Configuring Plan Downgrade Options for Your Clients

Give your clients the ability to manage their own subscription changes while maintaining control over the process and protecting your revenue. The downgrade configuration tools in your CRM allow you to define whether clients can move to lower-tier plans, capture their reasons for doing so, and optionally present retention offers to prevent churn.

Understanding Downgrade Settings

Downgrade settings determine whether administrators of sub-accounts can initiate moves to less expensive subscription plans through their billing interface. You can enable or disable this self-service capability entirely, customize the list of reasons clients must select when downgrading, and configure optional discount offers designed to encourage them to stay on their current plan. This creates a transparent, automated process that provides valuable business intelligence and retention opportunities.

Benefits of Configuring Downgrade Options

• Reduced Support Burden: Clients can handle downgrades themselves without needing to contact your team.
• Actionable Insights: Collected downgrade reasons help you identify common pain points or misunderstandings about your service.
• Revenue Protection: Targeted discount offers can convince clients to maintain their current subscription level.
• Predictable Billing: All downgrades are scheduled for the next billing cycle with no prorated charges or refunds, simplifying accounting.
• Complete Audit Trail: Detailed logs record every downgrade attempt, including who initiated it, when, what reason they gave, and the outcome.

How Downgrades and Billing Work

When you enable downgrades, several important rules govern the process:

• Downgrades become effective at the start of the client's next billing cycle, not immediately.
• No prorated refunds or partial charges occur mid-cycle.
• Clients retain access to all features of their current plan until the scheduled change date.
• Clients can cancel a scheduled downgrade at any time before it takes effect.
• Clients can still upgrade their plans at any time through the billing interface.
• If you configure a discount offer and the client accepts it, the downgrade is canceled and the discount applies starting with their next billing cycle.

Setting Up the Downgrade Process

Step 1: Enable or Disable Downgrades

Navigate to your agency dashboard and locate the SaaS Configurator section. Within it, find the Downgrade Settings area. Use the toggle switch labeled "Allow clients (account admins) to downgrade their subscription" to turn this capability on or off. If disabled, clients will not see any option to downgrade in their account settings.

Step 2: Customize Downgrade Reasons

A default set of reasons is provided, such as "Too expensive" or "Not using all features." You can fully customize this list to match your business:

• Edit the text of existing reasons
• Remove reasons that aren't relevant to your service
• Add new reasons (up to 50 characters each)

Providing clear, specific options helps you gather more useful feedback about why clients consider leaving.

Step 3: Configure Optional Discount Offers

To present clients with a retention offer when they attempt to downgrade, toggle "Enable Discount Offer" to the on position. Then configure:

• The discount percentage (for example, 25%)
• How long the discount should last (for monthly plans, specify a number of months)
• Whether clients can use this discount offer more than once

After entering these details, click the Save button to apply your configuration.

What Clients Experience

When a client with downgrade permissions decides to change their plan, they follow this path:

1. They go to their Account Settings, then to the Billing section, and select the option to modify their subscription.
2. They choose to downgrade and must select a reason from your configured list.
3. If you've enabled discount offers, they'll see your retention offer at this point.
4. If they accept the discount, the downgrade is canceled and the discount applies to their next billing cycle.
5. If they decline or skip the offer, the downgrade is scheduled to begin at the start of their next billing cycle.

Monitoring Downgrade Activity

You can review all downgrade-related actions through the activity logs. These logs help you identify churn patterns and evaluate the effectiveness of your retention offers.

To access the logs, go to the SaaS Configurator section, then to Cancellation Settings, and scroll down to find the Activity Logs. The logs include:

• Sub-account name
• Date and time of the action
• Outcome (whether the downgrade was deflected by an offer or proceeded)
• The reason selected
• Original and destination plans
• Next billing date
• User who initiated the action

You can download these logs for further analysis using the export option.

Common Questions

When exactly does a downgrade take effect?

Downgrades become active at the beginning of the client's next billing cycle. There are no mid-cycle prorations or immediate changes.

What happens if a client accepts a discount offer?

Accepting the discount cancels the scheduled downgrade. The client remains on their current plan, and the discount percentage you configured applies starting with their next billing cycle.

Can clients change their mind after scheduling a downgrade?

Yes. From their Billing section, under modify subscription, they can select "Keep My Plan" to cancel the scheduled downgrade at any time before it becomes effective.

Do clients lose features immediately when they schedule a downgrade?

No. Clients continue to have full access to all features of their current plan until the scheduled effective date of the downgrade.

Why might a client not see a discount offer when downgrading?

Either the discount offer feature is disabled in your configuration, or the client's specific subscription type doesn't support this feature.