Different billing address in the customer data (the simplest solution)
This is the easiest way to handle different billing and delivery information, as it does not require any additional setup in Iteras.
The subscriber will be able to log in to the paywall, make changes through self-service, and receive magazines or newspapers, but will not receive invoices as long as an alternative payer is specified in the customer data.
This solution is ideal when paying for a family member’s subscription or giving a subscription as a gift to a friend. It can also be used when a company pays for a single employee’s subscription.
On the order form
Add the “Paid by” field so the option is shown in the form. It is also possible to make the field mandatory (for example, for gift subscriptions).
If the field is not required, the option for a different billing address is displayed as the clickable text: “Click here if the payer is different from the recipient”.
Updating customer data
Click “Edit” on the customer’s data and then click “Click here if the payer is different from the recipient”.
This opens the billing address fields, which can then be filled out. Remember to click “Save” at the bottom.
Displaying data
When a different billing address is specified, the information is displayed on the customer card.
Another payer on a specific subscription
In some cases, there is a need for a debtor – meaning one customer who pays for several other subscribers’ subscriptions. Each subscriber still manages their own subscription, but the invoice is sent to a different payer.
Typical examples would be a subscription agency that pays for several companies’ subscriptions, or a finance department in one country that consolidates invoices for departments in other countries.
The same solution can also be used by private subscribers, for example if someone wishes to pay for both their own subscription and a friend’s.
The advantage of this solution is that all invoices and payments are collected under the payer. If outstanding balances arise, there is therefore no need to move them between different customer numbers.
Apart from paying the invoices, the payer has no influence over the subscription.
To register an alternative payer on a specific subscription, you need to create a custom field in Iteras:
Create a field for subscriptions and select “Relation to subscriber”:
Fill out the form:
Short name: e.g. “Paid by”
Check “Payer – which subscriber’s invoices are issued to”
Associated products: select all subscription products in the list
Reverse name at the opposite end: e.g. “Pays for”
Help text: e.g. “Customer number that receives invoices for this subscription”
The remaining fields can normally be left blank.
Once the field at the subscription level has been created, invoices can be issued to the specified customer number. This means that you can now see which subscriber is paying for the subscription.
If you also want to be able to see the opposite relation – i.e. which subscriptions a subscriber is paying for – you need to edit the subscriber field view in the field setup under Basic settings in the Account menu.
Once the setup is in place, customer service can assign a different customer number as the payer for a specific subscription. This function is not available in self-service.
The payer is displayed on the subscription.
For the subscriber who pays for others, the relationship will appear in the base data.
Group subscription (most advanced)
Group subscriptions offer significantly more advanced functionality than the debtor functionality:
The administrator can, in self-service, manage the recipient subscriptions associated with the subscription – i.e., add new ones, cancel, or change subscriptions for the recipients. There is also the option for the administrator to import an Excel file with a larger list of recipients.
Group subscriptions can include a tiered pricing model with an unlimited number of intervals, so that the price adjusts according to the number of recipients on the group subscription.
Group subscriptions can have a limit on the number of recipients in the subscription (most relevant if there is a fixed price regardless of the number of recipients).
Group subscriptions have synchronized billing for all recipients. New recipients added during a period are billed proportionally for the remainder of the current period. This ensures that the payer receives one consolidated invoice regardless of whether recipients subscribe or unsubscribe.