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According to Zylo’s 2023 SaaS Management Index findings, the average organization experiences 204 renewals each year – about one per business day. When it comes to SaaS, it’s important to stay ahead of your renewals to prevent automatic renewal surprises – and unplanned costs.
Follow this proactive SaaS renewal checklist to stay ahead of the game. And download a printable version here to save for later.
SaaS Renewal Checklist: Pre-Renewal
• Identify all SaaS applications. Discover all applications within the environment.
• Attribute application ownership. Determine cost and support accountability by business unit, team, or employee.
• Collaborate to define renewal goals. Align with stakeholders such as IT, Procurement, and business units.
• Measure end-user application utilization. Measure end-user utilization, adoption, and sentiment to inform renewal planning with data.
• Regularly evaluate costs, spending, and total cost of ownership. Track employee-led and direct supplier purchases as well as continuing transactions to understand cost of ownership and overall value.
• Create a calendar with all renewal dates and notification periods. Document each application’s renewal date and notification period (and details like license quantity and consumption metrics) in a centralized system of record
• Develop proactive renewal plans. Create and document a strategic renewal plan for every application; prioritizing highest cost or mission-critical applications first.
RELATED: 5 SaaS Renewal Best Practices
SaaS Renewal Checklist: At Renewal
• Activate renewal plan(s).
• Project growth of license and feature requirements. Consider pre-purchasing additional licenses or features at discounted rates as a hedge against future growth.
• Evaluate market and compare alternative vendors. Make side-by-side solution comparisons a routine process for renewals.
• Eliminate redundant applications. Eliminate redundant applications to reduce operational burdens.
• Level up application contracts and agreements where possible. Standardize widely deployed application types to leverage buying power and create custom contract terms.
• Utilize discounts and lock in pricing and discounts. Consider discounts possible under multi-year agreements and contract terms that limit price increases for subsequent renewals.
SaaS Renewal Checklist: Post-Renewal
• Update key purchase details. Document any updates to details such as pricing, features, consumption metrics, features, and services.
• Update renewal calendar for notification timing and renewal date. Document any alterations to renewal dates or notification periods in your SaaS system of record.
• Continue reporting and collaboration with stakeholders. Apprise stakeholders regularly on key metrics to encourage proactive planning.
• Ensure continual discovery and renewal plan creation for all new apps. Monitor the environment to ensure all applications meet renewal planning criteria.
By following this SaaS renewal checklist, you’ll have a great foundation to avoid automatic renewals. Take your strategy to the next level with our SaaS renewal guide and go into your next renewal with confidence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zylo
Zylo is the leading enterprise SaaS management platform that transforms how companies manage and optimize the vast and accelerating number of cloud-based applications organizations rely on today. The platform provides one system of record for all cloud-based software purchased across a company, enabling customers to discover, manage, measure and optimize cloud investments with real-time insights into spend, utilization and feedback data.