Finding 001
What AI support vendors charge per resolution, and who decides what resolved means
Two of the five AI support vendors we read publish how they decide that a conversation was resolved, and the rules differ: Zendesk has a large language model read the conversation and assign it a tier, while Intercom counts a customer who stops replying for 24 hours after Fin's last answer as an assumed resolution.
Prices and definitions read 2026-10-19 from each vendor's own pages. We re-read them monthly.
Not measured: we did not use these products or see anyone's bill. These are the vendors' own published words and list prices.
The five vendors, side by side
Vendors with a public price first; those that sell only by quote last. Each quote links to the page it came from.
Zendesk Zendesk AI agents
- AI agents: committed automated resolutions$1.50 per automated resolutionRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageListed for Support Team, Suite Team and Suite Professional.
- AI agents: pay-as-you-go automated resolutions$2 per automated resolutionRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageListed for Support Team, Suite Team and Suite Professional.
Who decides a conversation was resolved: The vendor's own language model
Verified resolution“The AI agent successfully resolved the interaction.”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 Contained resolution“The AI agent handled the interaction to completion without the customer requesting further assistance.”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 “a verification process is performed by a large language model (LLM) that evaluates the text of the conversation”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 “By default, the conversation ends 2 hours after the first message in the conversation”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 “To dispute the assignment, contact Zendesk Customer Support.”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 “Customers who are on this platform remain so until they move to resolution tiers.”
support.zendesk.com, read 2026-10-19 What a buyer could dispute
- The party that bills decides what is billable: Zendesk's own language model reads the transcript. Its instructions and error rate are not published.
- A messaging conversation ends 2 hours after the first message by default, not after the last reply. The pages we read do not say what happens when the customer comes back later with the same problem.
- The help page says two of the three tiers do not count against the resolution allowance. It does not say in so many words that the third tier does.
- To dispute a tier, the buyer contacts Zendesk Customer Support. The pages we read state no criteria and no time limit for a dispute.
- The pricing page lists a price per automated resolution; it publishes no price per resolution tier, and accounts on the earlier platform stay on it until they move to resolution tiers.
Intercom Fin AI agent
- Fin AI agent outcome$0.99 per outcomeRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageAn outcome is a resolution or a Procedure handoff, charged once per conversation. A minimum monthly commitment applies.
- Fin with your own helpdesk: base plan$49 per monthRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageIncludes 50 resolutions; further outcomes are charged per outcome.
Who decides a conversation was resolved: The customer's reply, or 24 hours without one
“If a customer disengages from the conversation for 24 hours after Fin's last answer, it is considered an assumed resolution.”
fin.ai, read 2026-10-19 “A Procedure handoff is an outcome where Fin successfully executes a Procedure that you've configured to end in a handoff to a human or a workflow.”
fin.ai, read 2026-10-19 “the customer later returns to the same conversation seeking further assistance (even across billing periods) ... that resolution will be deducted and not charged.”
fin.ai, read 2026-10-19 What a buyer could dispute
- A customer who gives up, or moves to email or the phone, can be counted as resolved after 24 hours of silence. The deduction applies only when they come back to the same conversation.
- A Procedure handoff to a human is a billable outcome, so a conversation a person has to finish can still be charged.
Salesforce Agentforce
- Agentforce conversations$2 per conversationRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageThe pricing page does not define a conversation.
- Agentforce Help Agent resolutions$2 per resolutionRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageListed in the pricing page's comparison table; the pricing page does not define a resolution.
- Agentforce Flex Credits$500 per 100,000 Flex CreditsRead 2026-10-19. Vendor pageAn Agentforce action uses 20 Flex Credits, which the pricing page's example costs at US$0.10; a Voice action uses 30.
Who decides a conversation was resolved: Not stated on the pages we read
“With pay-per-resolution pricing, you are charged when Help Agent resolves an issue autonomously, start to finish.”
salesforce.com, read 2026-10-19 “If a customer gives negative feedback or asks for human escalation, there is no charge”
salesforce.com, read 2026-10-19 The Agentforce pricing page lists a price per conversation and per Help Agent resolution but defines neither. The quotes above are from the June 2026 announcement of Help Agent, not from a billing document.
What a buyer could dispute
- The pricing page does not define a conversation or a resolution, the two units it prices.
- The announcement says there is no charge after negative feedback or a request for a human. It does not say how a customer who simply stops replying is counted.
- Flex Credits are charged per action. How many actions a conversation uses depends on how the agent is built and what it does, which a buyer can estimate but not fix in advance.
Decagon Decagon AI agent
No public price; quote only, checked 2026-10-19. Page checked
Who decides a conversation was resolved: Each customer's contract
“You pay only when the AI resolves a conversation from start to finish.”
decagon.ai, read 2026-10-19 “Gray areas can lead to billing disagreements.”
decagon.ai, read 2026-10-19 Decagon publishes no price and no billing definition. The quotes are from its glossary entry on resolution-based pricing in general; what counts as resolved is set in each customer's contract.
What a buyer could dispute
- With no published definition, a buyer cannot compare what Decagon counts as resolved with any other vendor before negotiating.
- Decagon's own glossary says gray areas can lead to billing disagreements.
Sierra Sierra AI agent
No public price; quote only, checked 2026-10-19. Page checked
Who decides a conversation was resolved: Each customer's contract
“If the conversation is unresolved, in most cases, there's no charge.”
sierra.ai, read 2026-10-19 “And if a case needs to be escalated, in most cases, there's no charge.”
sierra.ai, read 2026-10-19 “clear, agreed-upon criteria for each outcome upfront”
sierra.ai, read 2026-10-19 Sierra publishes no price. Its outcome criteria are agreed with each customer; the quotes are from its December 2024 post on outcome-based pricing.
What a buyer could dispute
- "In most cases" leaves room to charge for some unresolved or escalated conversations; the exceptions are not published.
- Billable outcomes can include a saved cancellation, an upsell or a cross-sell, with the criteria agreed per contract.
| Vendor | List price | Who decides | The vendor's definition | Dispute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZendeskZendesk AI agents |
| The vendor's own language model | Verified resolution“The AI agent successfully resolved the interaction.” Contained resolution“The AI agent handled the interaction to completion without the customer requesting further assistance.” “a verification process is performed by a large language model (LLM) that evaluates the text of the conversation” “By default, the conversation ends 2 hours after the first message in the conversation” “To dispute the assignment, contact Zendesk Customer Support.” “Customers who are on this platform remain so until they move to resolution tiers.” | What a buyer could dispute
|
| IntercomFin AI agent |
| The customer's reply, or 24 hours without one | “If a customer disengages from the conversation for 24 hours after Fin's last answer, it is considered an assumed resolution.” “A Procedure handoff is an outcome where Fin successfully executes a Procedure that you've configured to end in a handoff to a human or a workflow.” “the customer later returns to the same conversation seeking further assistance (even across billing periods) ... that resolution will be deducted and not charged.” | What a buyer could dispute
|
| SalesforceAgentforce |
| Not stated on the pages we read | “With pay-per-resolution pricing, you are charged when Help Agent resolves an issue autonomously, start to finish.” “If a customer gives negative feedback or asks for human escalation, there is no charge” The Agentforce pricing page lists a price per conversation and per Help Agent resolution but defines neither. The quotes above are from the June 2026 announcement of Help Agent, not from a billing document. | What a buyer could dispute
|
| DecagonDecagon AI agent | No public price; quote only, checked 2026-10-19. Page checked | Each customer's contract | “You pay only when the AI resolves a conversation from start to finish.” “Gray areas can lead to billing disagreements.” Decagon publishes no price and no billing definition. The quotes are from its glossary entry on resolution-based pricing in general; what counts as resolved is set in each customer's contract. | What a buyer could dispute
|
| SierraSierra AI agent | No public price; quote only, checked 2026-10-19. Page checked | Each customer's contract | “If the conversation is unresolved, in most cases, there's no charge.” “And if a case needs to be escalated, in most cases, there's no charge.” “clear, agreed-upon criteria for each outcome upfront” Sierra publishes no price. Its outcome criteria are agreed with each customer; the quotes are from its December 2024 post on outcome-based pricing. | What a buyer could dispute
|
How we read these
- We read each vendor's own pricing and help pages on 2026-10-19, without signing in, and copied the words that define what they bill. Quotes are exact; a quote shown as a fragment is the part we could confirm on the live page that day.
- Prices are list prices as each vendor's page states them. They leave out discounts, negotiated contracts and the plan or seats a product needs first.
- Figures and rules found only in third-party writing are left out: estimates of what Decagon and Sierra charge, and summaries of how Salesforce bills a Help Agent resolution. Where a vendor's page has no definition, its row says so.
- There is no cost per resolution here. Working one out would need a reopen or error rate, and none of the five publishes one.
- Each price is kept as a dated reading. Past 45 days a price says its re-read is overdue; past 180 days the amount is withheld and only the vendor link is shown. How we handle cost figures.
- Others compare these vendors too. Aissist's AI agent pricing benchmark covers all five, and UsagePricing's per-resolution page gives one-line definitions for four. This page sets each vendor's own wording side by side, quoted, with its link and read date.
Cite this
Finding 001: What AI support vendors charge per resolution, and who decides what resolved means. BenchLytix, as read on 2026-10-19. https://www.benchlytix.com/findings/001-ai-support-vendor-pricing
BenchLytix takes no money from vendors, including the five named here, and no vendor paid for a place on this page.