Subscriptions: Recurring service jobs
Subscriptions are the backbone of many service businesses — recurring customers with regular visits. Clientflow handles everything from simple weekly visits to complex arrangements where different services are performed at different intervals.
What is a subscription?
A subscription is a recurring service job that automatically generates tasks in the calendar. Instead of creating the same task week after week, you define the pattern once — and Clientflow handles the rest.
Examples:
- Window cleaning every 4 weeks at Firmaet A/S
- Garden service every 2 weeks from May to September
- Gutter cleaning on two fixed dates a year
Create a subscription
Basic setup
- Go to Subscriptions → Create Subscription.
- Under Customer: pick the customer and the address.
- Under Services: add services from your service catalog.
- Under Schedule: choose Subscription (a fixed rhythm) or On demand (no fixed rhythm — visits are booked when they're needed).
- Pick the type under Repeats by: Regular interval, Season or Fixed dates. If you're unsure, see Which type should I choose?.
- Set the rhythm:
- Regular interval and Season: choose Weeks or Months, the interval (for example every 4 weeks) and the Start week. Under Season you also pick the season's months.
- Fixed dates: pick the dates the visits should fall on every year.
- Choose a Billing method under Billing — see the billing section below.
- Click Create.
Under Schedule you'll see a line with the next visits, so you can check the rhythm is what you expect before you save.
The three types
| Type | Use it when … | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular interval | You visit in the same rhythm all year | Window cleaning every 4 weeks |
| Season | There's a rhythm, but only in certain months | Lawn mowing every 2 weeks May–September |
| Fixed dates | There's no rhythm, just specific dates every year | Gutters on 15/5 and 1/10 |
The full walkthrough, with more examples, is in Which type should I choose?.
Advanced: Service frequencies
This is where Clientflow stands apart from many other systems. You can have different frequencies for each service within the same subscription.
Example: Cleaning company
- Base frequency: Every 2 weeks
- "Standard cleaning" — every time (× 1)
- "Window cleaning" — every 4th time (× 4, i.e. every 8 weeks)
- "Deep clean" — every 6th time (× 6, i.e. every 12 weeks)
For less frequent services you can specify an occurrence offset — e.g. that window cleaning is performed on visit #2 in the cycle (not #1).
Time slots and workers
A subscription doesn't have one fixed worker — route planning distributes the visits. If the customer has particular wishes, open Customize time slots & workers at the bottom of the subscription:
- Time Windows — when in the day the visit may fall, for example mornings only.
- Weekdays — which days are allowed or not allowed.
- Workers — who may (Allowed) or may not (Not allowed) visit the customer.
- Only when presence required — time windows and weekdays only apply to visits where at least one service needs the customer at home. Worker rules always apply.
Billing
Under Billing you choose how the subscription is invoiced. That's independent of how often you visit.
| Billing method | How it works | Available with |
|---|---|---|
| Per visit | Each visit is invoiced on its own. | All three types |
| Every Nth visit | Visits are collected on one invoice. In Visits per invoice you set how many — the invoice is ready once that many visits are done. | All three types |
| Per season | The customer pays one fixed Season price for the whole season. | Only Season |
With Every Nth visit and Per season, the invoice is collected in a draft. It isn't sent until you book the draft under Finance → Drafts.
Per season
Per season is only available under the Season type. A season is always one continuous period — for example April–September or November–March.
- Season price — what the customer pays for a whole season. You enter it in the VAT view chosen with the Incl. VAT / Excl. VAT button on the Services card. Switch the view and the amount is converted.
- The line prices on the visits are derived from the season price, split by time. They're used for payroll and revenue, while the customer is invoiced the season price. Extra lines you add on a visit are invoiced on top.
- Billing time only shows with Per season:
- In advance — the season invoice is ready when the season starts.
- In arrears — the season invoice is ready when the first visit of the season is done. This is the default.
The first-season price
A customer who starts mid-season rarely pays for a whole season. So the subscription shows the field Price for the rest of the season, with a line such as "5 of 7 visits this season".
- The suggestion sits in the field when you create the subscription. It's the season price spread over the visits left in the season.
- The suggestion follows the visits the plan puts in the first season. Visits you add in the calendar afterwards don't change the price.
- To charge more — or a different amount — type the amount yourself, or press Full price to invoice the whole season price.
- The suggestion is rounded by your rounding rules in Price configuration. A full season is never rounded.
- Below the field, Next season shows the full season price. From the second season on, the customer always pays the full price.
If the plan has no visits in the first season, billing starts next season and the field can't be filled in. Once the first season is invoiced, its price can no longer be changed.
Subscription status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Tasks are generated continuously |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped — no new tasks generated, but the subscription is preserved |
| Cancelled | Stopped — can be reactivated if the customer comes back |
You change the status from the button at the bottom of the subscription: Pause or delete on an active subscription, Reactivate on a paused one and Reactivate or delete on a cancelled one.
Pause a subscription
Useful when a customer is on vacation or temporarily doesn't want service. You can choose between:
- Pause until reactivation — the subscription is paused with no end date and must be reactivated manually.
- Pause with start week — the subscription resumes automatically from the week you pick.
The scheduled visits from this week on are removed while the subscription is paused. When it resumes, new visits are created from the rhythm.
Cancel a subscription
Choose Cancel subscription. The subscription is cancelled and all future scheduled visits are deleted. To keep the next visit, tick Keep the next scheduled order — it then stays as a standalone order.
A cancelled subscription can be reactivated later. New visits are then created from the existing rhythm.
Subscriptions in the calendar
Tasks from subscriptions are clearly marked in the calendar:
- A subscription badge shows that the task is part of a subscription
- If route optimization has moved the task, the original date and the time saved in minutes are shown
- Click the task to see every detail, including which services are part of this visit
Subscriptions and pricing
Every service in the subscription has its default price from the service catalog. You can adjust the price per subscription — e.g. give a discount to long-standing customers.
Tip: In Reports → Revenue you can see your Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) based on active subscriptions. This gives you an overview of your stable, predictable income.
Subscriptions and photos
Photos can be attached to a subscription and automatically apply to every task in the subscription. Useful for:
- Reference photos of the property
- Maps of access conditions
- Photos of special circumstances (e.g. "key to the back garden is under the flowerpot")
Subscriptions and notifications
Customers with a subscription can receive automatic reminders before each visit:
- SMS and/or email
- Configurable number of days before the visit
- Different settings for tasks that require presence vs. don't
- Settings can be customized per customer (overrides the default)
Typical workflows
New subscription customer
- Create the customer with address(es) → 2. Create the subscription with services, type and rhythm → 3. Set notification preferences → 4. Run planning to assign optimal time slots
Customer wants to change frequency
- Open the subscription → 2. Change the frequency → 3. Save → 4. Run planning again to update the calendar
Seasonal customer
If you only visit for part of the year — say garden service from May to September — choose the Season type and the season's months. Visits are only placed in the season, year after year, so you don't have to pause and resume the subscription every winter. If the customer should pay one fixed price for the season, choose Per season under Billing.
Customer cancels
- Open the subscription → 2. Click Pause or delete → 3. Choose Cancel subscription and confirm — all future scheduled visits are deleted, unless you choose to keep the next one
Related
- Which type should I choose? — Regular interval, Season or Fixed dates: how to pick the right one.
- Price configuration — the hourly rate and the rounding rules that also round the first-season price.
- Contacts and the customer registry — the customer card, segments, notes and service history behind every subscription.
- Integrations and billing — send subscription invoices to Dinero, Billy or e-conomic automatically.