Pricing models

What is per-conversation pricing?

Also known as: per-ticket pricing, per-session pricing

Published September 10, 2026 · Reviewed by the Fidiora team

Definition

Per-conversation pricing charges a fee for each customer conversation the tool handles, regardless of whether the issue was solved. Cost tracks demand rather than headcount. The weakness is that outcome is not part of the unit, so an abandoned chat and a perfect answer cost the same.

Why it matters

Per-conversation pricing is the middle ground between seats and outcomes, and it is the model most often misread. It looks usage-based and fair, but because it bills on contact rather than on success, a vendor earns the same whether the customer left happy or gave up. The incentive is volume, not quality.

What to know

  • Definitions of a conversation vary. Some vendors reset the session after a period of inactivity, which multiplies the count.
  • Follow-up messages about the same issue may bill as new conversations, so poor answers can increase your invoice.
  • It is genuinely fairer than seats for seasonal businesses, since cost falls in the quiet months.
  • Forecasting requires a view of conversation volume, which most teams track less carefully than ticket volume.
  • Look for a cap or a commitment discount, because unbounded per-conversation billing during an incident is painful.

How to calculate it

Monthly cost = billable conversations x conversation price

An example

Example: a shipping outage triggers three thousand extra conversations in two days. Under per-conversation pricing the invoice rises by three thousand units even though most of those customers wanted the same answer and many left without one.

Common mistakes

  • Not reading how the vendor defines and resets a conversation
  • Assuming per-conversation and per-resolution mean the same thing
  • Budgeting on average volume with no allowance for incident spikes
  • Signing without a monthly spend cap
Where Fidiora fits

Fidiora bills per genuine resolution rather than per conversation. An abandoned chat, a silent timeout, and a handoff to a human all cost nothing, which means an incident that generates thousands of unanswerable questions does not generate a matching invoice.

See Pricing
FAQ

Questions

What is the difference between per-conversation and per-resolution pricing?
Per-conversation bills on contact, per-resolution bills on outcome. Under the first, a failed conversation still costs money. Under the second, it does not. The difference shows up most sharply during incidents and on hard question types.
How is a conversation defined?
It varies by vendor, which is exactly the problem. Ask specifically whether inactivity resets a session, whether follow-ups start a new conversation, and whether a handoff to a human ends the billable unit.
Is per-conversation pricing cheaper than per-seat?
For seasonal or low-volume businesses, often yes. For high-volume businesses with a small team, often no. Model both at your real volume including every add-on before deciding.

Related terms

Per-seat pricing Per-seat pricing charges a fixed recurring fee for each agent licence, regardless of how many tickets that agent handles... Per-resolution pricing Per-resolution pricing charges only when a customer issue is genuinely resolved. Abandoned chats, timeouts, and conversa... Usage-based pricing Usage-based pricing charges according to consumption rather than a fixed licence count. In support software the metered ... Cost per contact Cost per contact is the average fully loaded cost of handling one customer interaction, calculated by dividing total sup...
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