Skip to main content

Subscription run / subscription system

  • Updated

The Subscription run / subscription system module integrated into Xentral lets you automatically bill customers for recurring services. The subscription system reduces the effort of regular billing for service contracts, rentals, service relationships, subscriptions, and similar cases to a minimum. The Subscription run / subscription system module is therefore relevant for you if you bill your customers for recurring services.

Important

The Subscription run / subscription system module is only available if you use Xentral in the Pro plan.

You can find more information about Xentral plans on our website.

Creating a new subscription

You create new subscriptions directly in the customer address, in the Subscriptions tab. Here, you add products that the customer has booked. In addition to recurring fees, you can also bill one-time products (e.g. goods).

Proceed as follows to create a new subscription.

  1. Open the Sell > Contacts menu.

  2. Open the desired address by clicking on the pencil icon on the right.

  3. Open the Subscriptions tab.

  4. Click on Insert new element.

    subscription-run-create-new-subscription.png

    The Edit subscription product view is opened.

  5. Select the desired product in the Product field and carry out further settings. For the available settings, see Available settings for billing.

    subscription-run-edit-subscription-product.png

  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for every additional product you want to add to the subscription.

  7. Click on Save.

Available settings for billing

After you click on Insert new element in the customer’s Subscriptions tab, the Edit subscription product view is opened. Here you can carry out various settings, which are described in more detail in the following table.

Field name

Description

Product

Select the product that the customer subscribes to.

Designation

Designation (name) of the subscription item, displayed on the receipt.

Description

Description of the subscription item, displayed on the receipt.

Replace descriptive text

Activate this option to display the text entered in the Description field in the General view on the subscription receipt, instead of the product description stored in the product master data.

Quantity

Enter the quantity of the subscribed product.

Price (net)

Enter the net price per piece. In the dropdown menu on the right, you can select whether the subscription is billed as a monthly price, price for x months, yearly price, weekly price (beta), 30 days, or one-time.

Discount

Optional: Enter the discount (in %) to be granted on the subscription item.

Automatically create as

Select whether the subscription is created in Xentral as a sales order or invoice. You can also specify a group and an order here, whereby the in group and sequence settings are optional.

First start date

Enter the date on which the subscription run starts.

Important

Once the first subscription run has been started in Xentral, the First start date field must no longer be changed!

Payment cycle

Specify the interval at which the subscription run is executed.

End date

Enter the date on which the payment cycle ends. Xentral doesn’t bill the payment cycle to the exact day. Instead, it checks whether the end date has been reached or not. If the end date hasn’t been reached, the cycle is billed in full. The product only disappears from the subscription once the end date has passed. If the payment cycle is to end before the end date, you have to manually deduct the difference after creating the invoice, or create a credit note.

Expert mode

Activate this option to display the additional Settled until and Comment (internal) settings.

Billed to

Enter the date up to which the subscription has currently already been billed.

Comment (internal)

If needed, enter an internal comment about the subscription. The comment is only visible to you and your employees in Xentral, not to your end customers.

Using subscription groups

With subscription groups, you can combine products in the subscription invoices into so-called subscription groups. These products are then displayed grouped on the invoice. You also have the option of creating individual invoices per subscription group.

Note

For subscription groups to be evaluated, you first have to activate the Use subscription groups option in the Settings tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module.

Creating a subscription group

For a subscription group to be assigned, you first have to create the group in the Groups tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module. Here you can also determine whether a joint invoice, a separate invoice, or a collective invoice is created for the subscription group. Subscription groups are always created globally and are valid for all addresses.

Proceed as follows to create a subscription group.

  1. Use the Smart Search to open the Subscription run / subscription system module.

  2. Open the Groups tab.

  3. Click on Create new entry.

    subscription-run-create-subscription-group.png

    The Subscription group view is opened.

    subscription-run-subscription-group-view.png

  4. Carry out the desired settings for the subscription group. For more information about the available settings, see the following table.

  5. Click on Save.

  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for every additional subscription group you want to create.

Field name

Description

Designation

Designation (name) of the subscription group, displayed on the invoice.

Description

Description of the subscription group, displayed on the invoice.

Discount

Optionally, enter a discount (in %).

Invoice

Select how invoices are created for subscription groups and how subscription groups are handled in invoices. The following options are available:

  • Common invoice: The individual subscription groups are listed one below the other in a joint invoice.

  • Own invoice: A separate invoice is created for each subscription group.

  • Collective invoice: If you select this option, several subscription groups are combined into one collective invoice. After selecting this option, the additional Collective invoice dropdown field is displayed. Here you can click on the magnifying glass icon to select a collective invoice that you previously created under Sell > Addresses > [select address] > tab: Subscriptions > sub-tab: Collective invoices.

Tip

For more information about collective invoices, see the article Collective invoice (Summarized invoice).

Different contact person

If needed, select a different contact person to display on the invoice for the subscription group.

Note

If you selected the Collective invoice option for the Invoice setting, the Different contact person option isn’t available.

Target project

Select the project to which the invoice for the subscription group is assigned.

Sequence

If several subscription groups are listed in one invoice, you can use this setting to determine the order in which the groups are displayed in the invoice.

Example: If you enter the value 1 here, the subscription group is always listed first in the invoice as soon as at least one other subscription group is displayed in the same invoice.

Group total

Activate this option to output the group total on the receipt after each product listing of a subscription group.

Tip

You can also create subscription groups directly in the customer master data under Sell > Contacts > Tab: Subscriptions > Sub-tab: Groups.

subscription-run-create-subscription-group-in-contact.png

Note, however, that subscription groups you create this way are only valid for this specific address and can’t be selected for other addresses.

Overview of existing subscription groups

In the Groups tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module, you find a list of all created subscription groups. Under Sell > Contacts > [Open contact] > Tab: Subscriptions > Sub-tab: Groups, you find an overview of all groups that were created specifically for this address or that are in use.

Assigning subscription groups to a subscription item

After you’ve created a subscription group, you can assign the group to a subscription item. You carry out this assignment in the Available settings for billing, in the in group dropdown menu.

subscription-run-add-subscription-group-to-product.png

Creating collective invoices for subscriptions

The Collective invoices tab under Sell > Contacts > [Open contact] > Tab: Subscriptions is used to combine individual subscription groups into a collective invoice. Here you also find an overview of all collective invoices created so far.

Proceed as follows to create a new collective invoice for a subscription.

  1. Open the Sell > Contacts > [Open contactss] > Tab: Subscriptions menu.

  2. Open the Collective invoices sub-tab.

  3. Click on Create new entry.

    subscription-run-create-collective-invoice-for-subscription.png

    The Subscription collective invoice view is opened.

    subscription-run-subscription-collective-invoice-view.png

  4. Carry out the desired settings for the collective invoice. The table below contains more information about the available settings.

  5. Click on Save.

Field name

Description

Designation

Designation of the collective invoice. This designation is needed internally in Xentral so that you can select it when creating the subscription group.

Discount

Optionally, enter a discount (in %).

Differing invoice address

If needed, enter a different billing address to display on the collective invoice.

Target project

Select the project to which the collective invoice is assigned.

Billing via the subscription system

The following chapters provide more information and instructions on billing via the subscription system, that is, how you start billing subscriptions and how you can view due amounts, booked subscriptions, or a preview of the invoice items.

Overview of amounts due

The subscription run lets you automatically create invoices or sales orders. The Overview tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module shows you the customers and products to be billed, including the respective billing periods and amounts to be billed.

Booked subscriptions

The Booked subscriptions tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module contains a general overview of all current subscriptions.

subscription-run-booked-subscriptions-tab.png

You can search this list by the following criteria:

  • Customer

  • Customer number

  • Designation

  • Number

  • Billed to

  • End date

  • Price

  • Discount

  • Quantity

  • Type

  • Payment period

  • Payment method

  • Document

You can also use the Completed, From, and Until filters above the table to filter by completed subscriptions and by a time period.

subscription-run-booked-subscriptions-filters.png

Starting billing manually

In the Subscription run / subscription system module, you can start billing manually. The Overview tab is available for this purpose. In both tabs, you can select the customers to be billed as well as the document delivery method (by email or printer). Billing can be started here for both invoices and sales orders.

Proceed as follows to start billing manually.

  1. Open the Subscription run / subscription system module.

    You’re in the Overview tab. Here, all customers due for billing are displayed.

  2. Use the checkboxes on the left to select the customers for whom you want to start billing. A billing is only created for selected customers.

  3. In the Batch processing area at the bottom, select the desired billing type. For more information about the available billing types, see Selecting the billing type.

  4. If needed, select the printer on which the invoice is to be printed. For more information about selecting a printer, see Selecting a printer.

  5. Click on Create billing and select the desired billing type. For more information about the available billing types, see Selecting the billing type.

Selecting the billing type

You select the billing type for a subscription in the corresponding dropdown menu in the Batch processing area. The billing type determines how the invoice for the subscription is created and sent. You can choose between different options here, which are described in more detail in the following table.

Billing type

Description

Generate invoices - The invoice is not sent

The invoice is generated. The status of the created invoice is RELEASED. You still have to send the invoice manually via Xentral afterward.

Generate invoices - send invoices by email (if email available)

The invoice is generated. The status of the created invoice is SENT. An email is sent, provided an email address is stored for the customer address in the address master data.

Generate invoices - Print all invoices (even if email available)

The invoice is generated. The status of the created invoice is SENT. The invoice is printed on the printer selected in the Printer field.

Generate invoices - print invoices or send email (if email is available)

The invoice is generated. The status of the created invoice is SENT. The invoice is printed on the printer selected in the Printer field, or sent by email, provided an email address is stored for the customer address in the address master data.

Generate invoices - Print invoices and send emails (if email is available)

The invoice is generated. The status of the created invoice is SENT. The invoice is printed on the printer selected in the Printer field, and additionally sent by email, provided an email address is stored for the customer address in the address master data.

Selecting a printer

For billing types that require a printer connection, at least one printer must be set up in Xentral. If several printers are connected, select the desired printer for the billing run from the Printer dropdown menu.

Tip

For more information about setting up printers in Xentral, see the article Connecting your printer to Xentral.

Automatic billing via process starter

You don’t necessarily have to bill subscriptions manually — you can also automate this via the process starter. To do so, activate the process starter with the rechnungslauf parameter.

There’s also the process starter with the rechnungslauf_manual parameter, which is already activated by default. This process starter processes the triggered billing runs step by step. In the default process, subscription runs first land in the queue and are gradually processed by this process starter. If the number of subscription runs in your Xentral is low, you can also deactivate this process starter to speed up the process.

Tip

For more information about setting up process starters in Xentral, see the article Automation via process starter.

Proceed as follows to also store the automation via process starter in the Subscription run / subscription system module.

  1. Use Smart Search to open the Subscription run / subscription system module.

  2. Open the Settings tab.

  3. Activate the Process starter orders option.

  4. Activate the Process starter invoices option.

  5. Click on Save.

subscription-run-settings-process-starter.png

Retroactive billing of a subscription

If billing was forgotten last month, but the products can’t be listed summed up for two billing periods on the invoice, you can bill the forgotten month again in Xentral.

Proceed as follows.

  1. Use the Smart Search to open the Subscription run / subscription system module.

  2. Open the Settings tab.

  3. Activate the Past date for billing creation option.

  4. Select the date on which billing should have been completed (e.g. a few days back at the end of last month).

  5. Click on Save.

  6. Switch to the Overview tab.

  7. Open the Invoices or Orders tab, depending on which document is to be created.

  8. Select the desired customer for whom the retroactive billing is to be created.

  9. Click on Create billing and select the desired billing type. For more information about the available billing types, see Selecting the billing type.

    Important

    After the retroactive billing, deactivate the Past date for billing creation setting and delete the date from the date field. Don’t forget to click on Save afterward.

Setting the payment method for the customer

You set the payment method for the subscription customer directly in the address master data. Proceed as follows.

  1. Open the Sell > Contacts menu.

  2. Open the desired address by clicking on the pencil icon on the right.

  3. Open the Payment conditions / Taxation tab.

  4. Select the desired payment method from the Payment method dropdown menu.

  5. Click on Save.

    subscription-run-payment-method-customer.png

Subscriptions with a future start date

If you want to create subscriptions before they start and thus need to take them into account for billing — for example, because you’re currently switching to Xentral or the subscriptions are already entered — you can easily implement this in Xentral.

Proceed as follows to take subscriptions with a future start date into account in Xentral.

  1. Open the Sell > Contacts menu.

  2. Open the desired address by clicking on the pencil icon on the right.

  3. Open the Subscriptions tab.

  4. Click on the pencil icon to the right of the subscription you want to edit.

    The Edit subscription product view is opened.

  5. Activate the Expert mode option.

  6. In the Billed to field, enter the last day of the month that should no longer be taken into account in the billing.

  7. Click on Save.

Best practice: Using automatic subscriptions

You create automatic subscriptions in the Automatic subscriptions tab of the Subscription run / subscription system module. Here you can set up a subscription to be created automatically as soon as a specific product is found in a sales order. Automatically creating subscriptions saves you time and reduces the effort of manually setting up subscriptions. The product price, any discounts, and the product itself are taken directly from the sales order. Automatically creating subscriptions is especially useful if you regularly bill recurring services that are booked in a sales order.

Proceed as follows to create an automatic subscription.

  1. Use the Smart Search to open the Subscription run / subscription system module.

  2. Open the Automatic subscriptions tab.

  3. Click on + New entry.

    subscription-run-create-automatic-subscription.png

    The Automatic subscription view is opened.

  4. Carry out the desired settings for the automatic subscription. The table below contains more information about the available settings.

  5. Click on Save.

Field name

Description

Product

Select the product that must be found in a sales order for a subscription to be created automatically.

Project

If you select a project here, an automatic subscription is only created from a sales order if the sales order and the subscription are assigned to the same project. If no project is selected, the automatic subscription is created independently of the sales order’s project.

Price type

Select whether the subscription is billed as a monthly price or yearly price.

Automatically create as

Select whether the subscription run is automatically created as a Sales order or Invoice.

in group

Optional: Select the subscription group to which the automatic subscription is assigned.

Position

Enter the position in the document at which the subscription item should appear. The position is then displayed on the invoice or sales order.

First start date

Enter the date on which the subscription run starts. Three options are available: the sales order date, the next possible 15th (set to 15th), or the first day of the next month (set to next 1st).

Block auto dispatch

Activate this option to block the auto-send in the sales order in which the automatic subscription item was found.

Automatic email confirmation

If you activate this option, you can use the preset business letter template to send an automatic email confirmation to the customer as soon as a subscription is created automatically.

Related articles

Visit the Academy - you'll find videos for most topics