A crazy Alunta update

It has been a while since our last product update. I have been on parental leave, and Bo and Emil have been busy. At the same time, many new customers have joined Alunta and started using the system, which we are incredibly happy about. It has also meant more time for support and onboarding, and less time for videos.

A lot has happened in the product itself, though. Here are the most important things from this period and what they mean if you sell subscriptions.

So, if you are the person who previously wrote to me, “It sounds good that you are working on it, Oliver, but for now I am exploring other options”, watch the video or read on below.

Four subscription types to choose from

This has been our biggest focus. When you create subscriptions in Alunta, you can now choose between fixed-price, licence-based, usage-based and tiered.

Fixed-price is simple: a fixed amount charged at each interval. I do not need to spend many words on that. Licence-based pricing is based on licences. The two types that have taken the most work and that I will explain here are usage-based and tiered pricing.

Usage-based means the price follows actual usage. Create usage parameters, either existing ones or new ones, and choose which ones determine the subscription amount. SMS messages are one example: if you send SMS messages, call Alunta’s API with the number sent and usage is billed automatically. There are two types of usage parameters: a snapshot taken just before renewal, or a counter that accumulates over time, such as the number of SMS messages.

Tiered pricing means the price is determined by ranges you define yourself. Many software and service businesses use this model. For example, the number of customers your own customers have could determine whether they are on a starter plan at DKK 0 or a tier at DKK 100. This works through a usage parameter you call via the API, and a tier is always a snapshot. You can decide what happens when a customer upgrades or downgrades.

One detail worth mentioning: usage parameters do not have to determine a payment. You can create as many as you like and use them as indicators. At Alunta, we use them ourselves to keep track of things like who has just created a customer or enabled self-service, so we know when to reach out.

Who does this affect? Particularly SaaS and service businesses that cannot get by with a fixed price. You do not need to do anything for existing subscriptions, but if you want to use usage-based or tiered pricing, it helps to be reasonably comfortable with APIs. Otherwise, get in touch.

Bundles: combine subscriptions and one-off charges

This has been a major request from customers who have joined us. You can now create bundles instead of individual subscriptions.

A bundle can contain several subscriptions of different types, with no limit. The bundle we see most often is one subscription plus a one-off charge: an establishment cost, setup fee or whatever you call it. This is now possible because Alunta can create one-off invoices.

Who does this affect? Typically businesses with consulting or service offerings, where something runs every month but an extra amount is charged upfront. The one-off charge can even be usage you already track, which you can then add to the bundle as a one-off invoice. You do not need to do anything, but if you make recurring sales with a setup fee, it is worth a look.

A homepage you can configure yourself

You can now set up your Alunta homepage exactly how you want it, based on how you actually use Alunta.

Under “Edit layout”, choose which widgets you want to use. Move them around, decide how large they should be and how they are positioned relative to one another. This gives Alunta the look you need when you log in.

Who does this affect? Everyone who uses Alunta every day. You do not have to do anything, but take a look at “Edit layout” and set up the homepage to show what you find interesting.

Customer emails when things change

You can now send emails to customers when something changes. For example, when they move to a different tier, receive a new invoice or have a subscription ended due to a payment error.

We already have the data, so we will keep adding more of these emails. You choose which ones to turn on or off. Who does this affect? Anyone who wants to keep customers informed automatically instead of doing it manually. To use it, enable the individual emails in Settings.

Custom fields on subscription types

You can now add custom fields to your subscription types and collect extra information when a subscription is created. This could be an EAN number, but it can be many other things.

Who does this affect? Businesses that need extra information from the customer at sign-up. EAN delivery is on the way but is not available yet. You do not need to do anything, but if you want to collect extra fields, create them on the subscription type.

More gateways and Billy as an accounting system

We have added more gateways. You can now use Stripe, QuickPay, OnPay and PensoPay, which was added recently. Leverandørservice is available to some customers but has not been fully rolled out yet, so get in touch if it is relevant for you. MobilePay is on the way.

On the accounting side, Billy has joined the other Danish systems. Who does this affect? It depends on which gateway and accounting system you use. If you already use one of them, you do not need to do anything.

GrowPanel integration: dashboards for cancellations and expansion

A third party, GrowPanel, has built an integration with Alunta. You can send your Alunta data there and get dashboards showing cancellations, expansion, cohort analyses and more.

Who does this affect? Businesses that want a closer overview of how their subscription business is developing. It is optional, so check it out if it sounds relevant.

Get in touch if you need anything

These are just the main things. Whenever we release something new, we publish an update inside Alunta explaining how to use it.

If you want to get more out of these product updates in your use of Alunta, I am ready to answer personally at oliver@alunta.com.