How To Manually Send A Customer Renewal Invoice Woocommerce

How to Manually Send a Customer Renewal Invoice in WooCommerce (The Easy Way!)

So, your WooCommerce store is humming along nicely, subscriptions are active, and recurring revenue is flowing! Fantastic! But sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned. Maybe a customer’s automatic payment fails, or perhaps they need a specific invoice before renewing. That’s when knowing how to manually send a renewal invoice in WooCommerce becomes a vital skill.

This guide is specifically for WooCommerce newbies (and those who prefer things simple). We’ll skip the technical jargon and dive straight into practical steps you can follow.

Why Manually Send a Renewal Invoice?

Before we jump into the “how,” let’s quickly understand the “why.” Think of it this way: happy customers are *repeat* customers. And providing them with the information they Discover insights on How To Import Woocommerce To Shopify need, *when* they need it, is key to happiness. Here are a few common scenarios where manually sending a renewal invoice comes in handy:

• Failed Automatic Payments: This is probably the most common reason. The customer’s card expired, they had insufficient funds, or there was a technical glitch with the payment gateway. Sending a manual invoice gives them a chance to update their payment information and retry. Imagine a scenario: Sarah subscribed to your premium plugin for her blog. Her credit card expired, and her payment failed. Instead of letting her subscription lapse, you manually send an invoice with a kind reminder and a clear path to renewal. Good customer service!
• Customer Requests: Sometimes, customers specifically request Read more about Woocommerce How To Put A Product First In Product Page an invoice *before* the automatic renewal. Maybe their accounting department needs it for budget allocation. John, the CFO of a growing company, needs the invoice to approve the budget for the coming months.
• Preemptive Reminders: While WooCommerce subscriptions *should* handle this automatically, you might want to send a manual invoice a few days before the renewal as an extra reminder, especially for high-value subscriptions. It’s like a friendly nudge!
• Subscription Modifications: If you’ve manually adjusted the price or features of a subscription, sending a manual invoice ensures the customer is aware of the changes. You gave a client a discount but it wasn’t configured in the software, so the invoice reflects the real payment.

The Easy Steps to Manually Send a Renewal Invoice

WooCommerce Subscription’s interface isn’t always the most intuitive. But don’t worry, we’ll walk through this step-by-step.

1. Find the Subscription:

• In your WordPress admin panel, go to WooCommerce > Subscriptions.
• Use the search bar to find the specific subscription you need. You can search by customer name, email address, subscription ID, or product name.
• Click on the subscription to open its details.

2. Locate the “Renewal Order” section:

• Scroll down the subscription details page. You’ll see a section labeled “Renewal Orders”. This lists all the past and future renewal orders associated with this subscription.

3. Create a new Renewal Order (If Needed):

• If you haven’t already generated a Renewal Order you can do so by clicking Reschedule Renewal on the top of subscription page.
• Select the desired renewal date and time, and click Reschedule button.
• A new Renewal Order will be created.

4. View the Renewal Order and trigger the Invoice Creation

• Once the renewal order is created, click on the order number to view it.
• In the order view, you can use the Order actions dropdown menu to select the appropriate action for the renewal order. If the payment has failed, this will usually be Email invoice / order details to customer, if the payment method is unavailable.

5. Manually mark the Renewal Order as Paid (If Applicable):

• If the customer has already paid you through a different method (e.g., bank transfer, check), you can manually mark the order as paid.
• In the “Order actions” menu, select “Order status to Processing” (if you need to ship something) or “Order status to Completed” (if it’s a service). This will update the subscription accordingly.

Code Examples: (For Advanced Users – Optional)

While the steps above are the easiest for most users, here’s how you could potentially automate parts of this process with code (but be careful – messing with WooCommerce code without understanding can break your store!).

 $subscription_id, 'type' => 'shop_order', 'limit' => 1, 'orderby' => 'date', 'order' => 'DESC', 'return' => 'ids', ) ); 

if ( ! empty( $orders ) ) {

return reset( $orders );

}

return false;

}

// Usage:

$subscription_id = 123; // Replace with the actual subscription ID

$last_order_id = get_last_renewal_order_id( $subscription_id );

if ( $last_order_id ) {

echo “Last Renewal Order ID: ” . $last_order_id;

} else {

echo “No renewal orders found for this subscription.”;

}

?>

Important Note: This code is for illustrative purposes only. Always test code thoroughly in a staging environment before using it on your live store. Consider hiring a WooCommerce developer if you need custom solutions.

Tips for a Smooth Renewal Process

• Clear Communication: When sending a manual invoice, add a personal touch. Explain *why* you’re sending it and provide clear instructions on how to pay. A simple message like, “Hi [Customer Name], your subscription is due for renewal. Your automatic payment failed, so I’ve attached an invoice. You can pay securely online here: [Payment Link]. Please let me know if you have any questions!” goes a long way.
• Offer Multiple Payment Options: The more payment options you offer (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer), the easier it is for customers to pay.
• Keep Payment Gateways Up-to-Date: Expired payment gateways are a common cause of failed payments.
• Consider Using a Subscription Management Plugin: While WooCommerce Subscriptions is powerful, plugins like “Subscription Automate” or similar can streamline renewal processes and provide more advanced features.

By understanding how to manually send renewal invoices in WooCommerce, you can provide excellent customer service, minimize churn, and keep your recurring revenue flowing smoothly! It’s a simple skill that makes a big difference. Good luck!