Pay-Per-Call

Pay-per-call is a billing model where you charge each time a tool or API is used, instead of charging a flat monthly fee. One call, one charge. It fits the agent world neatly: when ChatGPT or Claude reaches for a tool on a buyer's behalf, that single action is something you can meter and price.

Think of it as paying for outcomes, not access. The meter only runs when real intent shows up.

Why it matters for the ChatGPT funnel

Most of your funnel cost is spent before anyone converts — impressions, clicks, sessions you pay for whether or not they turn into pipeline. Pay-per-call flips that. You only pay when the assistant actually fires the action that matters.

That's a cleaner economics for AI-search demand. Instead of buying a wide top of funnel and hoping, you spend on the moment a buyer hits real intent inside the chat and the assistant acts on it. The spend lines up with the result you actually want.

How drio fits

drio uses this idea to keep your costs tied to outcomes. You don't pay for every brand mention in an answer — you pay when your app gets picked at real intent and books a lead. It's pay-per-lead built on the same per-call logic, so your funnel spend tracks booked pipeline instead of raw exposure. See usage-based-pricing for the broader pattern.