Per-Resolution Pricing

How it works

Per-resolution pricing was popularized by Intercom's Fin AI product in 2023. The model's appeal is its risk alignment: if the AI fails to resolve tickets, you don't pay. This lowers the barrier to adoption for teams skeptical of AI quality.

The problem emerges at scale. Per-resolution pricing works out cheaper than agents at low volumes (under 500 deflections per month), but crosses parity with flat-rate tools rapidly. At 2,000 resolutions per month at $0.99 each, the monthly bill is $1,980 — close to or exceeding the annual cost of some flat-rate competitors. At 10,000 resolutions, it's $9,900 per month.

Per-resolution pricing also creates definitional disputes: what counts as a 'resolution'? If a customer abandons a conversation, did the AI 'resolve' it? Vendors who count abandonment as resolution inflate their apparent deflection rate while charging for tickets that weren't actually resolved.

When you'll encounter it

Per-resolution pricing is most prominently used by Intercom Fin and a growing number of AI-native support tools. You'll see it described as 'pay per resolved conversation,' 'outcome-based pricing,' or 'resolution credits.' Always calculate the cost at your actual ticket volume before assuming it's cheaper than seat-based or flat-rate alternatives.