How and when you renew orders is controlled by the renewal series.
What exactly is a renewal series? It is a schedule that tells QuickFill which renewal notices you want to send and when you want to send them. QuickFill links every order in your database to a renewal series that specifies when QuickFill should generate renewal notices.
There are two types of renewal series in QuickFill. The first type, "by days", generates the first renewal notice based on the number of issues remaining in a subscription. All subsequent notices are generated based on the number of days that have passed since the last renewal notice was generated. The second type of renewal series, "by issues", generates the first and subsequent renewal notices based on the number of issues remaining in a subscription. Click here for more information on renewal series.
The diagram below shows you what a typical "by days" renewal series looks like. The "by issues" renewal series is very similar.
Each series can contain from one to twelve renewal efforts, or mailings. For each effort in the renewal series, you specify the price, term, and premium combinations you want; the package (envelopes, inserts, and so forth) you'll use; the messages you want printed on the renewal notices; and the number of days that should elapse (or issues that should be remaining for a "by issues" series) before QuickFill generates—and you send—the next effort. You can also specify for each renewal effort whether the renewal notice should go to the bill-to address or the ship-to address(es) or, in the case of agency subscriptions, whether to send the renewal notices to the subscriber or to the agency. For "by issues" renewal series, you can also specify whether or not the renewal notices are to be sent with the issue or separately.
You can define any number of renewal series. How does QuickFill decide which series to use to renew a specific order?
You must specify on the publication definition renewal tab a default renewal series. QuickFill will use this series for all new orders, unless you override it elsewhere.
You can specify a renewal series for regular (non-gift) subscriptions as well as gift subscriptions on the 'Tracking codes' definition screen. If you do, QuickFill uses these series, instead of the default series, for all orders you enter with that tracking code (see tracking codes, for more details).
You must specify on the 'Renewal series' definition screen a "next" renewal series for regular subscriptions, for controlled subscriptions (audit system only), and for gift subscriptions. QuickFill will use these "next" series when orders generated by the renewal series you're currently defining come up for renewal (see renewal series for details).
Renewing gift subscriptions
You'll probably want to use a different renewal series, one containing special messages, for renewing gifts. Therefore, you should link the tracking code you use to enter gifts to a special renewal series.
You'll notice on the renewal series definition screen a 'Next renewal series for gifts' field and a 'Next billing series for gifts' field. When it comes time to renew gift orders generated by the series you're currently defining, QuickFill will use the series you enter in these fields if the order is renewed with a 'G' in the 'Gift/Comp' field. If the renewal order is no longer a gift subscription, you remove the 'G' from the 'Gift/Comp' field as part of the renewal transaction so that QuickFill will know to use the regular 'Next' renewal and billing series.
For example, say you send the first three efforts in a series to the donor and the donor doesn't respond, you then send the next three efforts to the donee. If the donor responds, leave 'G' in the 'Gift/Comp' field when entering the renewal order and QuickFill will use the next series for gifts. If the donee responds, the subscription is no longer a gift, remove 'G' from the 'Gift/Comp' field when entering the renewal order and QuickFill will use the regular 'Next' series.
Reassigning orders to different renewal series
You can reassign a group of orders to a renewal series other than the one to which they were originally assigned by using 'Change series' on the 'Updates' menu. This capability helps you test which renewal series is most effective (see change renewal series for details). You can also assign individual orders to a different renewal series at the time the renewal is entered or by using the 'Adjust order' transaction (click here for details on the 'Billing & renewal' tab for the 'Adjust order' transaction).
Default renewal series
After you create a new publication, you should go back into the publication's definition and review the default renewal series. This is the renewal series you specified on the Renewal tab of the publication definition screen. By right clicking on the renewal series field and selecting "Change renewal series," you can look at the definition of the series. If the series doesn't do exactly what you want it to do, you can change it on the spot.
Unlike a billing series, a renewal series is specific to a publication. You can have several renewal series, all with the same name, as long as you link them to different publications. That is, you can use the same name—for example, STD—for each publication, even though each series may contain different components.
Auto renewals
If you check the 'Auto renew orders that use this series' field on the 'Links' tab of the 'Renewal series' definition, the renewal update (or issue labels update for "by issues" renewal series) will automatically create renewal orders as if the customer had renewed on the first effort instead of generating a renewal notice. The subscription is automatically renewed when the number of issues remaining in a subscription reaches the point where the renewal series specifies that the first renewal effort should be sent. QuickFill renews the orders as unpaid and produces bills for the subscribers the next time you run the 'Billing' update.
When using the automatic renewal feature, you can also reuse any credit card numbers that are present, in which case the renewal orders will be marked as paid, and credit card will be charged the next time you run the credit card update. To reuse credit card numbers on orders that are automatically renewed, check the 'Reuse credit card number' field on the 'Links' tab of the 'Renewal series' definition. Click here for more information on automatic renewals.
Renewals at birth
QuickFill also provides the ability to establish renewals at birth; an extension to a subscription that is solicited at the time of the original order. For example, some publishers offer subscribers extended terms on their bills with wording such as "for only twenty dollars more you can receive an extra twelve issues." If the subscriber accepts the offer and sends a check for the amount of the original order plus the extension, then you are faced with a dilemma—how do you enter a combination payment and renewal transaction and split the amount of the check appropriately?
The renewal transaction has been designed to handle this situation by allowing you to establish an extra renewal effort that is not part of any renewal series. When you receive a payment from a subscriber who has elected to extend his or her subscription, enter it as a renewal, not a payment, and choose the renewal effort code that you defined for "renewals at birth." (See How to enter renewals at birth for more details.)
The Renewal menu
When you select 'Renewal' under 'Definitions' on the main menu, you'll see a submenu with the following items: 'Series', 'Efforts', 'Packages', 'Channels', 'Offers', 'Premiums', 'Messages', and 'Requal Sources (audit system only).
The best way to create a new renewal series is to select 'Series', then click on "Replicate" to "clone" an already-defined renewal series, complete with its efforts, packages, offers, premiums, and messages.
Now, when you're in the 'Renewal series' definition screen, you can right click and select "Pick…" to select from a list of existing components you want to use, select "Change…" to change the contents of those components, select "New…" to create new ones, or select "Clear" to remove the contents of those components. (Click here for details on defining renewal series.)
An alternative way to create a renewal series is to first create messages, premiums, offers, channels, renewal packages, and efforts by selecting those items under 'Renewals'. Then you bring together these separate components by linking premiums to offers and packages to efforts. Finally, you assemble them all on the 'Renewal series' definition screen by using the right mouse button in the appropriate fields.
