Billing, invoice and payments requests

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6. Billing, invoice and payments requests

• Overview
• Billing
  • Zuora contact change
  • Billing processes to know about
    • Zuora entity change
      • Effect on Self-Managed subscriptions
      • Effect on SaaS subscriptions
• Cancellations, Downgrades, and Refunds
  • Cancellations
  • Downgrades
  • Refunds
• Invoice
  • Request copy of invoice
  • Invoice modification
• Payments
  • Requests to make a payment/payment failed
  • Credit card removal
  • Renewal reversal
  • Requests for split payments

Overview

Billing and invoicing requests require action from our Billing/Accounts Receivable team.

The following information is helpful to provide to the AR team when transfering tickets, but not required.

1. Subscription #
2. Subscription information - copy & paste from Manage Purchases in CustomersDot
3. Zuora ID - available in the CustomersDot under the Edit tab
4. Salesforce Account ID - available in the CustomersDot under the Edit tab

Billing

Zuora contact change

When a customer wants to change the contact for current and future purchases.

Note: Billing doesn't have a vetting process, so we need to vet the customer as far as possible before passing the request

1. Verify that they are associated with the account / authorised to make the request, by checking the following:
   • if they are a contact in SFDC
   • if their domain name matches the company/previous contact
   • getting permission from the old contact
   • checking if they are the owner of the group (for a SaaS subscription)
   • checking if they have access to the instance (via a screenshot)
   • checking if they have access to the account by asking for an invoice
2. Use the Support::L&R::Zuora Contact Change macro to transfer the ticket to AR to update the bill to and sold to contact in Zuora

Support will still generate a manual license if new contact wants an updated license. Zuora update is primarily effective for future purchases.

NOTE: The Sold to contact in Zuora usually receives the license, renewal reminders and comms about changes to the subscription (e.g renewal success/fail). The Bill to contact in Zuora will receive invoices as well as renewal reminders.

Billing processes to know about

Zuora entity change

When billing processes an entity change, billing creates a second Zuora account for the customer, with a different entity than the original.

To identify entity changes, check the Renewal subscription field in a Zuora subscription. The original (and now cancelled) subscription will point at a Renewal subscription that can be used to search for the new Zuora account.

Effect on Self-Managed subscriptions

When an entity change happens at renewal, it can impact how licenses are generated. If you are troubleshooting a license issue, check Zuora to see if there are 2 accounts with different entities to confirm if an entity change took place.

The issue that we will see more often is the renewal license not generated with previous users or trueups. In the event of the license being impacted by the entity change, we can assist with a manual license.

Effect on SaaS subscriptions

As part of the entity change process, the Billing team sets the new Zuora account to silent when creating the relevant quote, opportunity, and subscription from the previous account.

The silent account setting results in no Order being created in Customers Portal. You can confirm that a Zuora account is silent by checking Billing and Payment Info -> Communication Profile.

NOTE: A subscription in the Customers Portal account may be visible but it would be impossible to link it to a group because of lack of an Order entry.

These situations are handled by following the steps in the Billing Entity Change: Associate Subscription issue template.

Cancellations, Downgrades, and Refunds

Cancellations

When a customer wishes to cancel their subscription and they are not interested in waiting until the subscription expires.

1. Make sure that there aren't any other types of queries that would need the Support team's attention
2. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the cancellation. They will reply to the customer once done and issue a refund if applicable.

Downgrades

There is currently no ability to downgrade a subscription from a self-service perspective.

Plan downgrades should only be done at renewal. However, if the customer purchased the wrong plan as a new subscription, send the request to the AR team by selecting the Accounts Receivable macro and ask that the incorrect purchase be cancelled so that a new subscription can be purchased on the Premium plan.

If a SaaS Ultimate customer would like to renew for a Premium plan, advise them to purchase a Premium subscription and link their group to the new subscription. Ensure that they have set their Ultimate subscription to expire/cancel on the end date.

If a Self-managed Ultimate customer would like to renew for a Premium plan, refer them to Sales for assistance.

Refunds

GitLab provides subscriptions on an annual basis which are not eligible for termination / refund for a customer's convenience. When a refund request is made, our billing team uses this internal guide (GitLab internal) to determine if a refund is appropriate.

1. Determine the reason that the customer is cancelling and requesting a refund.
2. Let the customer know that the billing team will advise whether a refund is possible and process the request if appropriate.
3. Make sure that there aren't any other types of queries that would need the Support team's attention
4. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to advise and process if relevant. They will reply to the customer once done.

Note: we cannot do partial refunds, so when a refund is requested, the whole subscription will have to be cancelled and refunded. See Renewal reversal for accidental renewal scenarios.

Invoice

Request copy of invoice

Check first if the invoice is available in CustomersDot.

• If yes: walk the customer through locating the invoices under Payment History for future self-service ability.
• If no: Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the request. They will reply to the customer once done.

Invoice modification

When a customer wishes to modify their invoice for tax or administration purposes.

1. Verify that the invoice exists in the system
2. Make sure that there aren't any other types of queries that would need the Support team's attention
3. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the request. They will reply to the customer once done.

Payments

Requests to make a payment/payment failed

Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the request. They will reply to the customer once done.

Credit card removal

When a customer wishes to remove their credit card from their CustomersDot account.

1. Make sure that there aren't any other types of queries that would need the Support team's attention.
2. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the request. They will reply to the customer once done.

Renewal reversal

When a customer has accidentally renewed twice or mistakenly.

1. Determine the reason that the renewal has to be reversed
2. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR, they will reverse the renewal so that the subscription is in the same state as before the renewal and refund the renewal if applicable

Requests for split payments

When a customer has a payment limit on their card, preventing a single payment for the full amount of their purchase, Billing is able to charge the card in "batches".

1. Get information on the limit and the total cost of the purchase the customer wishes to make.
2. Use the General::Accounts Receivable macro to transfer the ticket to AR to process the request. They will reply to the customer once done.

Note that in some cases, the total amount is too large to charge in 2 batches and Billing might request that a sales-assisted order is done instead. If you're unsure whether this would be the case, you can tag [at]Billing-ops in Chatter on the Account or Opportunity in SFDC to double-check with them.