How do you price AI software? | The AI Take, Ep 14

Lightfield, an AI based CRM, started out on fixed per seat licensing. Customers used the tool more than that price could cover, so the company moved entirely to consumption pricing. Then customer usage dropped away significantly. The reason was subtle. Customers saw most of their CRM work, like adding a record, as business as usual, and they could not see it as something to consume. There was a fear of suddenly using a lot of credits to do normal work. In Episode 14 of The AI Take, Sidney Minassian and Michael Chanter work through what that means for anyone pricing AI software. Michael's view is that core functions need predictable costs, and customers will accept variable pricing where they get a lot of value from AI. He sets out three things to get right: control and certainty when customers buy, visibility of cost while they use it, and a clear line between high value work and commodity work. Then what it means for channel partners, who sit between the customer and the vendor. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:31 Today's take 1:42 What happened 2:34 The impact 3:46 Making it sticky 5:10 Where the market lands 7:03 What it means for the channel #AI #Pricing #SaaS #Channel #1KE #TheAITake About 1KE: 1KE is the presales autopilot for technical sales teams. It turns discovery calls, emails, and technical documents into structured requirements and customer-ready solutions in minutes, so teams can respond while the deal is still warm. Learn more → https://1ke.ai Michael →   / michaelchanter   · https://x.com/1keceo Sidney →   / sidneyminassian   Follow 1KE →   / 1ke-ai   ---