Service lifecycle

Follow one thing a customer pays for, from the order to the day it ends.

A service is one server on a customer bill.

Go to Admin > Billing > Services to see every service on the panel. The sidebar does not list this page. Click the Active Services card on Admin > Billing to open it.

The stages

Order placed -> Paid -> Active -> Suspended -> Terminated

Order placed

The customer completes checkout. The panel creates the order and, with it, an invoice.

Paid

The customer pays by card, by PayPal, or with account credit. If Auto-activate paid orders is on, the panel builds the server at once. If that setting is off, an admin sets the order status by hand.

Active

The server runs and the customer has full access. The service card shows the price, the billing cycle, and the next due date.

Suspended

The server is stopped. The customer cannot start it and cannot open the console. All the files stay on the node.

Terminated

The server and its data are deleted. Billing for the service stops.

Renewals and overdue invoices

Every service carries a Next Due Date. The panel works to that date to keep the service paid and running.

The renewal timeline

1. Before the due date, the panel raises a renewal invoice for the next period and emails it to the customer.
2. On the due date, the invoice falls due. The service stays active.
3. After the due date, an unpaid invoice moves to Overdue.
4. When the invoice stays unpaid for the days in Auto-suspend after (days), the panel suspends the service.
5. When the service stays suspended for the days in Auto-terminate after (days), the panel terminates it.

Set both periods in Admin > Billing > Settings. The defaults are 3 days to suspension and 14 days to termination.

When the customer pays the invoice, the panel unsuspends the service and moves the Next Due Date to the end of the new period.

TIP

Go to Admin > CRM > Renewals to see the services that are due soon. Read Renewals.

Service statuses

Status	Meaning
Active	The server runs.
Suspended	The server is stopped, and the customer has no access.
Pending	The service exists but the server is not built yet.
Cancelled	The customer or an admin cancelled the service.
Terminated	The server is deleted.

The services page

Search by server name or by customer. Filter by status.

The table has these columns: Service, Customer, Product, Price, Next Due, Status, and Actions.

The menu at the end of each row has up to five items: View Details, Manage Server, Suspend, Unsuspend, and Terminate.

Suspend a service

Suspend a service for non-payment, for a policy breach, or for abuse.

1. Go to Admin > Billing > Services.
2. Open the menu on the row and click Suspend.
3. Read the dialog, then click Suspend.

The dialog reads:

Suspend {service name}? The server stops and {customer} loses access until it is unsuspended. Billing is not changed.

You can also suspend from the service page. There the dialog has a Reason (optional) box. What you type is recorded against the service.

TIP

A suspension changes no money. The service keeps its price and its next due date.

Unsuspend a service

1. Go to Admin > Billing > Services.
2. Open the menu on the row and click Unsuspend.

The panel asks nothing. The server starts to accept the customer again at once.

Terminate a service

This cannot be undone

Termination deletes the server. The customer loses every file, database, and backup on it.

1. Go to Admin > Billing > Services.
2. Open the menu on the row and click Terminate.
3. Read the dialog, then click Terminate.

The dialog reads:

Terminate {service name}? The server is deleted and {customer} loses its data. Billing for this service stops. This cannot be undone.

If you terminate from the service page instead, the dialog is stricter. It asks you to type the word terminate into a box. The button stays greyed out until you type it.

Cancellation by the customer

A customer can ask to cancel from their own service page. They pick one of two options:

• End of billing period. The service stays active until the next due date.
• Immediately. The service is terminated at once.

The customer can also write a reason.

An amber panel then appears on the service in the admin area. It is headed Cancellation Requested and it shows the type, the date, and the reason.

An immediate cancellation terminates the service at once. A scheduled cancellation runs on the next due date. On that date the panel terminates the service and stops the billing for it.

A customer can change their mind before that date. A green Keep Service Active button appears on their service page while a cancellation is scheduled. It clears the cancellation, and the service renews as normal.

Upgrades and downgrades

A customer can move an active service to another product in the same category. They open the service and click Upgrade/Downgrade.

The panel shows a Price Summary with the current price, the new price, and the credit for the unused part of the current period. The result is either an Amount due today or a Credit to account.

The change then runs in four steps:

1. The customer picks the new product and reads the Price Summary.
2. The customer confirms the change.
3. If money is due today, the customer pays it by card, by PayPal, or with account credit. If the new product costs less, the panel puts the difference on their account credit.
4. The panel moves the service to the new product and applies the new memory, disk, and CPU to the server.

While the panel applies the change, a blue strip appears on the service card. It reads Upgrade to {product} pending or Downgrade to {product} pending. The strip clears when the service runs on the new product.

The service keeps its billing cycle and its next due date. The next renewal invoice uses the price of the new product.

The panel raises an invoice for the change. Its type is upgrade or downgrade. Read Orders and Invoices.

Next steps

• Orders and Invoices - raise and refund invoices
• Renewals - find the services that are due
• Billing Overview - the billing settings