Message Top-Ups: When to Buy and How to Plan Capacity

What this guide covers

This guide explains how message capacity is calculated, when to buy message top-ups, and how to validate new limits after checkout. You will use Billing totals and chatbot usage behaviour to prevent service interruption.

Before you start

• You can access Settings > Billing.
• Your account is eligible to purchase add-ons.
• You understand your expected visitor message demand for the period.

1) Understand how message limits are calculated

Message allowance is based on:

• Plan included messages
• +1,000 per extra space add-on
• +1,000 per message block add-on
• Optional effective limit override, if configured

Usage is counted from visitor messages (message_type = visitor) in tour chatbot conversations.

2) Check current capacity and add-on state

1. Open Settings > Billing.
2. Review:
   • Base messages
   • Total messages
3. In Add-ons, check current message_block value.

Use Refresh after any billing action to reload current totals.

3) Identify when to buy top-ups

Buy message blocks when:

• You are approaching your current total message limit.
• Upcoming campaigns or launches are expected to increase chatbot usage.
• You want headroom to avoid limit-triggered failures.

If message limits are reached, chatbot APIs return a billing limit response and block further visitor message handling until capacity is increased.

4) Purchase message top-ups

1. In Add-ons, locate Message Top-up Block (message_block).
2. Enter required quantity.
3. Click Buy to open checkout.
4. Complete payment and return to Settings.
5. Click Refresh.

Confirm both message_block current value and Total messages increased as expected.

5) Validate post-purchase behaviour

After purchase:

1. Confirm Billing totals are updated.
2. Run a chatbot test conversation.
3. Verify message handling proceeds normally.
4. Record updated capacity and review schedule for next check.

Use recurring checks to avoid capacity surprises during high-volume periods.

Common issues

• Top-up purchased but totals unchanged: refresh after webhook processing.
• Limit error still shown: confirm purchase applied to the correct venue and that totals increased.
• Unexpectedly fast usage growth: review visitor message volume and campaign timing.
• Wrong top-up quantity: validate quantity field before checkout.
• Intermittent blocked responses: check whether usage is repeatedly hitting limit thresholds.

Validation checklist

• Message limit formula is understood and documented.
• Current message_block and total messages are verified in Billing.
• Top-up purchase completed and refreshed successfully.
• Post-purchase chatbot message flow is confirmed.
• Capacity review cadence is defined for ongoing operations.

Final note

Treat message top-ups as proactive capacity management, not emergency response. Plan ahead using expected demand, maintain headroom, and validate limits immediately after every purchase.