Applicable to the following Sastrify plans:

Legacy*EssentialsProPlatinum
✔✔✔✔


* Legacy includes all plans signed before February 29, 2024. 

With the average organization using more than 100 SaaS tools, lack of visibility and missed renewals come at a high cost. Companies need to be on board with their renewal management, especially as their number of software license increases. 


This is where Sastrify comes in, allowing you to protect your IT budget and stay in control of your SaaS renewal management. To make sure your organization is managing SaaS renewal effectively and efficiently, we've highlighted the key configurations you need to make in Sastrify to get your renewal management on track. 

IN THIS ARTICLE

Define the renewal dates & terms

The foundation of renewal management is defining renewal dates and terms for all of your active SaaS subscriptions. Doing so will allow you to keep track of all renewals and avoid unexpected auto-renewals - ultimately protecting your overall IT budget.



To define or update a tool's renewal details:

  1. Select any tool or subscription in your tool stack to open its subscription details page.
  2. Locate the renewal sidebar widget on your right screen
  3. Click on the 3 dots icon and select "Edit Renewal.
  4. Set the renewal frequency: Monthly, Yearly, or Other.
  5. If the above selection is defined as Yearly or Other, set the renewal date, renewal type, and cancellation period.
  6. Click "Save Changes" to complete.


SaaS Renewal Best Practice: To find the renewal dates, refer to essential documents like subscription contracts, order forms, and occasionally invoices.  Software vendors have different languages in their terms and conditions. Work with your legal team to review these and figure out when tools renew, if there are auto-renewals, and the cancellation notice periods.

Bringing all of this to light and storing it in Sastrify as your single source of truth will reduce your risk and allow you to proactively deal with upcoming renewals.

Renewal Calendar

After setting all renewal dates accurately, Sastrify will compile, organize, and visually represent them in a renewal calendar accessible directly from your Overview page. 


This consolidated view enables you to grasp all upcoming renewals at a glance. Moreover, within this calendar, you can delve into the specifics of each tool and initiate procurement activities seamlessly.


For more information on how to navigate and get the most out of the Overview page, please read this article. 



Tip: You can also use the Filter Subscriptions feature on your Tool Stack page to filter for tools that are in "Up for Renewal" status or based on what's defined in their renewal details (dates & frequencies).


Set Renewal Reminder

As a Sastrify admin, you can set up a company-wide renewal reminder that will be applied to all your subscriptions whose renewal frequency (see above) is set to Yearly or Other. Sastrify will proactively remind your tool owners via email and in-app notification that their renewals are coming up in advance to allow for sufficient preparation. 


Only users with an Admin role have the ability to create task automations; those with Contributor and Viewer roles do not possess this capability. 

Refer to this article to understand the different roles and permissions.



Renewal reminder can be accessed from Settings > Notifications.


This feature is always on and is set by default to automatically send a renewal reminder 3 months prior to the renewal date, with additional recurring reminders sent every 2 weeks.


You can also change the default renewal reminder settings to match your company's preferences or internal processes by following these steps:

  1. Toggle the default setting to off.
  2. Set the timeframe for the first reminder and the recurrence period. 
  3. Click "Save Changes" to complete.



To understand how the renewal reminder works alongside the renewal terms you set, please read the following example:

  • Your Salesforce contract runs through August 30. The contract has a 90-day notice period. This would mean that the renewal decision must be made on 8/30 - 90 days = on Jun 1.

  • If you have the set the renewal reminder to  2 months (60 days), Sastrify will send the reminder of the upcoming renewal on Apr 2 (Jun 1 - 60 days). If the cancellation period is not specified, the alert will be based on the company-wide timeframe applied to the renewal date.



SaaS Renewal Best Practice: Sastrify recommends that you set your renewal reminder to at least 60 days - if not 90 days - so that you have enough time to properly take all the necessary steps for the renewals, which includes performing all the due diligence, working with all the internal stakeholders, and planning for the negotiations.

Renewal Actions from the Renewal Sidebar Widget



The Renewal sidebar widget is more than just a place to define or update a tool's renewal details (see above). With the same widget, you can also perform the following renewal actions by clicking the "More" button:

  • Set to inactive when due: to allow you to set the status to inactive to indicate that you will not be renewing this tool.

  • Let it renew automatically: to indicate that you opt to let the tool get renewed automatically. This option will mark the tool status back to Active when it is due on its renewal date. You choose this when you will take no further action and want to let the tool will be renewed without any changes being made to the contract setup.



When you click on any of these options, Sastrify will prompt you for confirmation before applying the selection.


For a more detailed overview of the renewal widget, as well as various renewal statuses and corresponding user actions, please read this article.

What's Next: Setting Renewal Workflow & Starting Procurement Initiatives


Now that you have all the renewal confirmations set up, the next steps are to

  1. Set up your company-wide Renewal Workflow.
  2. Start creating Procurement Initiatives for all upcoming renewals.


Please follow the links above for detailed how-to knowledge articles on each feature. 



Definition of terminology: 
Procurement workflow refers to the series of interrelated processes and steps involved in purchasing or renewing, in our case, software products and services. The procurement process typically has several stages, and each stage involves the assignment of an approver.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: What happens when a tool is approaching its renewal (as defined by the timeframe within the renewal reminder and its renewal terms)?

A: As the renewal date approaches, Sastrify will automatically update the subscription status from Active to Up for Renewal. For a more in-depth understanding of how the renewal status functions, please refer to this article. 



Q: One of our company's subscriptions has a fairly unique renewal term that requires it to be renewed every 2 years. Can I accommodate this in Sastrify?

A: Yes, when you update the renewal date (follow the instructions above), select "Other" as the renewal frequency and set the timeframe to 2 years. Once set up in Sastrify, this tool will change status to "Up for Renewal" every 2 years. 



Q: One of the subscriptions has a cancellation period of 90 days. How can I configure this in Sastrify?

A: You can set a custom cancellation period or in fact define it in any timeframe you want by selecting "Other" and enter 90 days. 



Q: Some subscriptions in our stack have an "Expired" status. Why is this happening and what should I do?


A: This status is caused by an overdue renewal date. Expired tools are annual subscriptions with renewal dates defined in Sastrify, but they have all expired due to:

  • The renewal type is set to Unknown or to expire on a specific date (see below),
  • And when they have passed that date, the status is not manually changed back to Active.


The above causes a subscription to run past its renewal date. To mitigate, we recommend the use of the "Filter Subscriptions" in the Tool Stack page to filter for tools whose status = Expired:

  • For tools/subscriptions that are still active and in use: change the status to Active and fully update the renewal dates. Use the guide outlined in this section to define the renewal dates & terms.
  • For tools/subscriptions that are no longer in use: change the status to Inactive to ensure they are properly archived.

To prevent subscriptions from expiring, always make sure the renewal terms in full: define the dates and detailed terms, including the renewal type and cancellation window & take the necessary steps to ensure your subscriptions are renewed properly.


Q: Who receives the renewal alerts or reminders?

A: By default, the tool owner of a subscription is notified of renewal notifications or other updates to the subscription. (For more information on assigning a tool owner, see this article.)

In addition, any user who follows and comments on a particular subscription will automatically receive all notifications related to that subscription. You can follow a subscription by clicking the Follow Updates button on a subscription's Feed tab.