Billing for contact overruns in the Community

Before starting

Your subscription is invoiced according to the number of contacts in your database on the renewal date of your subscription.

This article will help you understand how billing works, specifically for contact overrun cases.

• The tier-based system
• Billing period
• Calculation of billing on contact overruns

To fully understand the explanation below, we recommend reviewing first the definition of "contact" in our CRM.

The tier-based system

Your subscription is based on "tiers", depending on your number of contacts. 

Example: the 79 USD Serenity offer lets you manage your association with a maximum of 250 contacts.

You determine your basic tier when you choose your Springly subscription.

To avoid getting stuck during peak periods (launch of memberships, donations, etc.), the platform allows you to exceed the number of contacts of the level you have chosen. In this sense, if you maintain a number of contacts in excess of your tier during the billing period, an additional invoice will be generated.

To avoid this surcharge billing, you have two options:

• Archive contacts that are no longer active (see article: archive a contact). Archived contacts are always accessible in the archived contacts database. However, they are not taken into account for billing purposes in the same way as active contacts.
• Change levels if your association is growing. In fact, you'll be better off moving to another tier rather than receiving additional bills every month due to overruns.

Billing period

You have a monthly subscription

In the event of an overrun, your association will be billed for your subscription and the overrun at the same time: each month, on the subscription renewal date.

You have an annual subscription

In this case, the billing system for supplements (additional contacts and other optional offers) takes place on the month-renewal of your subscription.

In other words, if you subscribe on January 15 and on February 15 you have more contacts in your community than the number of contacts specified in your subscription, you will be billed on February 15.

If you exceed your tier when billing starts, you will be billed for the excess. Exceeding the tier during the month will have no impact, as long as you don't exceed it when billing is launched.

Calculation of billing on contact overruns

Let's take an association and two concrete examples to lay the foundations of the calculation:

I'm an association with a subscription to the Serenity plan.I have 40 contacts and pay annually $288. I started my subscription on January 10.

Scenario 1: Overruns without additional billing

I launch my memberships a few days later - note the efficiency!

I'm up to 70 contacts. On February 5, I archived last year's members who have not renewed their membership.

After archiving, I'm down to 48 contacts.

• As of February 10, I'm still in my 50-member max range.
• Even though I've exceeded the threshold for the past 30 days, I'm still on track for the renewal month of my subscription. No invoice is issued.

Scenario 2: Overrun with additional billing

This time by launching my memberships and donations at the same time, both actions increased my association from 40 people to 130 contacts!

Everyone is active, I'm not archiving anyone until February 10. I then exceeded my limit (limited to 50 contacts), but also the next limit (limited to 100 contacts).

Let's calculate the additional cost:

• The cost of the current tier (1 to 50 contacts), per month, is $24. I already paid for them when I subscribed.
• The cost of the level I'm on (101 to 150 contacts) is $34. I didn't pay them.

I'm left with a difference of $34 - $24 = $10 to pay.