Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

Hello everyone,

As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date.

Business Scenario:


In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's card on file will be automatically charged on the renewal date on a regular basis. If for some reason the collection of charge fails on renewal, the Retry Settings (Dunning Settings) will handle the payment collection and sending notification reminders on specified intervals. Upon failure of all the retry attempts, the system will automatically cancel that subscription.

Whereas in the subscription for which the payment is made via cash (or) check, the business (sales) person collects the payment and record it manually into the billing system. There can be situations where even after multiple reminders and personal follow-ups by the salesperson, the customer might not have still paid for the invoice. In such cases, to avoid churn and to keep the cash flow coming, there can be a negotiation between the salesperson and the customer to collect the payment before a final date. This final date can be marked as the Expected Payment Date in that particular invoice.

In most of these scenarios, the customers will usually pay within the expected payment date which was previously agreed upon. However, if the customer fails to do so, the salesperson might have to cancel their subscription manually as there is no business value associated with it. 

Now, let's see how we can automate this process without any manual work. By doing this, you could save a significant amount of time which can be put into developing your business.

Logic Explanation:

As you would have guessed by now, we would be using our Custom Function Workflow to achieve this. Since this scenario involves date based actions, we will be using Date based Workflow. The Date based workflow is something that can be configured to run after a particular date and at a particular time depending on our requirement.

Now, if you were wondering how to configure the custom function to automate our process, please find the answers to your questions below.

What type of Workflow is to be followed?
Date Based Workflow

When is the date of execution?
1 day(s) after the Expected Payment Date.


Are there any additional filters required?

Yes. Execute this workflow only for unpaid invoices.

So to summarize, this custom function should be set to run exactly one day after the expected payment date for the unpaid invoices. After configuring this custom function, you would have to code (the functionality) in such a way that the subscription associated with the invoice is cancelled immediately.

Please be informed that this custom function workflow will work only on the invoices which are created after configuring this custom function.


Code Explanation:

You can refer the code through this GitHub link. The code is written in Deluge script, which is easily understandable to non-programmers. 

1) This snippet of code will be executed only for invoices which are unpaid even after the expected payment date. Kindly replace the "authtoken variable" with your generated authtoken.

2) Initially, we will retrieve the Subscription that is associated with that particular invoice.

3) After retrieving the associated subscription, we will be cancelling it by using the Cancel Subscription API.


Getting started with the Custom Functions: 

1. Go to Settings -> Automation -> Custom Functions.


2. Create a new Custom function. Provide a name for the function. 


3. Choose the module as 'Invoice' and click on 'Create Custom Events'. 


4. Choose Date Based workflow type and Date of Execution as 1 day(s) after Expected Payment Date. You can also set a different Execution Time based on your requirement.

5. In order to run the function for unpaid invoices, Apply Advanced Filter as When Status isn't Paid. 

6. Copy the code which was given above.

7. Save the Custom function and you are good to go.


Further Enhancements:

1)  While using this custom function, there might be a scenario where you would like to exclude a few of your prime customers' subscription from being cancelled automatically without your consent. In order to do this, you can add a Custom Field of type CheckBox to the Subscription. 

While creating a subscription, you can leave this CheckBox marked (or) unmarked in order to differentiate your prime customers from others. Later, you can add this custom field in the Addition Criteria of your workflow, such that the workflow is executed only for your non-prime customers.

Please refer the below image for your reference, where the CheckBox custom field is named as "Cancel subscription automatically?".

2) When the subscription is cancelled, the last renewed invoice will still be in open status. If you would like to void that invoice before cancelling the subscription, you can modify the workflow to address that need. 

Found this useful? Try it out and let us know how it works! If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Cheers,
Sasidaran K,
Zoho Subscriptions.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Tip #4 : Refer and Earn Workflow system for your Subscription Business

      Hello everyone, We've been coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your business. In continuation to the previous post, this week we will be seeing about how you can implement the Refer and Earn Workflow system to acquire more customers. Why are Referrals important? Customer Acquisition is crucial for any business to sustain itself in a constantly evolving market. It involves persuading new consumers to purchase your products. Customers

    • Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

      Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date. Business Scenario: In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's

    • Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

      Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business. Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business: While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can

    • Tips And Tricks - Announcement

      Hello everyone, Every business is unique and each of them follows a specific workflow. While managing your customers' subscriptions with Zoho, you might have some needs unique to your business. Custom Functions helps you address such needs. This is a start to a series of posts, where we will be coming up with a custom function workflow every week that addresses specific business scenarios. Watch this space for further updates! Also, if you have any specific business scenario which needs to be addressed,

    • Tip #6 : Accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions

      Hello everyone, We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which you can implement for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about implementing the Approval Workflow system. This week, let's look at how you can access external URLs with the help of Custom Link. Business Scenario: Every business functions differently and has its unique requirements. At times, businesses might want to access other websites or applications by appending specific information

    • Recent Topics

    • Standard Payment Term is not pulled from account to quotation

      Hey Team There seems to be something off. I do have "Net 30" as my default payment term in Zoho Books for my customers. If, from the customer overview or quote section, I create a new Quotation, the payment terms field stays blank and doesn't get the

    • Zoho Analytics Export API

      Hi Team, I’m working on some integration tasks and wanted to confirm if it’s possible to retrieve a Zoho Analytics table as JSON data using a Deluge script. I’ve already stored my custom data from multiple sources and combined it into a single source.

    • Best way to display complex Bookings Consultation Descriptions on Zoho Site?

      I am a new user so apologies if this has been asked before. I couldn't find any answers in the forum. We offer 18 complex Consultations to our subscribers. Our current platform lets me put detail on these Consultations thoroughly (200-300 words) during

    • Gmail is ramping up its email sender policy as of November 2025

      Hello marketers, As you may be aware, Gmail introduced a guideline for bulk senders starting February 2024. If not, here's a quick refresher straight from Google: After this policy was announced first in 2023 and soft-implemented in February 2024, we

    • Modifying iframe data of Zoho booking iframe

      Hello, I have integrated a Zoho Bookings embedded iframe into my website. Currently, I am pre-filling the booking form with default values as part of our process flow. However, I want to ensure that if an input field is already populated with a default

    • Zoho CRM Workflow and Function Backup Options

      Hi everyone! I have been able to make several backups of my CRM data and noticed that the Workflows and Functions are not included in these backups. To my knowledge, there is no backup feature for workflows and functions, which is problematic in of itself.

    • Enhance Sign CRM integration

      Hello all, I'm working on a custom Deluge script to enhance the integration between Zoho CRM and Sign by using a writer merge template for additional flexibility. I want to replicate the post-sign document integration that exists between CRM and Sign

    • YouTube Live streaming? how to? Zoom has this feature, built-in. Can't find it on zoho meetings.

      YouTube Live streaming? how to? Zoom has this feature, built-in. Can't find it on zoho meetings.

    • Is or will be possible to associate meeting transcription and summary, made by Zia, to meeting/contact/account record in CRM?

      Would be useful to keep context and track jobs, better if it will be auto

    • Desk Field Not Showing in Analytics

      Hi there, I recently added a field to our Zoho Desk Ticket Information. I went and added the data retrospectively to the tickets. It is also marked as required, so all new tickets cannot be closed off without it being filled in. When I try to run a report

    • Export data using advanced export options and customizable settings

      Hello everyone, The user interface for exporting data has been revamped with updates to make data exports more flexible and efficient for users. These updates not only enhance usability but also bring advanced capabilities to help users extract precise

    • Moving data from one pipeline to another

      Hey all, I've got some complex pipelines to build and I'd like to seperate them into seperate pipelines rather than have one mammoth one. If I create 2 pipelines, is there any easy way to use the output of Pipeline1 to be the input into Pipeline2? Or

    • How to export/find all deluge code.

      Hi, I have a large app wich contains several forms, reports, html views, I need to find thow my application if any contains specific word, I could find it manually by editing app and see on every section(field code, on succes, on load, etc) but I would like to do it faster. Is there a way to at least export it to a file the whole deluge code on my application?

    • Have Some Bugs in Zoho CRM Ask Zia Assistant

      Hi Support Team, I have found some bugs in Zoho CRM Ask Zia Feature Please Check below screenshot, insight option is showing twice i think its in early access that's why its have some bugs .

    • COD with Partial payment

      Two reasons why we need COD with partial payment option. 1) Since we deal heavy weight products our shipping costs are too high. If shipment is rejected by customer we incur huge loss. 2) Some competitors place fake orders with different names and return

    • Slicers are now available in Zoho Sheet—filter your data interactively

      At Zoho Sheet, we diligently track user requests and feedback. In line with this, based on extensive user requests, we've integrated Slicers to pivot tables and are delighted to announce its release. Slicers are interactive visual filters that have add,

    • Resizing a Record Template Background Inage

      Hi everyone, I have an issue which I can't seem to resolve: Basically, I'm designing a record template in certificate form. I've specified A5 landscape. I've set my background image the same dimensions with total pixels at 443,520. Whatever I try, when

    • Updated font library: New font styles and custom font options in Zoho Sheet

      Zoho Sheet's font library now supports 500+ font styles in 60+ languages! The updated font library is stacked with new font styles, and some of the previously available font styles have been replaced with equivalent options. There are two ways you can

    • Introducing Data Bars: Graphically represent changes in data within the cells

      Conditional formatting has helped millions of spreadsheet users analyze and highlight their data more efficiently. In addition to the classic rules, color scales, and icon sets available in Zoho Sheet, you can now apply Data Bars, a convenient method

    • Default Font Size in Desk

      How do I set my default font size in Desk? It takes me about 45 minutes to find the place to set it, then, when I sign out of Zoho and log back in, it's back to font 10 again. Seems like this would be simple, but like everything with Zoho, it's buried

    • Tip #19 - Create checkbox tracker in your spreadsheet

      Hello Sheet users! We are here with yet another tip to help you get the most out of Zoho Sheet. Spreadsheets can be used to handle a variety of tasks, but ever tried using checkboxes to track the progress of your action items dynamically? Here's a sample

    • Tip #20 - Three things you probably didn't know you can do with picklists

      Hello Zoho Sheet users! We’re back with another quick tip to help you make your spreadsheets smarter. Picklists are a great tool to maintain consistency in your spreadsheet. Manually entering data is time-consuming and often leaves typos and irregular

    • Per Level Approval for admins

      We need Process admins like Zoho CRM in Zoho Books for per stage approval Currently in books, admins only have the option for Final Approval But for example, in cases like when an employee is on leave, we can't just approval one level we only have option

    • CUSTOM FUNCTION GIVE ERROR #EVAL!

      CUSTEM FUNCTION CREATE KYA ZOHOSHEET ME US FUNCTION KO USE KIYA LEKIN DATA TO SAHI HAI LAKIN DATA SHEET ME NAHI LAG LAHA HAI KRUPYA SOLVE KARE MY CODE IS float ADDTWO_TWO(float NO1, float NO2) { ADD = NO1 + NO2; return ADD; }

    • Need to set workflow or journey wait time (time delay) in minutes, not hours

      Minimum wait time for both Campaigns workflows and Marketing Automation journeys is one hour. I need one or the other to be set to several minutes (fraction of the hour). I tried to solve this by entering a fraction but the wait time data type is an integer

    • Integrate Projects for Desk KB article release tasks

      Could you please look into the possibility of integrating project tasks for Zoho Desk article release processes? We are looking for an internal integration between Zoho Projects and Zoho Desk's KB article drafting, reviewing and releasing tasks. We could

    • Feature enhancement: Highlight rows based on a cell value

      Hello Sheet users, We're excited to announce a new feature enhacement, shaped directly by your valuable feedback! As you might know, conditional formatting is a great tool for anyone dealing with large data sets. Previously, if you’ve ever wanted to draw

    • Shortcut to fill a range of cells

      Good evening: I'm writing because I haven't been able to find a feature that allows you to select a range of cells, type in one of them, and then use a key combination to type in all of them. In Excel, the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Enter. I haven't found

    • Detect and ignore bots in visitors

      The SalesIQ visitor numbers are basically useless to us because there is no bot detection. We get the same bots coming in from the same countries looking at the same pages every day. It can't be that difficult to tell the difference between an actual

    • Updating custom fields in Zoho Projects

      Hi I am wondering if anyone has experience with custom fields in Zoho Projects. I am struggling to update the field using either deluge or the api endpoint. My code is: //custom_Map = map(); custom_Map = {"UDF_DOUBLE_1":"0.27"}; update_Map = map(); update_Map.put("custom_fields",custom_Map.toList());

    • Markdown for Desk?

      Hi, my company wants to use markdown for formatting text in Desk (in all modules there, especially Tickets and Helpcenter). Zoho already offers use of markdown in several products (see https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/backstage/microsite-guide/formatting-with-markdown/articles/formatting-with-markdo)

    • Change Currency symbol

      I would like to change the way our currency displays when printed on quotes, invoices and purchase orders. Currently, we have Australian Dollars AUD as our Home Currency. The only two symbol choices available for this currency are "AU $" or "AUD". I would

    • Calendar not working

      Are we the only ones. On any browser we cannot click on any of our calendar appointments and get them to open. They just make the browser loop. WE have reached out and have been told they are working on it. The office staff are really stuck. The point

    • Tip of the week #16 - Search and filter threads based on criteria

      Zoho TeamInbox lets you search and filter threads with any information that you have about the thread. You just have to input the criteria and Zoho TeamInbox will list all the threads that match the condition.   Firstly, there is a global search you can

    • WhatsApp Message Template Quick Reply Buttons

      Hello, I created my first Message Template to overcome the 24-hr messaging window and it was approved by WhatsApp/Meta. When I go to Meta, I also see that template brought from Zoho Desk, and used it via Zoho Desk IM. However, I notice that when in Meta's

    • Account in Quick View Filter

      I have a report that I often run against a specific Account. Every time, I have to go into the edit menu and change the Advanced Filter. I would prefer to use the Quick View Filter, but it does not allow me to use the one and only field that makes any

    • Collapsible Sections & Section Navigation Needed

      The flexibility of Zoho CRM has expanded greatly in the last few years, to the point that a leads module is now permissible to contain up to 350 fields. We don't use that many, but we are using 168 fields which are broken apart into 18 different sections.

    • Set Display for Numbers/Currency/etc with Client Script/Customization in Canvas List Page

      Is it possible to set a display mask for a number/currency field using Client Script or customization? I have custom fields that I would like to keep the decimal places for calculation purposes, but do not need them displayed to the user. So 101.3568

    • 136.143.188.51 blocked by spamcop

      Zoho mailserver seems to be blocked by spamcop. Cant send mail to my customer. Not sure what to do.

    • 🚀 WorkDrive 5.0: Evolving from a file sharing app to an intelligent content management platform: Phase 2

      Hello everyone, WorkDrive's primary focus has always been to provide an intelligent and secure content management platform, simplify collaboration, and be the central repository of files for all Zoho apps. In our previous announcement, we unveiled the

    • Next Page