SOP: Defend Self-Serve Trial Support

Audience: Internal

The short answer: As of June 8, 2026, eligible customers can activate a free 30-day Defend trial directly from the Proof portal. This SOP covers how to handle support tickets related to the self-serve trial — including eligibility checks, common troubleshooting scenarios, and the Enterprise escalation path. For flag configuration, see Org Features: Proof Defend.

Background

The Defend Self-Serve Pilot is a product-led activation flow that lets eligible customers start a free 30-day Defend trial from within their portal. Customers see a Pendo "Try Defend" banner on their dashboard and activate by accepting pilot terms. No CSM or Sales action is required for activation.

How it works, briefly:

  1. Activation: Customer accepts terms in-portal → ActivateDefendTrial sets PROOF_DEFEND and DEFEND_TRIAL flags to ON → Defend activates immediately.
  2. Trial period (30 days): Risk scores, deepfake detection, and identity signals appear on live transactions. Weekly digest emails and expiration warnings at 5 days and 1 day are sent automatically.
  3. Conversion: Customer can convert anytime via in-portal purchase flow (PurchaseDefend mutation).
  4. Expiration: If the trial ends without conversion, DefendTrialExpirationJob clears both flags and Defend is disabled.

Checking Eligibility in Keystone

A customer is eligible for the self-serve trial if both of the following are true:

  • PROOF_DEFEND is OFF (they do not already have paid Defend)
  • The org has not previously completed a Defend trial (i.e., has not had both PROOF_DEFEND and DEFEND_TRIAL active and then had them cleared by expiration)

To verify in Keystone:

  1. Go to keystone.proof.com → Organizations → search for the org.
  2. Select Organization flags and search for Proof Defend and Defend Trial.
  3. Check the org audit log to see if a prior trial was activated and expired.

Common Support Scenarios

"I don't see the Try Defend banner"

The banner is delivered via Pendo targeting and may not appear for all users immediately. Check:

  • Is the user an Owner or Admin? Only these roles can activate the trial.
  • Does the org already have PROOF_DEFEND ON? If so, they're not eligible — they're already on paid Defend.
  • Has the org previously completed and expired a Defend trial? Check the audit log.
  • Is the org in an eligible segment? Initial rollout targets Zero Touch/Retail cohorts — Commercial and Enterprise may be added later.

If the customer is eligible but the banner isn't showing, escalate to the #defend-self-serve-pilot Slack channel.

"Defend activated but I'm not seeing risk scores"

Verify in Keystone that both flags are set correctly:

  • PROOF_DEFEND → ON
  • DEFEND_TRIAL → ON

If flags look correct, confirm the user has the Defend Fraud role assigned. If the flags are correct and the role is assigned but risk scores still aren't appearing, escalate to the Product team via the #defend-self-serve-pilot Slack channel.

"My trial expired — can it be restarted?"

Trial restarts are not supported via the self-serve flow. Customers who want to continue using Defend after expiration should convert to a paid plan. Route them to their CSM or Sales.

"I tried to purchase Defend but can't complete it in-portal"

Enterprise customers above the ACV pricing threshold are routed to Sales for an assisted close and cannot complete the purchase entirely in-portal. Confirm the customer's account tier and route to their CSM or Sales rep.

"I want Defend but don't see a trial option"

The self-serve trial is in Limited Availability and not yet available to all customers. Route the customer to their CSM or Sales for assisted Defend enablement.

Escalation Path

  • Banner not showing / eligibility questions: #defend-self-serve-pilot Slack channel
  • Risk scores not appearing (flags look correct): #defend-self-serve-pilot Slack channel → Product POC: Kurt Ernst
  • Enterprise conversion: Route to CSM or Sales
  • Trial restart requests: Route to CSM or Sales
  • Customers not in Limited Availability cohort: Route to CSM or Sales

Summary Checklist

  • Verify eligibility: PROOF_DEFEND is OFF and no prior trial completed — check org flags and audit log in Keystone.
  • Banner not showing: confirm user is Owner/Admin, org is eligible, and segment is in scope — else escalate to #defend-self-serve-pilot.
  • Risk scores missing: confirm both PROOF_DEFEND and DEFEND_TRIAL are ON and the Defend Fraud role is assigned.
  • Enterprise conversion blocked or trial restart requested: route to CSM or Sales — do not manually re-enable trial flags.
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Still unsure? Reach out to your Team Lead or post in #coolestcolleagues for help.

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