Setting Up Your Subscription Service

Introduction to the Subscription Configurator

The CRM includes a built-in tool for creating and selling access to your platform as a recurring subscription service. This tool allows you to define pricing plans, generate payment methods, and automate the creation and setup of client accounts, helping you scale your operations.

Understanding the Two Billing Architectures

There are two distinct frameworks for managing subscriptions, which can operate simultaneously. Your choice depends on your preferred payment processor and the specific features you require. One architecture uses a third-party payment system as its primary record, while the other uses an internal CRM sub-account. The second architecture currently does not support changing the billing cycle (like monthly to yearly) on an active subscription; upgrades or downgrades must keep the same interval.

Prerequisites for Setup

Before you begin, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• You must have an Agency Administrator role.
• For the first architecture: You need an account with a compatible payment processor that can be connected via OAuth.
• For the second architecture: You must have an existing internal Agency Sub-Account (a sub-account you control) with at least one supported payment provider already configured within its settings.

Connecting Your Payment Method

For the First Architecture

Navigate to your Agency View settings and locate the section for your payment processor. Click to connect and authorize the link. Once connected, the subscription configurator’s pricing section will become available.

For the Second Architecture

Go to the subscription configurator and find the configuration tab. Click to select a sub-account, then choose your designated internal Agency Sub-Account from the list and add it. Verify that this sub-account has a payment provider enabled in its own payment integrations settings. This internal sub-account acts as the central billing system for all subscriptions under this architecture.

Building Your Subscription Plans

Creating Plan Categories

Before creating your first plan, you must set up a category. Categories organize plans into logical groups, allowing customers to switch between plans in the same group (e.g., from a Basic to a Premium plan). You can create a new category in the configurator's advanced settings. Provide a name and select a currency. It is advisable to create separate categories for different currencies to maintain clear upgrade paths. Important considerations for categories include:

• All plans within a single category must use the same currency.
• Moving a client from one plan to another in the same category requires a specific process that will result in the loss of certain stored payment data.
• While technically possible, moving plans between different categories is not recommended as it can affect all linked client accounts.

Creating a Subscription Plan

In the configurator, click to add a new plan. You will be asked to select the location (your Agency Sub-Account or connected payment processor account) where the plan will be housed. A setup wizard will guide you through several steps:

1. Plan Details: Enter the plan name and description.
2. Category: Assign the plan to a category for upgrades.
3. Pricing: Set the monthly and/or annual price.
4. Features & Configuration: Enable specific platform features for this plan. You can also attach a configuration template to automatically set up new client accounts upon purchase.
5. Add-ons: Define optional paid features customers can add.
6. Integrated Apps: Bundle third-party integrations.
7. Trial & Credits: Set a free trial period and any complimentary usage credits.
8. Usage Billing: Configure charges for overage, such as per unit used.

Click to save the plan. You can create up to 99 plans. A critical requirement is that every plan must have at least one feature enabled; the system will prevent you from saving a plan without features selected.

Selling Your Subscription Plans

Using a Sales Funnel (Recommended)

For a complete, branded checkout experience, you can sell your plan through a sales funnel. For plans using the first architecture, you must first switch to the sub-account you will use for selling. Then, navigate to the products section in payments and import your product from your connected payment processor. After importing, you can create a new funnel in your sites section and add a one-step or two-step order form that uses the imported product. Note: If you later update a plan in the configurator for this architecture, you must re-import the product from your payment processor for the changes to take effect in your funnel.

Generating a Direct Payment Link

You can also create a direct link to a checkout page for any plan. In the configurator, find the plan you wish to sell and select the option to generate a payment link. You can copy this link and share it directly with potential customers via email, text, or on a website.

Onboarding Your Customers

Automatic Onboarding via Checkout

When a customer completes a purchase through your payment link or funnel, the system automatically creates a new sub-account for them, applies the plan's features and configuration template, and starts the billing cycle. The customer receives login instructions via email.

Manually Applying a Plan to an Existing Account

You can manually assign a subscription plan to a client who already has a sub-account. Navigate to the client's sub-account settings, find the subscriptions section, and select the plan you want to apply. This will enable the plan's features and begin billing according to its schedule.

Running Both Architectures Together

You can operate both billing architectures at the same time. This allows you to use different payment providers for different client groups or to leverage specific features from each system. Manage all plans from their respective sections within the subscription configurator.

Next Steps

After your plans are live, you can manage active subscriptions, view billing history, and handle customer upgrades or downgrades directly from the CRM. Explore related articles for detailed guides on managing subscriptions, configuring automated workflows for new clients, and analyzing your subscription revenue.