Telephony credits

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What Telephony Credits are for

Telephony Credits are used exclusively for phone and calling-related services, completely separate from AI Credits. Telephony Credits cover:

• Inbound call minutes – Customers receiving calls
• Outbound call minutes – AI agents making calls
• Phone number rentals – Monthly fees for provisioned numbers
• SMS messaging – Carrier costs for text messages

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Key differences: Telephony vs AI Credits

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Where to find it

1. In the Partner Portal sidebar, go to Credits.
2. Click Telephony Credits in the submenu.
3. Or access directly from the sidebar under Credits → Telephony Credits.

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View telephony credit balance

On the Telephony Credits page, you’ll see:

• Current Balance – Your telephony credit balance in dollars/cents
• Low Credit Alert – Warning if below threshold
• Transaction History – Recent purchases and usage
• Credit Packages – Available top-up options

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Purchase telephony credits

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Select a package

1. Go to Telephony Credits.
2. Browse available credit packages.
3. Packages typically include:
   • Small – $50 (5000 cents)
   • Medium – $100 (10000 cents)
   • Large – $250 (25000 cents)
   • Custom – Enter your own amount

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Complete purchase

1. Click Purchase on your chosen package.
2. Review the amount.
3. Complete Stripe checkout.
4. Credits are added immediately after payment confirmation.

Redirect URL: After purchase, you’re redirected to a success page showing:

• Credits added
• Amount paid
• New balance

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Configure low credit alerts

Set up notifications before credits run out:

1. Go to Telephony Credits.
2. Click Settings (gear icon).
3. Configure:
   • Alert Threshold – Balance amount that triggers alert (e.g., $10 or 1000 cents)
   • Email Notifications – Receive email when threshold is reached
   • Dashboard Alerts – Show warning banner on dashboard

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Why set alerts

• Prevent service interruptions – Top up before calls fail
• Plan ahead – Budget for monthly usage
• Avoid emergency top-ups – No last-minute scrambles

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View transaction history

Track all telephony credit activity:

1. Click Show Transaction History or History tab.
2. View transactions including:
   • Purchases – When you bought credits
   • Usage – Credits consumed by calls/SMS
   • Adjustments – Manual changes by support
   • Date & Time – When transaction occurred
   • Balance After – Remaining balance

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Export history

Some plans allow exporting transaction history for accounting:

• Click Export to download CSV
• Use for billing reconciliation
• Track monthly spending patterns

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How telephony credits are consumed

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Call minutes

Every call consumes credits based on:

• Duration – Charged per minute
• Direction – Inbound vs outbound
• Provider rates – Twilio or other carrier costs

Example:

• 10-minute call at $0.02/min =$0.20 (20 cents) deducted

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Phone number rentals

Monthly phone number costs:

• Local numbers – ~$1/month
• Toll-free numbers – ~$2/month
• International numbers – Varies by country

Charged automatically at the beginning of each month.

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SMS messages

Per-message costs:

• Outbound SMS – $0.0075 per message (0.75 cents)
• Inbound SMS – Usually free or minimal cost
• MMS – Higher cost, varies by carrier

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Cost-based pricing explained

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No markup policy

Telephony credits are priced at cost – you pay exactly what Knotie AI pays providers (Twilio, etc.): Why?

• Transparent pricing – No hidden fees
• Competitive rates – Pass savings to you
• Predictable costs – Same as provider rates

Your markup: You can mark up services to your customers in your own billing, while paying provider cost.

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Never expire

Unlike some credit systems:

• No expiration date – Buy once, use anytime
• Roll over – Unused credits carry forward
• No waste – Credits never lost to expiration

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Best practices

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Maintain buffer balance

• Keep 2-3x monthly usage – Avoid running out mid-month
• Set alerts at 20-30% – Early warning for top-ups
• Review monthly patterns – Adjust buffer based on growth

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Monitor usage trends

• Track monthly consumption – Identify spikes or drops
• Seasonal planning – Prepare for busy periods
• Customer-level tracking – See which customers use most credits

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Budget for growth

As you onboard more customers:

• Project future usage – Estimate credit needs
• Bulk purchases – Buy larger packages for better planning
• Set up recurring – Consider auto-top-up if available

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Telephony vs AI credit top-ups

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When to buy telephony credits

Buy telephony credits when:

• You’re onboarding customers with phone agents
• Setting up new phone numbers
• Launching SMS campaigns
• Scaling call volume

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When to buy AI credits

Buy AI credits when:

• Enabling AI-powered features
• Scaling AI agent usage
• Using platform tools and integrations
• Adding knowledge base processing

Both balances are independent – Top up each separately based on your needs.

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Troubleshooting

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Purchase succeeded but balance not updated

• Refresh page – Click the refresh icon or reload browser
• Wait 1-2 minutes – Payment processing may be delayed
• Check email – Stripe sends confirmation to your email
• Contact support – If credits missing after 5 minutes

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Low credit alert not showing

• Check settings – Verify alert threshold is set
• Email configuration – Ensure email notifications enabled
• Balance above threshold – Alert only shows when below limit

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Unable to make calls despite credits

• Check AI credits – You need BOTH telephony AND AI credits for calls
• Phone number status – Verify number is active
• Customer configuration – Ensure customer agent is deployed

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Unexpected credit consumption

• Review usage history – Check what consumed credits
• Failed calls – Some failed calls may still consume minimal credits
• Test calls – Remember test calls consume real credits
• Phone number rentals – Monthly fees deducted automatically

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Related pages

• Credits Management – Overview of credit system
• AI Credit Management – Customer AI credits
• Phone Numbers – Phone number provisioning
• Auto-Deploy – Credit requirements for auto-deployment

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Screenshots