How to Credit a Clients Services

Purpose

To ensure client credits are applied accurately, consistently, and professionally when a billing error, service mistake, or goodwill gesture is required. This SOP outlines the steps for identifying, authorising, and processing credits via Ignition, while maintaining internal clarity and accountability across Support and Marketing teams.

Scope

This SOP applies to any situation where a client is due a credit — including billing errors, service delivery issues, and goodwill gestures. It covers all incoming requests received by Support or Marketing and applies to active clients with ongoing invoices.

It does not cover refund requests (for canceled clients or where no future invoices exist). For those, refer to the Refund SOP.

Definitions

Roles & Responsibilities

Prerequisites

• Client has ongoing invoices in Ignition
• Credit/Refund Request Form has been completed by the relevant manager
• Root cause (billing vs. service issue) has been identified

Triggers

• Client emails SWEAT about a billing concern or service issue
• Internal team member discovers an error
• Manager approves a goodwill credit for retention or relationship purposes

Decision Matrix: Who Owns the Credit Request?

Use this matrix to determine which manager should review and submit the Credit/Refund Request Form, based on the nature of the issue.

Step-by-Step Process

Client Raises a Credit Request

1. a. Client contacts SWEAT via Support or Marketing inbox

   b. Receiving team member acknowledges receipt:

   “Thanks for flagging this — I’ve escalated this internally and we’ll come back to you shortly.”

Escalate to Relevant Manager

1. If it’s a billing-related issue, escalate to Support Manager
2. If it’s a marketing-related issue, escalate to Marketing Manager
3. Use the Decision Matrix to determine escalation path

Manager Reviews and Submits Decision

1. All requests must be submitted using the Credit/Refund Request Form, regardless of whether they are approved or declined
2. Before submitting the form, the Manager must select a decision from the "Decision" dropdown:
   1. Approved
   2. Declined
   3. Pending (used if more review is needed post-submission)
3. Once submitted:
   1. A line item is created in the Credits/Refunds Monday.com board
   2. The board’s Status column reflects the selected decision
   3. If Approved:
      1. Google Chat notification is automatically sent to Support to begin processing
   4. If Declined:
      1. No notification is sent to Support
      2. The Manager must:
         1. Notify the client directly with a clear and respectful explanation
         2. Log the decline rationale in the Notes column of the board
         3. If the issue originated in Marketing, the Marketing Manager must notify the assigned Marketing Specialist:

“Just letting you know the credit request for [Client] was declined. I’ve responded to the client directly — nothing further needed on your end.”

Support Applies the Credit

1. Support Specialist logs into Ignition
2. Applies the credit to the client’s next invoice(s)

Notify the Client

1. Support sends the Credit Applied Email
2. No notification to the manager is required after credit is applied

3. If the issue originated from Marketing, Support also notifies the assigned Marketing Specialist via Google Chat:

   “Hey [NAME], just letting you know the $[Amount] credit for [Client] has been processed. No action needed — all sorted.”

6. Update Internal Records

1. Support Specialist closes any associated Help Scout ticket
2. Support Specialist updates the Status column in the Credits/Refunds Board to Complete

Notes

• All credit or refund requests must be reviewed and authorised by the Manager of the responsible department (Support Manager or Marketing Manager).
  • The Credit/Refund Request Form must be submitted before any credit can be processed in Ignition.
• If the Manager decides that a credit is not justified:
  • They are responsible for replying to the client with a clear, respectful explanation.
  • The declined request must still be documented in the Credits/Refunds Monday.com board with a reason marked as “Declined.”
  • The team member applying the credit (Support) does not need to notify the Manager once the credit is processed — only the client, and the assigned Marketing Specialist (if the issue originated from Marketing).
  • Credits should only be used if the client has ongoing invoices. For canceled clients, refer to the Refund SOP.

Tools Used

Templates