Concepts & Strategy

High-level billing flow overview

1. Introduction

Paid is a platform that simplifies and automates usage-based billing for AI solutions—and much more. With Paid, you’re not limited to one billing model; instead, you can combine setup fees, platform fees, seat-based licensing, activity-based charges, and outcome-based pricing. This flexibility ensures you can accurately monetize the variety of services your AI Agents deliver.

2. Key Concepts: Agents & Signals

  1. Agents
    • AI components that perform tasks or interactions (e.g., a chatbot, data processor, or sales outreach bot).
    • Each Agent can have its own pricing options (setup fees, usage tiers, seat-based rates, etc.) in Paid.
  2. Signals
    • Discrete events or actions performed by an Agent.
    • Can be categorized as activity-based Signals (e.g., “send email,” “run analysis”) or outcome-based Signals (e.g., “book meeting,” “generate qualified lead”).
    • Provide granular tracking so you can attribute the correct cost to every step or result of an Agent’s work.

3. Supported Billing Models

3.1 Setup Fee

  • One-Time, Fixed charge when a customer first onboards or activates the Agent.
  • Ideal if your AI solution requires a significant initial setup or customization.

3.2 Platform Fee

  • Recurring, Fixed charge for ongoing platform access, independent of usage.
  • Great for covering infrastructure, support, or baseline operational costs.

3.3 Seat-Based

  • Recurring, Variable charge, typically billed per user or “seat.”
  • Common for AI tools that have distinct user logins or operator roles requiring individual licensing.

3.4 Activity-Based (Usage)

  • Recurring, Variable charge tied to activity Signals (e.g., “send email,” “process request”).
  • Lets you pay per task your Agent performs, ensuring you only charge (and get charged) for what actually happens.

3.5 Outcome-Based (Usage)

  • Recurring, Variable charge tied to outcome Signals (e.g., “booked meeting,” “closed deal”).
  • Lets you monetize based on results or successful completions, providing a performance-aligned pricing model.

By toggling these options on or off, you can combine multiple billing methods for a single Agent. For instance, you could charge a setup fee plus a monthly platform fee, and then layer on activity-based or outcome-based costs.

4. How the Flow Works

  1. Create an Agent
    • In your Paid dashboard, add a new Agent (e.g., “SDR Agent” for sales outreach).
    • Include a short description so you and your customers understand the Agent’s function.
  2. Define Signals
    • Identify each relevant activity or outcome you plan to track. For instance:
      • Activity Signals: “Send email,” “Send LinkedIn message.”
      • Outcome Signals: “Book meeting,” “Qualified lead.”
    • These Signals will be used if you enable activity-based or outcome-based billing.
  3. Choose Billing Methods
    • Toggle on the fees you’d like to apply (setup, platform, seat-based, activity-based, outcome-based).
    • Configure each method with a fixed or variable rate, along with one-time or recurring frequency.
  4. Integrate with Paid’s API
    • Whenever your Agent performs an action (e.g., sends an email) or achieves a result (e.g., schedules a meeting), send a Signal to Paid.
    • Paid automatically aggregates these Signals, applies the correct pricing rules, and tracks total usage or outcomes per customer.
  5. Generate Invoices
    • At the end of your billing cycle—or any time you choose—Paid creates itemized invoices.
    • Each invoice details the charges from all enabled billing methods (setup fee, platform fee, seat usage, activity usage, outcome usage).
    • Customers see exactly how many tasks were executed, how many outcomes were achieved, and how any recurring charges or setup fees were applied.
  6. Collect Payment & Analyze Revenue
    • Paid integrates with payment gateways to automate invoice collection.
    • Monitor metrics and usage in real-time with Paid’s analytics and reporting tools, helping you refine pricing or forecast revenue.

5. Why Use Multiple Billing Models?

  • Flexibility: Not all AI services fit a single pricing approach. Combining models captures the full range of value your Agents provide.
  • Fairness & Transparency: Customers see exactly what they’re paying for, whether it’s initial setup, ongoing platform access, or per-task / per-outcome charges.
  • Scalability: As your user base grows or your Agents add new capabilities, you can toggle additional billing methods on or off without restructuring your entire system.

6. Example: SDR Agent

  1. Setup Fee: A one-time cost to configure the Agent for the customer’s CRM.
  2. Platform Fee: A monthly recurring charge for maintaining the Agent’s infrastructure and support.
  3. Seat-Based: Charge per user who has access to configure and manage the SDR Agent.
  4. Activity-Based: A small fee each time the Agent sends an email or LinkedIn message.
  5. Outcome-Based: An additional charge when the Agent successfully books a meeting.

At invoice time, Paid tallies all these charges—setup, platform, seat usage, activity usage, and booked meetings—to present the customer with one clear, itemized invoice.

7. Conclusion

Paid’s high-level billing flow lets you mix and match different pricing mechanisms—setup fee, platform fee, seat-based, activity-based, or outcome-based—to create a monetization strategy that truly reflects the value your AI Agents provide. By leveraging Signals, you capture every relevant action or outcome, and by configuring your preferred billing models, you ensure customers only pay for what they actually use or achieve.

Whether you’re offering a simple AI chatbot or a sophisticated sales automation platform, Paid gives you the flexibility and transparency needed to scale your business sustainably.