also see the source and any renewed subscriptions in the Relationship subtab, which is included in the renewal rules template. This means that the general information in that subscription profile is used to renew the subscription. For example, the billing frequency is taken from that subscription profile and included in the renewal template. If you need to manage the billing frequency separately, the subscription profile should be removed from the renewal template.
You can also set up your subscriptions for automatic renewal. You must have setup and administrator privileges to perform this action:
- From the Navigator, select Scheduled Processes.
- On the Scheduled Processes overview page, click Schedule New Process.
- Select Automatically Renew Eligible Subscriptions.
- Click OK.
- Select your business unit and click Submit.
Go to the Renewal Controls subtab to override renewal settings on the renewal rules template. This table describes the combinations of renewal process, customer acceptance, and internal approval criteria:
Renewal Process | Customer Acceptance Required | Internal Approval | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Automatic |
Not required |
Not required |
The application renews and activates the subscription. |
Automatic |
Not required |
Required |
The application renews the subscription and then sends it to an internal approver for approval. |
Automatic |
Required |
Required/Not required |
The application renews the subscription and leaves it in the subscription administrator's queue for further action. You can configure event notification rules to automatically send the subscription to the customer for acceptance. |
Manual |
Required/Not required |
Required/Not required |
The application renews the subscription and leaves it in the subscription administrator's queue for further action. |
Do not renew |
N/A |
N/A |
The application doesn't renew the subscription. |
You can control which renewal period is used by the automatic renewal process on the Edit Renewal Rules Template page.
Example of a One-Month Subscription
Consider the following example of a one-month subscription:
Duration of Existing Subscription | Minimum Renewal Duration | Renewal Duration | Renewal Period |
---|---|---|---|
1 Month | 60 Days | 1 | Year |
By default, the subscription is automatically renewed for either the minimum renewal duration or the duration of the existing subscription, whichever is greater. In this case, the automatic renewal process will renew the subscription for 60 days. You can select the Use renewal term for automatic renewal check box to override this default. When selected, the automatic renewal process uses the Renewal Duration and Renewal Period values for the automatic renewal. In this case, the subscription will get automatically renewed for a period of 1 year.
Override Renewal Duration
You can override the renewal duration for subscriptions and subscription products, even if they are renewed automatically. You can use the Renewal Duration and Renewal Period fields from the Renewal Controls tab to override the automatic renewal duration at the subscription level. This duration is considered as an exception, and a renewed contract is created.
Similarly, you can use the Renewal Duration and Renewal Period fields on the Summary tab of the Edit Product page to override the automatic renewal duration at the product level. This duration is considered as an exception, and a renewed contract is created for the subscription product.
Automated Renewal Consolidation
Use the Consolidate Subscriptions feature to consolidate all the subscription due to be renewed over a given period into a single, renewable subscription. The application consolidates all subscriptions that belong to the same business unit or that have the same legal entity, primary party, pricing strategy, renewal process, or currency. When both your source and target subscriptions have the same service, the covered levels are consolidated into a single line in the target subscription.
Use the Consolidate Subscriptions option in the renewal rules template to consolidate subscriptions during the renewal process.
In the renewal rules template, you can use the Renewal Consolidation Grouping section to select criteria for merging two or more renewal subscriptions. The application performs subscription consolidation based on the default grouping rules and the rules selected by you.
Here are the grouping rules that the application uses by default:
- Business Unit
- Primary Party
- Legal Entity
- Currency
- Pricing System
- Renewal Process
Here are the grouping rules that you can select:
- Billing Account
- Bill-to Site
- Ship-to Party
- Ship-to Site
- Price Adjustment Type
- Payment Method
Coterminate
Use the coterminate feature to align the end dates of the renewed line. You can set the end dates of all the eligible lines to the latest end date, and the target subscription is also adjusted according to the latest end date of the subscription lines.