AAO’s billing now mirrors the helpdesk’s pay-what-you-use model. It’s a more fair approach that lets you introduce automation at a lower starting price.
Today, we’re announcing an update to our Automation Add-on pricing structure.
Up until now, Add-on subscribers have been charged based on their core helpdesk plan, which didn’t always reflect their use of the Add-on. We’re changing that model to mirror the helpdesk’s pay-what-you-use model. This aligns with our goal of fair, transparent pricing and lets merchants incorporate automation into their CX at a lower starting price.
Starting in July, Add-on subscribers will be charged based on the volume of successfully automated interactions (more on this below). No more, no less. And any fully automated interactions in your account will never count toward your billable ticket limit.
This post answers some questions we anticipate are on your mind, but please reach out to your success manager or our support team if you have any additional questions specific to your account.
How is the billing structure changing?
In the past, Automation Add-on pricing is fixed at 50% of your helpdesk price (which is based on monthly billable tickets). But automation and billable tickets don’t always scale one-to-one.
Now, each fully-automated interaction in your Gorgias account goes toward your automated ticket count. And each non-automated interaction goes toward your core plan’s separate billable ticket count.
This change also makes automation more accessible to merchants, because you don’t have to pay 50% of your base plan just to get started. Instead, you’re charged charged for your usage, scaling up as you successfully automate more interactions.
Here are some other key benefits of usage-based automation pricing for your business, which are already reflected in your helpdesk pricing:
- Our pricing scales directly with your business’s growth, without penalizing team growth or slow seasonality
- Automated interactions balance your costs by reducing your billable ticket count on the helpdesk side and preventing the need for additional headcount
- Everyone in your business gets a seat at the CX table to understand the issues your customers are facing — and the impact of your team
What is an automated interaction?
An automated interaction is a customer request that is resolved without any agent involvement. Interactions can be automated by any of the Automation Add-on’s features, including quick responses, order management, issue reporting, or Help Center article recommendations in the chat widget.
The Add-on’s new pricing model only charges for automated interactions that are successful in completely deflecting a ticket. If the shopper still ends up talking to a support agent within 24 hours of the interaction, the interaction will be charged as a billable ticket instead.
To be clear, a conversation will never be charged as both an automated interaction and a billable ticket.
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How much does each automated interaction cost?
The cost of an automated interaction depends on your Automation Add-on usage: Just like the core helpdesk’s pricing model, the more you take advantage of the full power of the Automation Add-on, the cheaper each automated interaction becomes.
Please note: The more interactions you automate, the fewer billable (non-automated) interactions you’ll have. So, the more repetitive interactions you successfully automate, the more you’ll save by dedicating your agents’ time and billable tickets to more important things.
For most customers the price of the Automation Add-on will drop until they start using the Add-on to its full potential.
Why is this happening now?
In 2022, our most successful merchants automated over 30% of interactions. Shoppers got instant answers, and agents actually had time to spend on more delicate or important questions requiring a human touch. Even through periods of rapid growth, these brands could maintain (or even lift) CSAT without increasing headcount.
But for merchants that hadn’t adopted the Add-on, the rigid pricing of the old model was too great a barrier. It didn’t align with our values of transparency, nor did it encourage merchants to begin upgrading their customer experiences through the power of automation.
We heard your feedback. Given current usage and the features coming down the product roadmap, we feel this is the perfect time to make this change.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns, and thank you for your continued support!
CEO and Co-founder at Gorgias
