July 28, 2026
You Set the Resale Price: Designing Chatbot Plans, Quotas, and Overage Billing
In chatbot OEM resale, pricing is the first place agencies get stuck. How much should we charge? How do we set limits? What about clients who overuse?
The short answer: your price to end clients is entirely yours. But profitable pricing follows a design procedure. This guide covers the three building blocks: plans, quotas, and overage policy.
The Three Building Blocks
| Block | What you decide | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Feature set + base fee | Light / Standard / Premium |
| Quota | Monthly message limit | 1,000 / 5,000 / effectively unlimited |
| Overage policy | What happens past the limit | Block / metered / notify-only |
Most agencies think through the first two and leave overage vague — then disputes follow ("you said extra fees!" / "nobody told us"). Define the behavior in the system and the dispute never exists.
Step 1: Design Plans as Boxes with Knowable Cost
Start from cost structure, not features:
- Message limit × AI cost per message = max AI cost
- Max AI cost + platform fee = plan's maximum cost
- Max cost ÷ target cost ratio = minimum viable price
A "1,000-message cap" plan lets you compute the profitable price before you sell (for measured per-client cost, see LLM cost management).
In OneBot, the Super Admin defines plans (features + message limits) freely and assigns them per client tenant — including one-off plans for special accounts.
Step 2: Match Overage Policy to Client Type
Three overage modes, selectable per plan:
① Block
The chatbot pauses at the cap; resumes next month or on upgrade.
- For: low-price plans where cost must be hard-capped
- Watch out: end-user experience stops — pair with advance alerts
② Metered
Overage billed per unit at a rate you set on the plan.
- For: growing clients — overage is expansion, not punishment
- Bonus: extra revenue, plus a natural upsell trigger toward higher plans
③ Notify-only
No stop, no charge — alerts at thresholds.
- For: key accounts, early onboarding, campaign periods
- Watch out: cost is uncapped; time-box it
Threshold alerts email automatically (EN/JA) — no daily usage babysitting required.
Step 3: Protect Existing Clients from Price Changes
The overlooked piece: what happens to existing clients when you revise pricing.
In OneBot, a plan's contents are frozen as a snapshot at assignment. Changing the plan definition later (limits, overage rates) does not touch clients already on it:
- Raise prices for new clients without breaking existing contracts
- "Terms changed without notice" complaints become structurally impossible
- To change an existing client's terms, you explicitly re-assign a plan — a consent-based revision
This turns price revision from "too scary to touch" into a routine business decision.
A Working Template: The 3-Plan Lineup
| Light | Standard | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target client | Small shops | Core SMB segment | High-volume businesses |
| Monthly messages | 1,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| Overage | Block | Metered | Notify-only (managed) |
| Pricing logic | Fixed-cost, thin & stable | Overage revenue included — your workhorse | High-ticket, managed support |
The craft: steer ~70% of clients into Standard. Light is the entry door (built to upsell); Premium anchors the price range.
FAQ
Q1. Any constraints on our resale price?
None — end-client pricing is fully the agency's.
Q2. What should the overage unit price be?
Above the base plan's per-message rate, as a rule — it motivates plan upgrades. We'll suggest concrete levels based on AI cost in a post-trial consultation.
Q3. Different overage policies for different clients?
Yes — policy lives on the plan, and plans are assigned per tenant.
Q4. Do clients see they're approaching the cap?
Threshold alert emails fire automatically; pairing the alert with an upgrade proposal works well.
Q5. Do plan upgrades apply immediately?
Yes — re-assign the tenant's plan and the new limits/policy apply.
Q6. What are trial terms?
14 days, full features, no credit card. Your designed plan is assigned at contract.
Summary
- Pricing = plan × quota × overage policy
- Three overage modes per plan; alerts are automatic
- Assignment snapshots mean price revisions never break existing clients' terms
- The 3-plan lineup with a Standard funnel is the practical default
The fastest way to design plans is inside the dashboard. 14 days free, no credit card.