AI Chatbot Glossary
What Is Per-Resolution Pricing?
Per-resolution pricing is a chatbot pricing model in which the vendor charges a fee for each conversation the AI resolves without a human, instead of a flat subscription, a per-seat licence, or a price based on conversation volume.
Definition
Several AI support vendors introduced per-resolution pricing in 2023 and 2024, typically around one dollar per resolved conversation, arguing that the customer only pays when the bot does the work. The definition of "resolved" is set by the vendor and usually means no handoff or negative rating. It sits alongside three other common models: per-seat pricing (a fee for each human agent using the software, inherited from helpdesk tools), usage-based pricing (a fee tied to conversations or messages), and flat tiers with included volume. Each model shifts risk differently: per-seat penalises growing teams, per-resolution makes a busy month expensive and gives the vendor an incentive to count generously, and flat tiers are predictable but can include unused capacity.
Why Per-Resolution Pricing Matters for AI Chatbots
For a small store, predictability usually matters more than theoretical fairness: a viral product should not produce a surprise chatbot invoice. Chatonbo uses flat monthly tiers with an included conversation volume (250 on Free, 5,000 on Pro, 10,000 on Business) and no per-seat or per-resolution charges; extra team members are included on Pro and Business. Its Fair Billing Guarantee is the counterpart to per-resolution logic: if the assistant is not doing useful work, the bill is the problem to fix, not the customer's.
See it in practice:
See Chatonbo pricingRelated Terms
AI Resolution Rate
AI resolution rate is the percentage of customer conversations that an AI assistant resolves on its own, without a human agent stepping in, and is the main metric used to judge how much support work a chatbot actually removes.
Customer Support Automation
Customer support automation uses technology - including AI chatbots - to handle customer service inquiries without human intervention.
Session
A session is a single continuous interaction between a user and a chatbot - tracking conversation history, user context, and captured data from first message to end.
Live Chat
Live chat is a real-time communication channel connecting website visitors to human agents - often combined with AI chatbots that handle initial inquiries.