Ten changes to Intercom’s pricing page

Ten changes, in order

1. Say what a sales outcome costs where “$0.99” is said

   Seen in Fig. 1. Show it on the figure.From $0.99, up to $9.99

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Version 1’s cards read “From $0.99 per Fin outcome” (Fig. 1). Behind the (i) beside it, four kinds of outcome are $0.99 each and a fifth, Qualification, is “$9.99 EACH” (Fig. 3). Version 2’s cards read “$0.99 per outcome”, with no “From” (Fig. 2). As that page opens it prints $0.99 six times and $9.99 nowhere. Its (i) says “Outcomes are priced at $0.99 each.” and ends “For Fin for Sales pricing, see here.” (Fig. 3), a link to a help article that gives $9.99 per Qualification (read the same morning, not shown here). On both versions the comparison table says “$9.99 per qualification on all plans” (the inset).

   Why it matters. A team that turns Fin on for sales pays about ten times the printed price for the outcome it most wants, a qualified lead. On version 1 the first feature on Essential’s card is “Fin for service, sales & ecommerce” (read, not shown here), so the cheaper price is advertised beside the dearer use.

   Try. One line under the price, on either version: “$0.99 per support outcome. Sales: $9.99 per qualified lead.” Version 2 already does this for voice, lower down: Fin Voice is “$1.99 per voice outcome”.

   , open it full size

2. Make the FAQ and the outcome dialog say the same thing

   Seen in Fig. 4. Show it on the figure.one price; elsewhere, three

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. The FAQ is the same on both versions. It says “Fin is priced at $0.99 per outcome.” and lists three cases that count: a customer confirms the issue is resolved, “They don’t ask for more help after Fin responds”, or “Fin completes a workflow (Procedure), including handoffs” (Fig. 4). Version 1’s dialog lists five kinds of outcome at two prices. Version 2’s adds what doesn’t count, and that when a resolved conversation is reopened “The earlier outcome is refunded.” (Fig. 3). The FAQ doesn’t mention the refund. Its question sits 3,467 px below the price on version 1 and 4,133 px below it on version 2. The help article names the silent case an “assumed resolution” (the inset).

   Why it matters. What counts as an outcome is the bill. A buyer who reads the FAQ and a buyer who opens the (i) come away with different rules. On the page, the rule most in the buyer’s favour, the refund, is only in version 2’s dialog.

   Try. One definition, written once and used in both places: the FAQ’s plain words for what counts, version 2’s list of what doesn’t, the refund, and every price.

   , open it full size

3. Put Pro’s real price on its card

   Seen in Fig. 5. Show it on the figure.then $0.20 a conversation

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Pro is an add-on of AI features for the support team. Its card reads “From $100 per workspace/mo” on version 2 (Fig. 5) and “From $100 /mo” on version 1 (read, not shown here). On version 2, “Learn more” opens a dialog: “a flat fee of $100/mo covering your first 500 conversations”, then “$0.20 per conversation” from 501 to 100,000 (the inset). The same dialog says Pro’s agent, Operator, comes with 6,000 credits a month, and that more cost $0.01 a credit (read, not shown here). The FAQ gives the $100, the 500 conversations and the credits. It doesn’t give the $0.20. On version 1, “Learn more” is a link to a help article, which I did not read.

   Why it matters. “From” is carrying most of the price. On the dialog’s own table, a team with 5,000 conversations a month pays $100 + 4,500 × $0.20 = $1,000 (the sum is mine): ten times the figure on the card, before any extra credits.

   Try. On the card: “$100/mo for your first 500 conversations, then $0.20 each. 6,000 Operator credits included.” Put the dialog’s own worked example beside it.

   , open it full size

4. Show every visitor the estimate

   Seen in Fig. 6. Show it on the figure.show this to everyone

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Version 2 has a box, “Get a quick cost estimate”, 794 px below the first price. As it opens: 120 conversations a month, 76% of them resolved by Fin, one Essential seat, “$109.09 /mo” (Fig. 6). Version 1 works out no sum on the page. It links to a calculator at another address, 1,581 px below the first price, and again in its first FAQ answer (read, not shown here; I did not use the calculator).

   Why it matters. A price per outcome means little until it is multiplied. In the box’s own example Fin is $90.09 of the $109.09. Usage, not the seat, is most of the bill, and a visitor given version 1 can’t see that without leaving the page.

   Try. Keep the box, whichever version is kept. Add two rows: sales outcomes (change 1), and Pro, whose price grows with the same conversation count (change 3).

5. Say what the startup offer is 93% off

   Seen in Fig. 2. Show it on the figure.93% off what?

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Both versions say “Startups get 93% off” (Fig. 2; on version 1 in a band lower down, read, not shown here). The FAQ says “Up to 93% off + 1 year of Fin free”. Under version 2’s $109.09 total: “With Early Stage this would be just $65/mo.” (Fig. 6). With a second seat the total became $128.09, and the line still said $65 (read, not shown here). The programme’s own page, read the same morning, prices the helpdesk “from $65 per month” and lists what that buys: six Advanced seats, six Copilot seats, Proactive Support Plus and, for a year, 300 Fin outcomes a month.

   Why it matters. $65 is about 40% off $109.09, not 93% (the sum is mine). I think the two agree once you know $65 buys a six-seat bundle, but the pricing page doesn’t say so. A small startup reading the estimate sees a far smaller saving than the headline. They also differ on size: “15 employees or fewer” here, “Fewer than 15 employees” there.

   Try. “Early Stage: $65/mo in year one for six Advanced seats, Copilot and 300 Fin outcomes a month. That is 93% off list.” And one size rule, the same in both places.

6. Say how long the new-customer price lasts

   Seen in Fig. 1. Show it on the figure.for how long?

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. On Essential, $29 is struck through beside $19 per seat/mo, over “New customers save 35%” (Fig. 1; the same on version 2, Fig. 2). Billed monthly it is $39 struck through, $29, and “save 25%” (the inset). The badge is a button. Hovered, focused and clicked on both versions, it opened nothing. Version 2’s billing switch also says “Save up to 35%”, for paying annually.

   Why it matters. A struck price says the higher one comes back. The page doesn’t say when: after a year, at renewal, or never. On version 2, two different savings carry the same 35%, one for being new and one for paying annually.

   Try. Under the badge, the rule: for example, “for your first 12 months, then $29”. If it never ends, drop the struck price.

   , open it full size

7. Say what paying annually charges on day one

   Seen in Fig. 1. Show it on the figure.what is charged on day one?

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Version 1 opens on “Billed annually”, version 2 on “Pay annually” (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). Every seat price reads “per seat/mo”. Neither version prints a yearly amount. Version 2’s estimate totals “$109.09 /mo” with its own “Pay annually” switch on (Fig. 6).

   Why it matters. If annual means a year paid ahead, the first charge for one Essential seat is $19 × 12 = $228 (the sum is mine), not $19. In the estimate, a seat paid a year ahead and outcomes billed as they happen are added into one monthly figure.

   Try. Beside each annual price: “$228 billed today, per seat”. In the estimate: “Seats billed yearly. Fin billed monthly, as used.”

8. Put Fin’s minimum on its card

   Seen in Fig. 4. Show it on the figure.said only here, and the number is left open

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. A fourth card sells Fin for a helpdesk you already have: $0.99 per outcome, and a “Contact sales” button (both versions; read, not shown here). The FAQ adds “Minimum monthly commitment applies (e.g. 50 outcomes)” (Fig. 4), 3,528 px below that card on version 1 and 4,212 px below it on version 2. With “An existing helpdesk” chosen, version 2’s estimate shows $90.09 a month and “Talk to Sales”, and no minimum (the inset).

   Why it matters. A minimum is a price. Fifty outcomes would be $49.50 a month (the sum is mine), but “e.g.” leaves the real number to a sales call.

   Try. On the card and in the estimate: “Minimum 50 outcomes a month ($49.50)”, with the true number.

   , open it full size

9. Put the trial’s terms by its button, and say which plan it starts

   Seen in Fig. 1. Show it on the figure.14 days, no card: said only in the FAQ

   Seen, why, try

   Seen. Version 1’s buttons say “Start free trial” (Fig. 1). The terms are in the FAQ, 4,043 px below: “14-day free trial”, “No credit card required” (the inset). Version 2 puts “14-day cardless free trial” under its headline (Fig. 2) and, in the estimate, “Start a 14-day Essential trial” with “No credit card required.” (Fig. 6). The link under the headline has the same address as Advanced’s button; the estimate’s button has Essential’s. The FAQ says the trial “Includes all features, Fin, and add-ons”.

   Why it matters. Version 2 fixes the larger half: the terms are now where the decision is. What is left is which plan a visitor is trying, and which one they are on when the 14 days end.

   Try. Keep version 2’s line and add the plan to it. If that is how it works: “14 days of everything, no card. Pick your plan at the end.”

   , open it full size

10. Use one word for the person you pay for

    Seen in Fig. 5. Show it on the figure.per agent and per teammate, on one card

    Seen, why, try

    Seen. The plan cards price “per seat/mo”. Version 1’s Copilot card says “per agent/mo” (read, not shown here). Version 2’s says “$29 per teammate/mo”, under a description that ends “per agent/mo.” (Fig. 5). The FAQ says “per teammate” for plans and “per agent” for Copilot. The comparison table says “Upgrade any agent to unlimited for $35/mo” (the inset), read with annual billing on, when the card says $29.

    Why it matters. Seat, agent and teammate may be one thing or three. A buyer counting heads for a quote has to guess. And for anyone paying annually, the table’s $35 disagrees with the card’s $29.

    Try. One word, “seat”, wherever a person is charged for. In the table: “$29/mo billed annually, $35 billed monthly”, as the FAQ has it.

    , open it full size