The short answer
Read the plan and changes sections of your proposal, then send one message through the support form saying what you want to change, from when, and why. A named person on our team will go through the proposal with you. Before agreeing, ask the questions below and get the outcome confirmed in writing.
Start with your proposal, not with a guess
Everything about how your plan can change is written in the proposal you accepted: the length of any term, how renewal works, what happens if you want to change the level of service, and how a plan ends. We do not restate those rules here, on purpose. A summary written for everyone would be wrong for someone, and a rule you half remember is the usual source of surprises.
So open the document first. Look for the sections on the plan itself, on changes and on ending the arrangement. Read them with a pen. Highlight the sentence that seems to apply to what you want to do, and note any dates. If a sentence is unclear, that is a good question to bring to the conversation, quoted word for word.
Work out what you actually want
Plan changes come in a few shapes, and naming yours makes the conversation precise. Many conversations stall because the request is just 'we need to cut back', which could mean five different things.
| What you may want | What to say | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Less of the same service | You want a smaller level of the current work. | What changes in what is delivered, and from which date? |
| More of the same service | You want additional capacity or coverage. | What exactly is added, and how will it show in the monthly report? |
| A different service | You want to move from one type of work to another. | What happens to work in progress, and to anything already paid for? |
| A pause | You want work to stop for a period and resume later. | Is a pause available under my proposal, and what is the process to resume? |
| An end | You want to stop the arrangement. | What does my proposal say about ending, and what handover do I get? |
The right-hand column is a question, not an answer. Whether a pause, a smaller level or an end is possible, and on what conditions, is decided by your proposal.
What to tell us
Send one message through the support form, category Billing or plan question. Include:
- What you want to change, in one sentence, using the shapes above.
- The date you want it to take effect, and whether that date is flexible.
- The reason, briefly. You do not owe a long explanation, but context helps us suggest options that fit.
- The proposal paragraph you think applies, quoted or linked.
- Anything in progress that depends on the plan, such as a launch date or a campaign.
- Who in your company is authorized to agree to the change.
Questions worth asking before you change anything
A change is easy to ask for and harder to undo. These questions protect you, and a good provider is glad to answer them.
- 1What exactly will be different, line by line, and from which date? Ask for it in plain words, not just a new price.
- 2What happens to work that is already in progress or already approved?
- 3What happens to my monthly report and the reporting I rely on?
- 4Will anything that is running stop, such as ongoing optimization, and does anything need to be handed over?
- 5How will the change show on my next invoice, and will there be any one-off line because of it?
- 6Is there a point after which this change cannot be reversed, and what is it?
- 7Who confirms this in writing, and how will I receive the confirmation?
What a good change confirmation says
A conversation on a call is not a record. Once you and the named person on our team agree on something, ask for a written confirmation and read it before you reply 'agreed'. A good confirmation is short and specific.
- Your company name and the plan being changed.
- What changes, described in the same words you used.
- The effective date, written as a full date.
- What stays the same, so nothing is assumed.
- How the next invoice will reflect the change, described in general terms, and which invoice it first appears on.
- Who agreed on each side and when.
- A pointer to the proposal paragraph the change relies on, if one applies.
If a confirmation states a term that you do not recognize from your proposal, ask where it comes from before you accept it. Do not rely on a call or a chat message alone.
Example: a seasonal business asks about a pause
Example: Writing it clearly
A garden centre does most of its business between March and August and wants to reduce activity over the winter. The owner reads the plan section of the proposal, finds the paragraph on changes, and sends this: 'We would like to talk about a reduced level of service from 1 November to 28 February, and a return to the current level on 1 March. Our proposal page 6, paragraph 'Changes to the plan', seems to apply. Work in progress is the spring campaign pages. Please could the named person on our team go through the proposal with me and confirm in writing what is possible, what would change on my invoices, and what happens to the monthly report?' The message names the shape of the change, the dates, the proposal wording and the work in progress. That lets the person prepare an answer before the call instead of asking for those details afterwards.
After the change: check the first invoice
When the change takes effect, check the next invoice against the confirmation, line by line. Invoices and receipts shows how to read one. If a line does not match what was confirmed, use the checklist in ask about a charge and attach the confirmation.
Also look at your next monthly report. It should reflect the work as changed. If the report describes work that was supposed to stop, or leaves out work that was supposed to continue, raise it early.
When to ask us
Ask us as soon as you suspect a change may be needed, not at the last moment. Open the support form, choose Billing or plan question, and send the message described above. A named person on our team will go through your proposal and your plan history with you and tell you what is possible. For anything about timing on a running project, bring in your project manager too.
Do not rely on this page for any condition, such as notice, a minimum length or what happens to payments. The wording in your proposal is what applies.
