Cloud subscription management services company Zuora Inc. is updating its software-as-a-service platform with new “pre-built Workflows” and “Data Query” capabilities in its latest release.

The Zuora Central Platform is used by businesses to automate their’ subscription order-to-cash operations in real time. The platform can be used to launch new businesses, shift products to subscriptions, implement new pay-as-you-go pricing and packaging models, gain new insights into subscriber behavior and attempt to disrupt market segments based on new pricing methods, among other things.

The company claims significant customers, including the likes of hyperconverged infrastructure provider Nutanix Inc., cloud computing services firm Pivotal Software Inc., Ford Motor Co. and General Electric Co.

New capabilities in the latest release include the pre-built Workflows, which can be used to address challenges related to current market conditions. They include applying goodwill discounts, applying credit back, suspending subscriptions, resuming subscriptions and suspending payment collections, the company said.

Also in the new release is a new Data Query feature that enables faster access to live distributed data via a standard Structured Query Language interface. Meanwhile, the new Audit Trail feature gives chief financial officers a trusted, compliant system that helps them to minimize risk exposure when it comes to reporting and monitoring subscription activity.

In additional, there’s a new Zuora Central Sandbox tool that leverages a microservices architecture so developers can test and deploy new subscription features without any delays.

International Data Corp. analyst Mark Thomason said the new edition of the Zuora Central Platform is ideal for companies looking to seize new growth opportunities and scale up their existing businesses.

“COVID-19 is a great example of an unpredictable and massive impact on businesses which requires an agile platform to enable the company to react at scale to offer concessions such as suspends, payment delays, and offer credits so businesses can accommodate their customers quickly and reduce churn,” Thomason said. “Businesses need easy ways of testing growth ideas like new products and bundles so they can be prepared as the market heals.”

Image: Zuora