Should I bundle usage into my price or charge my clients for usage separately?

It depends on your niche and your price point. Keep the offer simple.

Votel recommends a 2x markup on usage in the SaaS configurator, so that whenever a client uses the AI assistant, minutes or messages, you earn a margin. Compared with paying people to do the same work, it is quick and cheap for the client.

At a high price point where usage is small, bundle it. A client paying thousands a month for outcomes should not be nickel-and-dimed for SMS and AI messages, and charging $1,000 a month and then asking for a card to pay $1.50 in usage is a bad experience. You can include a set amount in the plan (for example 1,000 minutes a month), and you do not have to show every markup.

For a very large client, for example one with heavy call volume, do not promise unlimited calling. Charge on a usage basis so you do not lose money.

For usage-based AI voice, quote a price per minute: take your cost per minute and click 2x. In one example that came to about 14 cents a minute, or $8.40 for a full hour, charged only while the AI is actually talking. Position it against the value: a roofer's AI answers calls around the clock and is only paid for when a call comes in, and a law firm paying a few dollars an hour for AI talk time may protect cases worth far more.

For very low usage, for example a stylist's text messages, a flat fee is simpler than usage-based billing.

Billing can be usage based, one-time or unlimited. Sell the solution and the results, not the software or the AI. Pricing your offer is covered on Day 3 of the 5 Day Challenge.