Usage & Minutes
BuildVoiceAI charges a platform rate of $0.15 per minute on top of your monthly subscription. This covers the dashboard, analytics, workflows, white-label features, and all platform processing. Usage tracking is available under Billing → Usage.
Understanding the Platform Rate
The $0.15/min platform fee is separate from your voice provider costs:
| Cost Component | Billed By | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | BuildVoiceAI | $0.15/min |
| Voice provider fee | Retell, Vapi, or Bland | Varies by provider |
Example: A 5-minute call costs $0.75 in platform fees, plus whatever your provider charges for those 5 minutes. Provider fees vary based on the voice model, telephony, and plan you have with them.
Usage charges appear on your invoice at the end of each billing cycle alongside your subscription fee.
Usage Dashboard
The usage dashboard provides several views of your consumption:
Daily View
See minute-by-minute consumption for each day. Useful for spotting unusual spikes or verifying that a campaign performed as expected.
Weekly View
Aggregated weekly totals help you identify trends and plan capacity. Compare week-over-week to understand growth patterns.
Monthly View
The monthly view shows your total consumption for the current billing period and a running cost estimate.
Usage by Agent
Break down minutes consumed by individual agent. This view helps you understand:
- Which agents are handling the most calls
- Which clients are driving the most usage
- Where to focus optimization efforts
If one agent is consuming significantly more minutes than others, check its average call duration. Long calls may indicate the agent is not resolving conversations efficiently, or that the use case naturally requires longer conversations.
Tracking Costs
The usage page shows both minutes and estimated cost:
- Minutes used — Total minutes consumed in the current period
- Estimated cost — Minutes multiplied by $0.15
- Previous period — Last month’s total for comparison
These numbers update in near real-time as calls complete.
Usage Alerts
BuildVoiceAI does not currently enforce usage caps or send automatic usage alerts. You are responsible for monitoring your consumption. Check the usage dashboard regularly, especially after launching new campaigns or onboarding new clients.
There is no spending limit on per-minute usage. If you run a large outbound campaign, minutes can accumulate quickly. Monitor usage during and after campaigns to avoid unexpected charges.
Usage on Your Invoice
At the end of each billing cycle, your invoice includes:
- Subscription fee — Your plan’s monthly rate
- Usage fee — Total minutes x $0.15
- Prorated charges — If applicable from mid-cycle plan changes
The usage line item shows the exact number of minutes and the calculated total.
Reducing Usage Costs
To optimize your per-minute costs:
- Shorten agent prompts — Concise prompts lead to more efficient conversations
- Set appropriate call timeouts — Prevent agents from staying on calls that are going nowhere
- Use call dispositions — Ensure agents end calls once the objective is met
- Review long calls — Identify calls over 10 minutes and check if the agent could have been more efficient