Engagement Models That Price the Outcome, Not Just the Hours
ONE CX runs five commercial models, fixed scope, T&M, managed operations, outcome-linked and embedded COE — so how you pay matches how we build, operate and own your customer experience.
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Build. Operate. Own. Priced as Three Commitments
Outcome-based
Most requestedPay for what you use. Scope evolves with the product.
How It works:
A reduced base fee covers the delivery; the rest is earned against the one metric you answer for.
- We agree the baseline and the metric before work starts, conversion lift, revenue per user, cost reduction.
- The base fee funds the build; the performance component pays out when the pre-agreed outcome is met.
- Measurement runs a minimum of 90 days against the baseline, on attribution both sides have signed.
When it works
- We're selective about when we offer this. It requires a clear baseline metric, a measurable outcome, a 90-day minimum measurement window, and honest agreement on what sits within ONE CX's control. If attribution is unclear, we tell you before we start, not after.
Best for
Product Design, CRO programmes, personalisation activation, UX experiments with revenue targets, WhatsApp commerce, retention.
Fixed Scope
One locked scope, one locked price, milestone billing tied to acceptance, not to effort or optimism.
How It works:
- Discovery locks the specification before a price is quoted, what's in, what's out, what done means.
- Payments release against accepted milestones, so your finance team forecasts the build to the rupee.
- Changes go through a priced change process visible, agreed, never buried in the next invoice.
When it works
- Fixed scope only works when the scope can genuinely be locked. If your requirements are still moving, we say so in the first call, and propose T&M instead.
Best for
Replatforms, scoped product builds, discovery sprints, CX audits, Corporate websites, CRM builds with a defined end state.
Embedded COE
For Agencies & Consultancies
How It works:
Not talent supply. A practice you plug in,strategy, design and engineering under your own brand.
- We join the pitch: ONE CX is in the room shaping the approach, not arriving after the win to ask what was promised.
- You get a practice, not people,methods, tooling, delivery leadership and QA arrive on day one.
- Your client relationship stays yours.
The Alternative
- The alternative is a ₹2–3 Cr annual bet on a team that may sit idle between mandates. Plug ours in when the mandate is real; stand it down when it isn't.
Best for
Digital agencies adding UX and product depth, creative agencies adding engineering, consultancies adding delivery.
Time & Materials (T&M)
Pay for the team you use, sprint by sprint, with a pyramid that keeps direction senior and cost low.
How It works:
When requirements change sprint to sprint the product is finding its market, research is reshaping the backlog, or the DPDP Act 2023 is rewriting the rules, a fixed price creates more disputes than it prevents.
- Senior architects and leads set direction; mid-level engineers execute; juniors add volume at the base.
- Scaling happens bottom-up, the base grows before any senior layer does, so the blended rate stays flat.
- Every T&M engagement can carry a Not-to-Exceed cap: work continues, invoicing stops at the ceiling.
When it Works
- T&M without governance is a meter left running. Ours ships with a published SLA, a weekly forum and a live dashboard if velocity drops, you see it that week.
Best for
Evolving products, research-led builds, multi-quarter roadmaps, regulated environments where requirements move.
Monthly Retainer
A named pod runs your stack month on month. SLA-bound, dashboard-visible, roadmap a quarter ahead
How It works:
- A dedicated pod, not a rotating bench, owns your martech, commerce or data stack in production.
- Monthly capacity is planned against a living roadmap that runs one quarter ahead of your calendar.
- You see what we see: live dashboards on uptime, throughput and the metrics the pod is paid to move.
When it works
- A retainer is not a support desk. If ticket-by-ticket fixes are all you need, we say so in the first call, and price a smaller support agreement instead.
Best for
Product Design, Live platforms, CRM and martech operations, personalisation programmes, post-launch products needing momentum.
What enterprise leaders say about ONE CX
FAQs
Can we switch engagement models mid-engagement?
Yes. Most ONE CX clients do. A common pattern: fixed scope for discovery, T&M for the build, a managed-operations retainer once live. Transition terms are defined upfront in the MSA, so a switch is planned, not renegotiated.
How does the T&M pyramid keep costs controlled?
Senior architects set direction, mid-level engineers execute, juniors add volume. ONE CX scales bottom-up, the base grows before any senior layer does ,so the blended rate stays flat while the team expands.
What does Not-to-Exceed (NTE) mean in practice?
An NTE is a contractual cap on T&M billing. Work continues; invoicing stops at the ceiling. If scope will breach the cap, ONE CX re-plans with you before it happens, never explains it after.
What metrics qualify for outcome-based pricing?
Metrics that can be baselined, measured within 90 days, and sit within ONE CX's control. Conversion rate, revenue per user, cost per acquisition, retention. If attribution can't be agreed upfront, ONE CX says so before starting.
How is Embedded COE different from staff augmentation?
Staff augmentation rents people. An Embedded COE plugs in a practice methods, tooling and delivery leadership included. ONE CX joins at pitch stage, wins for the team, and works under the partner's brand, so the client relationship stays the partner's.
Is there a minimum engagement size?
ONE CX engagements typically start at a defined monthly or milestone floor; smaller scopes are routed to a diagnostic sprint first.
One number to move? Let's price against it