Straight answer up front: your monthly plan covers the system, the build, and support. It does not include messaging and calling usage. Those are billed based on what you actually use.
Nobody likes finding this out on an invoice, so here's exactly how it works.
What your monthly plan covers
- The whole system, built around your business
- Every automation running for you, maintained by Escape
- Training, support, and future improvements
- Your team's logins
What's billed on usage
| What | When it's charged |
|---|---|
| Text messages | Per message sent or received. Longer texts count as more than one |
| Emails | Per email sent |
| Phone calls | Per minute, incoming and outgoing |
| Phone numbers | A small monthly charge per number on your account |
| AI minutes (only if you have the AI Add-On) | Per minute the AI spends talking or texting with customers |
How you pay for it
Your account keeps a usage balance. As texts, calls, and emails go out, they draw from it.
Auto-recharge keeps it topped up automatically so your system never stops mid-job. That's deliberate — a shop whose reminders stop sending on a Friday afternoon is a real problem, and we'd rather you never experience it.
Your balance, your recharge settings, and your usage history are all visible in your account.
Why it works this way
Two shops on the same plan can use wildly different amounts. A one-truck operation might send a few hundred texts a month; a five-truck shop in peak season can send thousands. Bundling that into a flat price means the smaller shop subsidizes the larger one — so instead, everyone pays for what they use, and your plan price stays the same either way.
The upside: as your volume grows, you're only paying more because you're doing more work.
Keeping it predictable
- Most of it is automatic and small. Confirmations, reminders, and on-the-way texts are short and cheap. The volume that matters is bulk messaging.
- Watch before you blast. If you're about to text your whole customer list about a promotion, that's a real cost — worth a quick word with us first so you know what to expect.
- Calls are usually the smaller line. Most shops are surprised that texting, not calling, is the bigger number.
Questions about your bill
Ask — we'd rather explain a charge than have you wondering about it. Book a support call or reach out and we'll walk through your usage with you.