Introduction

The Refer a friend feature in circuly allows your existing customers to share unique voucher codes with their friends. When a friend uses the voucher code during checkout, they receive a discount—and the referring customer earns a reward, added to their account balance.

This win-win setup helps you acquire new customers while rewarding loyal ones.

Feature overview

• Customers with active subscriptions (past the early cancellation period) see a Refer a Friend button in the Self-Service Portal.
• A unique voucher code is generated for each eligible customer.
• When a friend uses the code during checkout, they receive a discount.
• The referring customer receives a reward added to their account balance, used toward future recurring payments.
• Both reward and discount amounts, as well as voucher validity, are fully customisable in the settings.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Enable the feature

• Go to the Settings tab in your circuly Hub.
• Navigate to Refer a Friend.
• Toggle Enabled to turn on the feature.
• Define the values:
  • Reward amount: Amount the referring customer receives.
  • Voucher amount: Discount given to the new customer.
  • Valid until days: How long the voucher remains valid (in days).

Step 2: Set up email templates

• Go to Email Templates.
• Scroll to Refer a Friend and click Create Template (choose language if applicable).
• Also update your Order Confirmation, Invoice, and One-time Transaction templates:
  • Option 1: Reset to circuly’s default templates and adjust branding.
  • Option 2: Manually insert the required HTML code snippet that supports the account balance logic.

Variables used include: is_account_balance, from_account_balance, and final_invoice_amount.

Step 3: Inform your customers

Clearly explain how the reward will be used (account balance, not cashback), and ensure transparency to avoid misunderstandings.

Customer experience flow

• A customer with an active subscription logs into the Self-Service Portal.
• They click the REFER A FRIEND button.

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• A unique voucher code appears, which they can copy and send to a friend.

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• The friend applies the code at checkout and enters their email address.

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• If the email is not already associated with a circuly customer, the code is validated and applied.

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• The referring customer receives a balance update.
• This balance is automatically used for future recurring payments and reflected in the invoice.

Good to Know

• The feature becomes available only after the early cancellation period is over.
• The customer balance can only be used for recurring payments, not for new orders at checkout.
• If the balance exceeds the recurring amount, the remainder is carried over to the next payment.
• A new column in the Recurring Payments section shows whether account balance was used.

FAQ

Q: Can customers use their balance for new checkouts?
A: No, account balance is only applied to future recurring payments.

Q: What happens if the balance is greater than the recurring amount?
A: The surplus remains in the account and is used for upcoming payments until exhausted.

Q: Why is the feature only available after the early cancellation period?
A: To reduce fraud and ensure the referring customer remains subscribed for a certain period.