Over the last ten years, subscription-based services have gained significant traction (ResearchGate, 2023), with both consumers and businesses increasingly expecting flexibility and control over their purchases.
From a business perspective, subscription-based products and services offer dependable income streams, improved customer lifetime value, and easier entry into new markets. However, these benefits are often accompanied by undesirable complex administrative processes, especially as subscription models evolve.
The Rising Complexity of Subscription Management
Today’s subscription rarely follow a simple monthly cycle, with our clients having to contend with:
- Multi-element subscriptions, where products, services, and support are bundled together
- Upgrades, downgrades, or cancellations mid-contract
- Revenue recognition requirements, where income must be accurately deferred and reported over time
- Free trials or promotional periods often complicating billing cycles
- Subscription pauses, or term changes that require recalculations
As these challenges grow, managing subscriptions manually across disparate platforms quickly becomes unsustainable.
Using Systems Integration to Simplify Subscription Management
Systems integration provides a powerful solution to many of these challenges, allowing subscription-based businesses to manage complexity at scale.
- Centralised Data Access
By automating the transfer of data between platforms like your CRM, billing, and ERP, integration ensures information is always accurate and up to date. This removes silos and ensures all departments—from finance to customer support—are working from the same source of truth.
- Automation of Billing and Payments
With integration in place, processes such as invoice generation, recurring payment collection, and notification triggers can be fully automated. This not only improves accuracy but reduces time spent on manual admin, allowing your team to focus on delivering value.
- Streamlined Contract Change Management
When a customer changes their subscription mid-term (upgrading, downgrading, or changing terms) these changes can automatically flow between systems. For example, if a subscription is upgraded in the CRM, the updated pricing and term can be reflected automatically in your ERP system and revenue recognition schedules adjusted accordingly.
- Multi-Element Subscription Support
Integrating systems allows for the accurate separation and tracking of bundled components. For example, a package containing a software licence, support and hardware can be individually tracked and billed, supporting complex subscription models with ease.
Implementing Change to Unlock Business Growth
The benefits of integration go far beyond admin time savings.
- Customer experience improves, thanks to accurate data and fewer delays or irritating billing errors.
- Retention increases, as billing becomes seamless and flexible.
- Forecasting becomes more reliable, thanks to unified, real-time reporting across departments.
- Scalability increases, as teams can onboard and manage more customers without expanding administrative headcount.
Client Focus: Sapio Sciences – Simplifying Subscriptions with Besyncly
Sapio Sciences, a provider of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN), and Scientific Data Management Solutions, operates with a dual subscription and traditional sales model. With no integration between their CRM (Veloxity) and ERP (NetSuite), the team were managing subscription data manually in spreadsheets—a method prone to errors and inefficiencies.
Using a bespoke Besyncly connector, Sapio Sciences automated the transfer of subscription data between systems. The team can now mark orders as ‘perpetual’ or ‘subscription’, set start/end dates, and apply correct revenue recognition rules—removing manual admin and increasing accuracy across the board.
Which Besyncly Connectors Support Subscription Management?
Besyncly supports integrations with a wide range of systems ideal for subscription-based businesses, including:
- NetSuite – ERP platform with strong subscription and revenue recognition capabilities
- Xero, Sage 200, iplicit – Accounting platforms where accurate invoicing and deferred revenue tracking is essential
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Veloxity – CRMs where customer and contract changes originate
- Worldpay – global payment platform that ensures your payment data flows directly into your finance system
By connecting these platforms, Besyncly enables seamless data flow and removes the need for error-prone manual updates. And if you don’t see the platforms above that would help you manage your subscriptions, get in touch and we can discuss a bespoke solution for your business.
Start Streamlining
If you’re ready to simplify your subscription management and support your business’s growth, our experts are here to help.
Get in touch today for tailored advice, or explore our wide range of connectors.
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