Phase

📘 What is a phase in Zenskar?

📗

Definition

A phase in Zenskar represents a specific period within a contract or plan during which certain commercial terms apply. Phases help model real-world pricing and service changes that may occur throughout the customer lifecycle. They are essential for businesses that want to structure flexible billing and revenue recognition strategies across time.

graph TD
  Contract["📄 Contract"]
  Phase["📆 Phase"]
  Product["📦 Product"]
  Feature["✨ Feature (e.g., Tax, Discount)"]

  Contract -->|"Includes one or more"| Phase
  Phase -->|"Contains one or more"| Product
  Phase -->|"Contains one or more"| Feature

style Phase fill:#90ee90,color:#000

🧩 Why phases are important

Many businesses do not operate on a flat, unchanging billing model. For example:

• Some offer free trials before charging.
• Others provide discounted rates for the initial months.
• Some upgrade customer access or pricing tiers as usage grows.

Phases allow you to clearly define these transitions in your contracts and plans so that billing and revenue reflect actual business logic.

🏗️ Where phases fit

Phases can be used in both plans and contracts:

• In a plan, phases are defined as part of a reusable template that represents a typical commercial structure.
• In a contract, phases define the actual schedule and commercial terms specific to a customer engagement.

Each phase can have its own:

• Products
• Features (e.g., discounts, tax rules, minimum commitment)
• Start and end dates
• Pricing and revenue rules

🔁 How phases work in Zenskar

Phases can be defined in two ways—through a plan or directly in a contract:

🧱 Option 1: Using a plan

1. Create a plan: Define one or more phases, assign products and features, and configure commercial rules.
2. Import the plan into a contract: When creating a contract, Zenskar auto-populates the contract with the plan’s phase structure.
3. Customize for the customer: Update specific dates, pricing, or features as needed for the customer.

✍️ Option 2: Defining directly in a contract

1. Start a contract from scratch: Skip the plan and create a contract tied to a specific customer.
2. Manually add one or more phases: Define phase duration and assign products and features directly.
3. Save and activate: The contract will function the same way—with billing and revenue recognition tied to the defined phases.

Whether you use a plan or define phases manually, Zenskar provides the same flexibility and automation for downstream billing and revenue operations.

🔍 Example: Free trial phase

Let’s say you run a SaaS business and offer a 14-day free trial before switching customers to a paid subscription. Here’s how this would be modeled using phases in Zenskar:

This setup allows Zenskar to:

• ✅ Skip billing during the trial
• ✅ Start invoicing automatically after the trial ends
• ✅ Recognize revenue correctly across both phases

✅ Summary

Phases in Zenskar help break down a contract into logical, time-based segments. This is useful for offering trials, handling renewals, applying temporary discounts, or onboarding in stages. With phases, you get greater flexibility and accuracy in both billing and revenue recognition—ensuring your systems reflect how your business operates.