Upgrading or Downgrading Your Subscription

Upgrading or Downgrading Your Subscription

This guide teaches you how to upgrade to a higher plan tier, downgrade to a lower tier, add or remove extensions, understand pricing changes, manage pro-rata charges, and troubleshoot subscription modifications. You'll also learn best practices for scaling your service as your business grows or shrinks.

Overview

Your Zonitel subscription is flexible and designed to grow with your business. Whether you need to add extensions for new employees, upgrade to a higher-tier plan, or reduce services, making changes is quick and simple. Changes typically take effect immediately, with billing adjustments reflected on your next invoice.

Understanding Zonitel Plans

Plan Tiers and Pricing

What's an Extension?

An extension represents:

• One desk phone with a dedicated business line
• One mobile/web user access to your business number
• One SIP phone endpoint
• One virtual user seat

You can have multiple extensions, but you're only charged for active ones.

Business Voice Plan – Plan Comparison

Notes

• *All base features include: call recording, contacts, faxes, social integrations, and SMS One-to-One.

• Plan price primarily depends on the number of extensions.

• Additional usage charges (SMS campaigns, AI features, WhatsApp, faxes) are billed separately based on consumption.

How to Upgrade Your Plan

Why Upgrade?

You should upgrade when:

• Adding more employees/users to your business
• The current plan tier's extension limit is insufficient
• You want to reduce per-extension costs

Example: You have 5 extensions on Small Business ($30/ext). If you add 2 more extensions, you must upgrade to Growing Business ($25/ext) to accommodate 7 extensions.

Step 1: Check Your Current Plan

1. Log in to office.zonitel.com
2. Go to Billing & Accounts
3. Click Current Plan or Subscription
4. You'll see:
   • Current plan name (Small/Growing/Enterprise)
   • Number of active extensions
   • Per-extension rate
   • Next billing date

Step 2: Add Extensions (Trigger Upgrade)

To upgrade your plan:

1. Go to Services > Extensions
2. Click Add Extension for each new user/phone needed
3. You'll receive a prompt:
   • "Your account has exceeded the Small Business limit (5 extensions)"
   • "You must upgrade to continue. Click here to upgrade."
4. Click Upgrade to Growing Business

Step 3: Review Upgrade Details

Before confirming, review:

Current Status:

• Current plan: Small Business
• Current extensions: 5 × $30 = $150/month

New Status:

• New plan: Growing Business
• New extensions: 7 × $25 = $175/month
• Pro-rata adjustment for the current month

Pro-Rata Calculation:

• You currently have 5 extensions for the first 10 days of the month
• After the upgrade, you'll have 7 extensions for the remaining 21 days
• Calculation:
  • Old rate: 5 × $30 × (10÷31) = $48.39
  • New rate: 7 × $25 × (21÷31) = $118.55
  • Current month total: $166.94
  • Next month onwards: 7 × $25 = $175

Step 4: Confirm Upgrade

1. Review all charges and pro-rata calculations
2. Check: "I understand the new charges will apply immediately."
3. Click Confirm Upgrade
4. You'll receive:
   • Confirmation message on screen
   • Confirmation email
   • Updated invoice within 1-2 hours

Step 5: Your Service Updates

After upgrade confirmation:

• Immediately: New extensions are active and can receive calls
• 1-2 hours: Your account portal reflects the new plan
• Next day: Billing summary updated
• Next invoice: Reflects pro-rata charges and new rate

How to Downgrade Your Plan

Why Downgrade?

You might downgrade to:

• Reduce costs if your business has fewer employees
• Consolidate operations
• Remove unused extensions

Note: You can only downgrade if your extension count falls within the lower tier's limits.

Step 1: Remove Extensions

To downgrade, you must first remove extensions to meet the lower tier's maximum.

Example: To downgrade from Growing (6-10 ext) to Small (1-5 ext), you must have no more than 5 active extensions.

1. Go to Services > Extensions
2. Find the extension(s) to remove
3. Click Remove or Deactivate
4. Confirmation prompt: "This extension will be removed. Users will lose access."
5. Click Confirm Remove

Step 2: Downgrade Request

Once extensions are removed:

1. Go to Billing & Accounts > Current Plan
2. Click Downgrade
3. Select your new plan tier from the options
4. Only tiers that fit your current extension count appear

Step 3: Review Downgrade Details

Review the downgrade summary:

Current Status:

• Current plan: Growing Business
• Current extensions: 6 × $25 = $150/month

New Status:

• New plan: Small Business
• Extensions: 5 × $30 = $150/month
• Pro-rata credit for downgrade

Pro-Rata Credit Example:

• You're downgrading on the 15th of the month
• Days at old rate (1-14): 14 days
• Days at new rate (15-31): 17 days
• Credit calculation:
  • Old rate: 6 × $25 × (14÷31) = $67.74
  • New rate: 5 × $30 × (17÷31) = $82.26
  • Credit toward current month: -$14.48

Step 4: Confirm Downgrade

1. Review pro-rata credit
2. Check: "I understand my rate will decrease starting [date]"
3. Click Confirm Downgrade
4. Confirmation email sent

Step 5: Changes Take Effect

• Immediately: Plan status shows new tier
• Next invoice: Reflects credit from pro-rata adjustment
• Following month: New lower rate applies

Adding Extensions

What You Need to Know

• Extensions are added on demand anytime
• Billing adjusts immediately (pro-rata for current month)
• New extensions receive their own phone number if desired
• Each user/phone is one extension

Step-by-Step: Adding Extensions

1. Log in to office.zonitel.com
2. Go to Services > Extensions
3. Click Add New Extension
4. Fill in details:
   • User name: (e.g., "John Doe")
   • Phone type: Desk phone, mobile/web, or SIP
   • Local number: Choose or auto-generate
   • Department: (optional)
5. Click Add

Pro-Rata Charge for New Extension

When you add an extension mid-month:

• You're charged only for the remaining days of that month
• Full charge applies starting the next month

Example:

• You add 1 extension on January 20th
• Plan: Small Business ($30/extension)
• Days remaining in January: 12 days
• Pro-rata charge: $30 × (12÷31) = $11.61
• This charge appears on your January invoice
• Starting February: Full $30 charged

Adding Multiple Extensions

You can add multiple extensions simultaneously:

1. Go to Services > Extensions
2. Click Bulk Add Extensions
3. Enter the number of extensions to add (up to 10)
4. Each extension is assigned sequentially
5. Review total pro-rata charges
6. Click Confirm Add All

Removing Extensions

Important Before Removing

• Users assigned to that extension will lose service immediately
• Call forwarding is disabled for that number
• Extension cannot be recovered (though you can add new ones)
• Pro-rata credit is issued for unused days

Step-by-Step: Removing Extensions

1. Go to Services > Extensions
2. Find the extension to remove
3. Click Remove or Deactivate
4. Warning message: "This extension will be removed immediately. Confirm?"
5. Click Confirm Remove

Pro-Rata Credit for Removed Extension

When you remove an extension mid-month:

• You receive a credit for the remaining days
• Credit is applied to the current month's invoice

Example:

• You remove 1 extension on January 25th
• Plan: Small Business ($30/extension)
• Days remaining in January: 7 days
• Pro-rata credit: $30 × (7÷31) = $6.77
• This credit reduces your January balance due

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Growing from 3 to 8 Extensions

Situation: Your business is growing. You need to add 5 more extensions.

Current Status:

• Small Business: 3 extensions × $30 = $90/month
• Today's date: January 10th

What Happens:

1. You add 5 extensions (now 8 total)
2. System recognizes 8 > 5 (exceeds Small Business limit)
3. Automatic upgrade to Growing Business: 8 × $25 = $200/month

Pro-Rata Calculation (Jan 10-31, 21 days):

• Small Business rate (Jan 1-9): 3 × $30 × (9÷31) = $26.13
• Growing Business rate (Jan 10-31): 8 × $25 × (21÷31) = $135.48
• January total: $161.61
• February onwards: 8 × $25 = $200/month

Scenario 2: Consolidating from 12 to 6 Extensions

Situation: You're consolidating operations, removing 6 extensions.

Current Status:

• Enterprise: 12 extensions × $20 = $240/month
• Today's date: January 15th
• Days remaining: 17 days

What Happens:

1. You remove 6 extensions (now 6 total)
2. System recognizes 6 falls within the Growing Business limit (6-10)
3. Manual downgrade request to Growing Business: 6 × $25 = $150/month

Pro-Rata Credit Calculation:

• Removed 6 extensions (Jan 15-31, 17 days): 6 × $20 × (17÷31) = $65.81 credit
• Current month credit: -$65.81 (reduces amount due)
• February onwards: 6 × $25 = $150/month

Scenario 3: Temporary Extension Addition

Situation: You need an extra extension for a seasonal employee.

Timeline:

• Jan 1: Add seasonal extension (now 6 extensions)
• Mar 31: Remove seasonal extension (back to 5)

Charges:

• Jan: 5 × $30 + 1 × $30 × (31÷31) = $180
• Feb: 6 × $25 = $150
• Mar: 6 × $25 - 1 × $25 × (1÷31) = $149.19 (credit for partial month)

Managing Plan Changes

Viewing Plan Change History

To see all your plan changes:

1. Go to Billing & Accounts
2. Click Plan History or Service Changes
3. You'll see:
   • Date of each change
   • Old plan and extension count
   • New plan and extension count
   • Pro-rata adjustments

Scheduling Future Changes

You can request a subscription change for a specific future date:

1. Go to Services > Scheduled Changes
2. Click Schedule Change
3. Select:
   • Type of change (upgrade/downgrade/add/remove)
   • New configuration
   • Effective date
4. Click Schedule

Note: Scheduled changes can be modified or cancelled before the effective date.

Understanding Mid-Month Changes

How Pro-Rata Billing Works

Pro-rata means you pay only for what you use:

Formula: (Monthly Rate ÷ Days in Month) × Days Used

Example:

• Monthly rate: $30
• Days in January: 31
• Days used: 15
• Pro-rata charge: ($30 ÷ 31) × 15 = $14.52

When Pro-Rata Applies

Pro-rata adjustments occur for:

• Adding extensions mid-month
• Removing extensions mid-month
• Upgrading to a higher plan tier
• Downgrading to a lower plan tier
• Changing plan tiers mid-month

When Pro-Rata Does NOT Apply

• Monthly subscription fee if you use the service for any part of the month
• Recurring add-on fees (billed on schedule)
• Setup/one-time fees

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I downgrade immediately? A: Yes, as long as your current extension count fits within the lower plan's limits.

Q: Do I get a refund for downgrades? A: No refund, but you receive a pro-rata credit on your current month's invoice.

Q: Can I upgrade and downgrade multiple times per month? A: Yes, but each change includes pro-rata recalculations. Frequent changes may be flagged by our team.

Q: What happens to my phone numbers if I downgrade? A: Your numbers stay with your account. You simply have fewer active extensions using them.

Q: Can I schedule a plan change for the future? A: Yes. Go to Services > Scheduled Changes and set the effective date.

Q: How long does a plan change take to process? A: Upgrades are immediate. Downgrades are processed within 24 hours after removing extensions.

Q: If I upgrade mid-month, do I pay the full month at both rates? A: No. You pay a pro-rata blend of both rates based on the number of days at each rate.

Q: Can I add/remove extensions from my mobile app? A: Yes. Log in to the app, go to Services > Extensions, and make changes. Changes sync to your account immediately.

Q: What's the maximum number of extensions I can have? A: Technically unlimited, though billed at Enterprise tier rates ($20/extension) after 11+.

Q: If I remove an extension, can I use that number elsewhere? A: Yes. After removal, the number can be reassigned to a new extension or managed independently.

Troubleshooting Subscription Changes

Change Won't Go Through

Cause: Insufficient account standing or pending balance

Solution:

1. Ensure there are no overdue balances on your account
2. Try again after 10 minutes
3. Contact support if the issue persists

Pro-Rata Calculation Seems Wrong

Cause: Miscalculation or unclear billing logic

Solution:

1. Review the calculation breakdown shown in your portal
2. Contact our billing team at billing@zonitel.com
3. Ask them to walk you through the math

Can't Find the Add/Remove Extension Option

Cause: Permission issue or system glitch

Solution:

1. Log out and log back in
2. Try a different browser
3. Use the mobile app
4. Contact support

Plan Downgrade Blocked

Cause: Too many extensions for the lower tier

Solution:

1. Count your active extensions
2. Remove extensions to meet the lower tier's maximum
3. Then request a downgrade

Cost Optimization Tips

Reducing Costs

• Consolidate: Merge unnecessary extensions into fewer users
• Downgrade tiers: Remove extensions to drop to a lower-cost tier
• Monitor usage: Review unused extensions quarterly
• Plan strategically: Add extensions only as needed

Saving Money Example

Before Optimization:

• Growing Business: 7 extensions × $25 = $175/month
• Including 2 unused extensions

After Optimization:

• Small Business: 5 extensions × $30 = $150/month
• Remove 2 unused extensions
• Monthly savings: $25

Need Help With Subscription Changes?

Our team is ready to assist:

• Call us: (833) 966-4835
• Email: info@zonitel.com
• Text/WhatsApp: (833) 966-4835
• Live Chat: Available through your account portal