# Article Name 3 Ways to Monitor Spending for Intercom # Article Summary Explore three practical approaches to monitor Intercom spending and keep budgets aligned with strategic business goals # Original HTML URL on Toriihq.com https://www.toriihq.com/articles/how-to-monitor-spending-intercom # Details Keeping an eye on Intercom costs can feel like a game of whack-a-mole. Usage spikes, add-ons creep in, and suddenly the monthly bill looks a lot bigger than last quarter’s plan. You don’t need a finance degree to regain control. By tracking the right metrics, setting guardrails, and automating alerts, teams can spot overspend early and keep every chat aligned with wider goals. ## Use Intercom's UI Here, you’ll use Intercom’s Billing pages to see where your money goes each month. ### 1. Open the Billing area - Click the gear icon in the lower-left corner of Intercom. - Select Billing. That opens the Overview tab. ### 2. Review the Overview tab - At the top, find the card labeled Upcoming invoice. It shows your spend so far and the date the charge will run. - Below that, the line items break down seats, active people, and add-ons so you can spot the biggest cost drivers in seconds. ### 3. Drill into seat costs - In the left sidebar of Billing, choose Seats. - A list of every teammate appears with their seat type and price. - Click the three dots next to someone you no longer need and select Remove seat. - The running total at the top updates right away, so you can see the savings before you leave the page. ### 4. Watch active people usage - Back in Billing, click People. - A chart tracks how many people you’ve messaged this cycle and how close you are to your plan limit. - The page also shows a projected end-of-month number. If the forecast looks high, archive dormant leads or tweak message rules. ### 5. Check add-ons and credits - Still in Billing, open Add-ons. - Each product add-on lists its monthly fee and any credit balance. - Toggle off an add-on you’re not using, then hit Save to lock in the change. ### 6. Download past invoices - Select Invoices in the sidebar. - Click any invoice number to download a PDF. This shows seat counts, people charges, tax, and the payment method used, which is handy for finance audits. ### 7. Turn on usage alerts (optional) - From Overview, click Usage alerts. - Pick the percentage (50%, 75%, 90%) that should trigger an email. - Add finance or ops teammates so everyone sees the warning. - Save changes. Intercom will email the list as soon as you cross the chosen threshold. Checking these pages once a week keeps surprises off your credit card and leaves time to trim costs before the month closes. ## Use Torii Rather than managing payments through Intercom alone, use Torii [https://www.toriihq.com/], a SaaS management platform, to see what Intercom costs your company. An SMP stores every SaaS contract in one place and automates provisioning, de-provisioning, license lookups, and other routine chores. Torii’s automation runs whenever a specific event happens, such as onboarding a hire, removing a departing employee, or reaching a renewal date. That hands-free flow spares admins from repeating the same clicks over and over. Follow the steps below to track Intercom spend directly inside Torii: ### 1. Sign up for Torii Contact Torii [https://www.toriihq.com/] and request a complimentary two-week proof-of-concept. ### 2. Connect your Intercom account to Torii After your Torii workspace is live, hook up your existing Intercom account. Here are the instructions for the Intercom integration [https://support.toriihq.com/hc/en-us/articles/5167391129499#h8d4dd584c4]. ### 3. Create a Torii workflow for Intercom Inside Torii, open the Workflows tab, choose a trigger, and add an action that records Intercom spending. From that point on, whenever the trigger condition is met, Intercom data will be updated automatically. ## Use Intercom's API The steps below fetch the usage numbers that shape Intercom bills, namely active contacts and teammate seats, then record them for Finance to track month over month. ### 1. Get a token that can read usage data Make sure the access token you already have includes the read:counts and read:admin scopes, then keep that token handy because you’ll pass it in every call. ### 2. Pull the total number of billable contacts Intercom responds with a JSON payload similar to the sample below, which shows the current contact total. Save the value; that figure represents the contact count Intercom applies when it calculates your invoice today. ### 3. Pull the current teammate seat count Intercom returns a list of admin records, for example below, so you can see every teammate now counted as a seat: Every admin is a paid seat, unless you've arranged otherwise in your contract discussions, so count each object in admins. ### 4. Log both numbers with a timestamp Drop the contact count and seat count into the data store of your choice (spreadsheet, SQL table, even a flat file) along with YYYY-MM-DD. Run the same two calls daily or weekly through a cron job or CI pipeline. ### 5. Estimate spend Multiply each day’s contact count and seat count by your plan’s unit prices. Storing the calculation alongside the raw counts lets you watch cost trends and spot sudden jumps. ### 6. Set up an alert for spikes If the contact count or seat count grows by more than five percent from the prior day, send a Slack or email alert. The logic lives in your own code; the only data you need comes from the two API calls above. With a simple schedule in place, you always know when Intercom usage and the associated bill start creeping up. ## Torii for SaaS Management Looking to sharpen how you manage SaaS across the company? Get in touch, because Torii’s SaaS Management Platform pinpoints waste, risk, and inefficiency in a way spreadsheets never could: - Uncover shadow IT: AI watches your environment and spots unapproved apps as soon as they show up. - Lower spend: Cut costs by pulling back unused seats and duplicate tools. - Automate employee lifecycle tasks: Speed up new-hire setups and exits, saving hours and avoiding slip-ups. - Stay ahead of renewals: Get timely alerts so critical contracts never get missed. Torii pulls every contract, user, and cost into one place, so Finance, IT, and Security finally share the same view. Take a closer look at the platform, read customer stories, and grab additional resources at Torii [https://www.toriihq.com].