Library · Payment orchestration · How to run this
CRM unique declines are not gateway messages
You are reconciling two exports for the same bill set. The CRM unique-decline row already collapsed retries. The gateway attempt file still lists every issuer message. Mixing them invents a healthy rate.
Pair: CRM unique decline vs gateway attempts on Payment orchestration. First-try / net typed from approvals: first-try vs net.
Name the two grains
Unique orders are bill intents — one checkout or one rebill cycle. Not hop rows.
CRM unique declines come from Transaction Summary / unique-products style exports (CheckoutChamp, Sticky-class CRMs). Retries on the same order often disappear into one decline. The % then behaves like a net grain even when hops ran.
Gateway attempts are NMI / processor message rows. Soft declines, recycles, and cascade hops each add a line. That denominator is what attempt-inclusive billing uses.
What the calculator returns
Type unique orders, gateway attempts, and CRM unique declines. The tool returns:
- CRM unique decline % — unique declines over unique orders.
- CRM net grain — orders that are not unique declines, still over unique orders.
- Attempt-inclusive billing % — those same approvals over gateway attempts.
- Messages per order — how far the gateway file sits above the CRM order count.
When CRM net and attempt-inclusive match, either no retries ran or you typed a collapsed attempt count. When they split, the CRM already hid hops — open the gateway file before you call the account healthy.
What not to do
Do not paste CRM unique decline % next to a gateway approval % in one slide. Do not invent an 80% “good” line. Do not mix Initial/Recycle Billing Report columns with Transaction Summary unique declines in one row. Do not treat Sticky “unique billing frequency” (how often a sub bills) as this grain. Do not skip naming which export you used when you email the processor.
Related: Payment orchestration, first-try vs net, cascade pollution, retry window, MIDs.
Procedure
- Pull unique orders for the bill set.
- Pull CRM unique declines from the collapsed export.
- Pull gateway attempts for the same window, every message.
- Read CRM net vs attempt-inclusive. Name which export you used.
Failure modes
- Pasting CRM unique decline % next to a gateway approval % in one slide.
- Mixing Transaction Summary unique declines with Billing Report Initial/Recycle in one row.
- Calling Sticky unique billing frequency (sub cadence) this grain.
- Inventing an 80% healthy line.
Worked example
None on this page yet. When one lands it will be a real case: what broke, the number, and what changed. Not a composite.
Glossary
- CRM unique decline
- A CRM export row that collapses retries on one order into a single decline. Looks like net grain even when hops ran.
- Gateway attempt
- One issuer / processor message row. Soft declines, recycles, and cascade hops each add a line.
Work with us — We run this job on your accounts. Services
FAQ
- Why does my CRM approval look better than the gateway file?
- Unique-decline and unique-product reports often collapse retries into one order row. The gateway still lists every message. Same bill set, different grain.
- Is this the first-try vs net calculator?
- No. [First-try vs net](/manuals/first-vs-net-approval) types first-try and net approvals. This page starts from CRM unique declines plus gateway attempts.
- Which export do I use for media bids?
- Say the grain. CRM unique is fine for order health. Gateway messages are what burn auths and can move ratios. Do not paste one number into both jobs.