Integrating AI into Your Business Process
The End of Shelfware: Why Outcome-Based Pricing is the Future of AI Agents
Not long ago, buying software meant heading to a store, grabbing a shrink-wrapped box of floppy disks or CDs, and installing it on your computer. You paid once—whether you used the product or not—and if an upgrade came along, you paid again. It was a system built around ownership, not usage.
Then came the Internet. With it, a seismic shift: software became a service. The rise of SaaS (Software as a Service) changed everything. Always up-to-date, scalable by the seat, accessible from anywhere—SaaS was a major step forward.
But even SaaS had its limits.
Shelfware in the Age of SaaS
SaaS brought flexibility, but most pricing remained rigid. You paid for a seat annually, whether or not it was ever used. That idle seat, quietly draining your budget, came to be known—somewhat mockingly—as shelfware.
Cloud providers later improved on this model. Infrastructure companies like AWS and Snowflake introduced consumption-based pricing: pay only for what you use. The more compute or storage you consumed, the more you were billed. A fairer model, but still tied to activity, not impact.
Enter Outcome-Based Pricing
Now, AI agents are ushering in the next evolution: outcome-based pricing—a model where you only pay when something valuable happens.
At MAE 2, we design AI agents that execute real business tasks. Not just responding, but resolving. Not just chatting, but converting. With outcome-based pricing, cost is tied directly to value: a solved support query, a saved cancellation, a new upsell, or a qualified lead. If the task doesn’t meet the defined outcome? You don’t pay.
Pay for Impact, Not Effort
The core principle is simple: value creation should drive value exchange.
This model ensures that AI agents are optimised continuously—not just at launch. From the first deployment, we work iteratively to increase resolution rates and drive real results. We’re not incentivised to keep the agent running; we’re incentivised to make sure it works.
With every interaction, we’re aiming for something measurable: savings, retention, conversion. That’s what you pay for. That’s what we optimise for.
Clarity and Flexibility
Naturally, outcome-based pricing raises questions: Will costs spike unexpectedly? Will “success” be vague or hard to prove? Will escalations be charged separately?
At MAE 2, we eliminate the guesswork. Every outcome is clearly defined upfront—agreed upon in collaboration with you. From quick wins to complex resolutions, we match the pricing model to the task. Escalated or unresolved cases? In most cases, you won’t be charged.
And we don’t force one model across the board. For some tasks—like routing or high-volume first-touch interactions—conversation-based pricing may be a better fit. In those cases, we build a hybrid model that reflects real-world value while keeping your costs predictable.
Why Legacy Models Are Holding You Back
Traditional CX providers are stuck. Their business depends on seat-based licences—predictable revenue, but built on an outdated premise. The better their AI performs, the fewer seats you need. So there’s a conflict: innovation cannibalises their income.
We don’t have that problem.
MAE 2 has no reliance on seat-based billing. Our revenue model is simple: if our agents deliver value, we get paid. If they don’t, we don’t. It’s not just a pricing model—it’s a promise of aligned incentives.
Let’s Rethink What Software Can Be
Shelfware belongs in the past. Software—especially intelligent software—should perform, not just exist.
At MAE 2, we’re helping forward-thinking businesses reimagine customer experience through agents that deliver measurable outcomes, not just activity. If you’re ready to move beyond usage-based fees and start paying only for what truly drives success, let’s talk.
Outcome-based pricing isn’t a trend. It’s the future.