Convi shows two different numbers in the product — AI resolution and AI reply (or AI replies / AI conversations). They sound similar but they mean different things, and only one of them is what you're billed on. This article explains the difference.
In this article
The short answer
AI resolution — the billing unit
AI reply — the message metric
AI conversations — the same thing as resolutions
An example
Why the distinction matters
What about handed-over conversations?
The short answer
Term | What it counts | Where you see it |
AI resolution | One conversation the AI handled without human handover | Plan usage, billing |
AI reply | One individual message sent by the AI | Analyze → Total AI replies |
AI conversation | Same as AI resolution (synonym used in some places in the UI) | Home → Plan usage card |
Only AI resolutions are billed. AI replies are an analytics number — they don't affect your plan usage.
AI resolution — the billing unit
An AI resolution is what the FAQ on the Pricing page calls out:
"An AI resolution is counted when the AI fully handles a customer conversation without needing human handover. Multiple messages within one conversation count as a single resolution."
So:
A conversation where the AI sends 1 message → 1 resolution.
A conversation where the AI sends 12 messages → still 1 resolution.
A conversation that started with the AI and was handed over to a human → 0 resolutions (doesn't count).
This is the only number that affects your plan's monthly allowance.
AI reply — the message metric
An AI reply is one individual message the assistant sends — as in, one chat bubble. From the Analyze → Overview tooltip:
"Total AI replies — The number of individual messages sent automatically by the Convi AI agent."
If the AI answers a shopper question in three back-and-forth messages, that's three AI replies but still one conversation (and one resolution if it ended without handover).
AI replies are useful as an engagement number — how many messages your assistant actually sent — but they're not what you pay for.
AI conversations — the same thing as resolutions
You'll occasionally see "AI conversations" instead of "AI resolutions" in the UI (the Home → Plan usage card subtitle reads "AI conversations this cycle", and limit-reached messages refer to "AI conversations on the {plan} plan"). These are synonyms — they refer to the same billing unit.
Conviapp.com/pricing and the Pricing FAQ standardize on AI resolution; the in-product copy sometimes uses AI conversation because it's clearer to non-technical merchants. They mean the same thing.
An example
Imagine a shop on the Starter plan (50 AI resolutions per cycle) that has a busy week with the following:
30 conversations end with the AI answering successfully — 30 resolutions, ~90 replies (AI sent ~3 messages per conversation).
5 conversations escalate to a human after some AI back-and-forth — 0 resolutions (handover), ~15 replies (the AI still spoke before handover).
12 conversations have the shopper open the chat and close it without sending — 0 resolutions, 0 replies.
Plan usage: 30 / 50 resolutions used. Analytics: ~105 AI replies. Same week, two very different numbers.
Why the distinction matters
For budgeting: Watch resolutions, not replies. A chatty AI doesn't burn through your plan; an AI that resolves many short conversations does.
For analytics: Watch replies as a volume metric (how active is the assistant?) and resolutions as a value metric (how many conversations did the AI actually close out?).
For training: A high ratio of replies to resolutions means many conversations are long and messy. That's a signal to look at Analyze → Recommendations and tighten up your knowledge or rules.
What about handed-over conversations?
Handed-over conversations:
Do not count as resolutions (you're not billed for them).
Do contribute AI replies (any message the AI sent before handover still counts as a reply).
Show up in the Conversations inbox with the Needs you badge and the "The chat hand-overed to you" banner.
So a conversation where the AI sent 4 messages, then handed off to a human → 4 AI replies, 0 resolutions.