Customer Renewal Checklist Template

What the Customer Renewal Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Phase 1: Set Up the Renewal

   6 tasks

   Start 120 days before the renewal date. The date that matters most is often the last day either side can give notice, not the renewal date itself, so find it in the contract first.

   • Set up the renewal — the account, the contract, the renewal date, the notice period and the last date either side can give notice, whether it renews automatically and the people on your side; later tasks are assigned from these fields
   • Confirm the notice terms in the contract — the renewal and termination clauses, the notice period, how notice must be given and the last date either side can give it
   • Note the auto-renewal terms — shown only when the contract renews automatically; the length of the renewal term, any price change the contract allows and how either side stops it
   • Ask legal to confirm the renewal terms — shown only when nobody is sure whether the contract renews automatically; legal reads the signed contract and any amendments and confirms the renewal and notice terms
   • Confirm the customer’s decision-makers — the executive sponsor who owns the budget, the champion who uses the product, procurement and whoever signs the renewal
   • Check the renewal in the CRM — a renewal opportunity with the renewal date, the current value, the owner and the forecast stage
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Phase 2: Review the Contract & Usage

   5 tasks

   Compare what the customer bought with what they use and what they set out to achieve. Most renewal surprises are already visible here.

   • List what the customer bought — products, plan, licences or seats, add-ons and services, the price of each and any discount and when it ends
   • Compare licences with actual use — active users against seats bought, use of each product and add-on, and the trend over the term
   • List open issues and escalations — support tickets still open, escalations during the term, defects and feature requests the customer is waiting on
   • Score the customer’s goals — the goals from the handoff, the success plan or the last QBR, each met, partly met or missed, with the evidence
   • Check billing and payment history — overdue invoices, disputes, credit notes, payment terms and the purchase order the customer needs on the renewal invoice
3. 3
   Phase 3

   Phase 3: Health Check & Renewal Risk

   5 tasks

   Decide early whether this renewal is on track. The answer on the last task here adds the save plan or the steps for a customer who is leaving.

   • Update the health score — the current rating, the last one and the signals behind any change
   • Check the sponsor and champion are still in place — the executive sponsor who owns the budget and the champion who uses the product; any change of role, departure or reorganisation
   • Look for competitor and budget signals — a competitor evaluation, procurement asking for a tender, a budget freeze, a merger or acquisition, or a new leader with other plans
   • Ask the customer about next year — a call with the champion about priorities, growth or cuts, new teams and what they need to see before they renew
   • Rate the renewal risk — on track, at risk or the customer has said they will not renew, with the reasons; this answer adds the save plan or the steps for a customer who is leaving
4. 4
   Phase 4 — At-risk account

   Phase 4: At-Risk Save Plan

   4 tasks

   Applies only when the renewal is rated at risk. Agree the plan, and have someone senior speak to the customer, before any renewal proposal goes out.

   • Name the causes of the risk — low use, missed goals, a lost sponsor or champion, open escalations, budget pressure or a competitor, with the evidence for each
   • Agree the save plan — actions, owners and dates for each cause, and what help, services or commercial terms you could offer
   • Arrange executive outreach — an executive on your side speaks to the customer’s sponsor about the risk and the plan before the renewal proposal
   • Review progress on the save plan — whether each action is done and whether the risk rating can change before the renewal strategy is set
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Phase 5: Renewal Strategy & Approval

   6 tasks

   Decide what you will propose and get the price and terms approved before the customer sees a number. Nothing after the approval can be completed until it is given.

   • Choose the renewal strategy — a flat renewal, an expansion, a downsell or a price change, based on use, health and the customer’s plans
   • Build the expansion case — shown only for an expansion; the extra seats or products, tied to the customer’s goals and use, and who on their side would agree them
   • Plan the downsell — shown only for a downsell; what is removed, the new value and how you will keep the account healthy at the smaller size
   • Prepare the renewal quote — products, quantities, price per unit, term, payment terms and any discount, with the reason for each change from the current contract
   • Check the quote against the contract — any cap on price increases, the notice a price change needs, the minimum term, payment terms and the discount policy
   • Approve the renewal pricing and terms — the CS or sales lead, with finance where a discount is outside policy, approves the quote, any discount and any change of terms; nothing goes to the customer until it is approved
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Phase 6: Proposal & Negotiation

   7 tasks

   Talk about the value delivered before you talk about price, and aim to have the terms agreed well before the notice deadline. Legal joins only when the customer wants to change the contract.

   • Hold the renewal conversation — with the sponsor and champion: the value delivered over the term, their plans for next year and what you will propose
   • Send the renewal proposal — the approved quote, the term, what is included and the date you need a decision by, before the notice deadline
   • Record the customer’s response — accepted, wants changes to the price or scope, or wants changes to the contract terms
   • Answer procurement and security questions — supplier forms, security questionnaires and updated company details the customer’s procurement team asks for
   • Review the redlines with legal — shown only when the terms change; each change the customer asks for, with legal’s view: accept, counter or reject
   • Agree the final terms — price, term, scope and any contract changes, within what was approved; anything outside it goes back to the approver first
   • Legal approves the final version — shown only when the terms change; the agreed redlines are in the final document and nothing else has changed
7. 7
   Phase 7

   Phase 7: Signature, Order & Billing

   6 tasks

   Get the renewal signed, then make sure the order, the invoice and the customer’s licences all match what was signed by the renewal date.

   • Send the renewal for signature — the order form or amendment, to the signer the customer named, through your usual signature process
   • Plan for a late signature — shown only when the contract does not renew automatically; agree what happens if it is not signed by the renewal date, such as a short extension, and who decides
   • File the signed renewal — signed by both sides, filed with the contract, and the signature date and new term recorded
   • Raise the renewal order — the order in the billing system with the new products, quantities, prices, term and any discount end date
   • Update billing and check the first invoice — the invoice schedule, purchase order number and billing contact, and the first renewal invoice checked before it is sent
   • Update licences and access — seats added or removed and add-ons switched on or off in the product, so the customer has what they bought from the renewal date
8. 8
   Phase 8

   Phase 8: Close & Book the Next Renewal

   5 tasks

   Record the outcome while it is fresh and start the next renewal now, so it never again begins three weeks before the date.

   • Update the CRM — the renewal closed as won with the new value, term and renewal date, and the health and risk notes
   • Confirm the new term with the customer — thank the sponsor and champion, and confirm the new term, any change to seats or products and who to contact
   • Update the success plan — the goals for the new term agreed in the renewal conversation, with measures, targets and owners
   • Book the next renewal — a renewal opportunity in the CRM and the next renewal checklist due to start 120 days before the next renewal date
   • Review the renewal with the CS lead — what worked, what was conceded, how long each step took and what to change for the next one
9. 9
   Phase 9 — Customer leaving

   Phase 9: If the Customer Does Not Renew

   6 tasks

   Applies only when the customer has said they will not renew, and replaces Phases 5 to 8. Due dates count from the day they told you. Record why, leave the door open and hand the account to offboarding.

   • Confirm the decision in writing — the notice received, its date, whether it was given in time and in the form the contract requires, and the date the service ends
   • Update the CRM and the forecast — the renewal closed as lost with the reason and the end date, and the forecast updated
   • Hold an exit conversation — with the sponsor: hear the reasons, ask what would have changed the outcome and leave the door open
   • Record the churn reason — the main reason, any other reasons, the product or approach they are moving to and whether it could have been prevented
   • Review the lost renewal with the CS lead — the reasons, the warning signs and when they appeared, and any lessons for other accounts
   • Hand the account to offboarding — start the customer offboarding and cancellation checklist with the end date, data export, final invoice and access removal