From: aidotengineer
Outcome-based pricing, also known as success-based pricing, is an AI agent pricing strategy where customers pay based on the successful results or outcomes delivered by the AI agent, rather than traditional metrics like usage volume or time. This model demonstrates a company’s confidence in its product’s ability to deliver value and aligns pricing with the customer’s success [01:35:00].
Characteristics
- Payment for Success: Customers only pay when a desired outcome is achieved [03:09:00].
- ROI Guarantee: This model often effectively provides an ROI (Return on Investment) guarantee for the tool [03:14:00].
- Confidence Indication: It signals the provider’s high confidence in their product’s performance [01:35:00].
Examples in Practice
Intercom’s Finn
Intercom, a successful company, has adopted outcome-based pricing for its AI agent, Finn [01:11:00]. While offering traditional tiered models (Essential, Advanced, Expert), Finn also includes a 99-cent cost per resolution [01:19:00]. This means customers pay specifically for each successful resolution of customer support tickets that Finn handles [01:28:00].
Chargeflow
Chargeflow, a chargeback recovery tool, exemplifies outcome-based pricing by charging a percentage per recovered chargeback [03:02:00]. Customers do not pay anything unless a chargeback recovery is successful, providing a clear ROI guarantee [03:09:00].
Future Trends
In 2025, there is an expectation for a continued lean into outcome or success-based pricing models for AI agents [18:16:00]. This will necessitate clearer discussions around defining success and establishing robust guarantees and service level agreements (SLAs) from providers [18:20:00].