specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Gladly
providerId: gladly
created: '2026-05-24'
modified: '2026-05-24'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - Cost Management
  - FOCUS
  - Customer Service
  - CX
description: FOCUS-aligned FinOps definition for the Gladly customer-service platform. Per-seat subscription for Hero/Superhero, per-conversation metering for Sidekick AI, and per-minute / per-message metering for voice and SMS channels.
sources:
  - https://www.gladly.ai/
  - https://help.gladly.com/docs/voice-and-sms-phone-number-costs
  - https://www.ringly.io/blog/gladly-pricing
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Gladly
serviceCategory: Customer Service Software
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Hybrid
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Subscription
    - Usage
    - Tax
    - Credit
    - Adjustment
  primaryUnit: agent_seat
  secondaryUnits:
    - sidekick_conversation
    - voice_minute
    - sms_message
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Gladly Platform
  ServiceCategory: Customer Service Software
  ProviderName: Gladly
  PublisherName: Gladly
  InvoiceIssuerName: Gladly
  PricingCategory: Hybrid
  PricingUnit: seat
  BillingCurrency: USD
meters:
  - name: agent_seat
    unit: seat
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - tier
      - inbox
      - team
    notes: Hero $180/seat/mo (10 seat minimum) or Superhero $210/seat/mo (45 seat minimum), billed annually.
  - name: sidekick_conversation
    unit: conversation
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - channel
      - audience
      - language
    notes: Approximately $0.60 per AI-resolved conversation.
  - name: voice_ai_minute
    unit: minute
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - direction
      - number
    notes: Approximately $0.06216 per Voice AI minute.
  - name: toll_free_inbound_minute
    unit: minute
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - number
    notes: Approximately $0.02794 per inbound toll-free minute.
  - name: sms_message
    unit: message
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - number_type
      - direction
    notes: $0.00273 to $0.00637 per message depending on local long code, short code, or toll-free.
allocation:
  recommended:
    - tag agents by team, brand, and inbox for showback
    - allocate Sidekick AI conversations by channel and audience
    - allocate voice spend by inbound/outbound and toll-free vs local
optimization:
  practices:
    - Right-size seat counts annually against MAU agent activity reports
    - Lean on Sidekick AI for high-volume, low-complexity topics (FAQ, order status, returns) to deflect seat hours
    - Use the Lookup API to enrich conversations rather than mirroring profiles into Gladly via per-record API calls
    - Prefer Webhooks over Reports polling to avoid hitting the 10 req/sec API ceiling
governance:
  - Track per-org API rate-limit utilization to avoid 429-driven retries that inflate per-conversation handle time
  - Reconcile annual seat commit against actual provisioned agents quarterly
  - Review channel cost-per-resolution (voice vs SMS vs chat) and shift mix accordingly