Inbound Billing
Inbound calls are billed separately from outbound — you only pay when your AI agent answers, and only for the time the conversation lasts.
Overview
Receiving inbound calls is included on all Volume Reach plans. There are no extra fees to enable inbound — you are charged only for the minutes your AI agent is actively on the call. Calls that go to voicemail are not billed.
Inbound SMS replies from prospects are also billed separately at a flat per-message rate.
How It Works
When Billing Starts
Inbound minute billing begins the moment your AI agent answers the call. Time spent ringing before the agent picks up is not counted.
When Billing Does Not Apply
- Voicemail calls: If no agent is assigned to the number and the call goes to voicemail, no inbound minutes are charged.
- Missed calls: Calls that are not answered at all are never billed.
How Minutes Are Calculated
Inbound minutes are rounded up to the nearest whole minute. For example, a 1 minute and 10 second conversation is billed as 2 minutes.
Inbound Rates by Plan
| Plan | Inbound Minutes |
|---|---|
| Launch | $0.06 / min |
| Growth | $0.05 / min |
| Scale | $0.05 / min |
Inbound SMS Billing
When a prospect replies to a message sent from your Volume Reach number, that inbound message is billed at a flat rate of $0.020 per message, regardless of plan. This applies to all inbound SMS, including opt-out replies.
Viewing Inbound Usage
You can see a breakdown of your inbound minutes and SMS usage at any time:
- Go to Billing in your dashboard.
- Select Usage to view the current billing period.
- Filter by Inbound Minutes or Inbound SMS to see exactly what you have used.
Your usage is updated in near real-time, so you can track costs as calls come in.
Tips & Best Practices
- Assign agents intentionally. Only numbers with an active agent assigned will generate inbound minute charges. If cost control is a priority, ensure each active number has a purposeful agent assigned.
- Monitor high-volume callback windows. If a large campaign goes out, expect a spike in inbound calls shortly after. Check your usage dashboard during those windows.
- Inbound and outbound are tracked separately. Your bill will show them as distinct line items, making it straightforward to see the cost of callbacks versus initial outreach.
- SMS replies add up. If your campaigns generate a high volume of SMS replies, factor the $0.020 per message rate into your cost projections. See Usage Rates for a full breakdown of all billable metrics.