Billable Guidelines

OptiMAX — Performance Advertising

Last updated: October 2026

This page explains how OptiMAX decides whether a call, lead, or appointment counts against a buyer's block of production. It is written in plain English and is informational, not legal advice. If anything here conflicts with the written agreement or order form you signed with us, the signed document wins.

The principle

You pay for genuine, consumer-initiated enquiries that match the criteria we agreed with you. Nothing else. If a unit of production does not meet the standards below, it does not count against your block.

Billing models

Your order form sets one billing model for each order. Each model has its own billable event:

• CPL (cost per call or lead). A call is billable once it passes the 90-second engaged-call buffer. A web lead is billable once it meets the lead standard below.
• CPQ (cost per qualified unit). Billable when the unit meets the qualification criteria agreed in your order form.
• CPA (cost per acquisition). Billable when the consumer signs a case with you.

The 90-second engaged-call buffer applies to CPL calls only. CPQ and CPA units are judged on their own billable event, not on call duration.

CPL: what makes a call billable

A CPL call counts against your block when all of the following are true:

1. Consumer-initiated. The consumer picked up the phone or requested the call themselves in response to our advertising. We do not bill for contacts we dialled out of a purchased list.

2. Inside your buy box. The caller matches the geography, service type, and qualification criteria set out in your order form.

3. Engaged past the buffer. The call stays connected to your team for at least 90 seconds after transfer. Anything shorter is on us, not you. Time spent in our qualification step before transfer does not count. The clock starts when the caller reaches you.

4. Not a duplicate. The same consumer has not already been delivered to you as a billable unit within the previous 30 days.

5. Compliantly sourced. The call was generated from our own advertising in line with our TCPA Compliance Policy.

CPL: what makes a lead billable

A web or form lead counts against your block when:

• It was submitted by the consumer on advertising we run and control.
• It is posted to you in real time, while the enquiry is still fresh. Not batched or aged.
• It carries a complete consent record (what the consumer agreed to, where, and when).
• The contact details are valid and the consumer sits inside your buy box.
• It is not a repeat of a lead delivered to you within the previous 30 days.

CPQ: what makes a qualified unit billable

A CPQ unit counts against your block when:

• It meets every qualification criterion written into your order form, as shown by the consumer's own answers and the delivery record.
• It is consumer-initiated, compliantly sourced, and carries a complete consent record.
• It is not a duplicate of a unit delivered to you within the previous 30 days.

Call duration is not the test for a CPQ unit. A unit that misses any agreed criterion is not billable.

CPA: what makes a signed case billable

A CPA unit counts against your block when a consumer we delivered signs with you, as "signed" is defined in your order form. A delivered consumer who does not sign is not billed. The unit must also be consumer-initiated, compliantly sourced, carry a complete consent record, and not duplicate a unit delivered to you within the previous 30 days.

What makes an appointment billable

An appointment counts against your block when the consumer shows, meaning they attend the scheduled call, visit, or meeting within the agreed window. A booking alone is not the billable event; the show is. No-shows are replaced, not billed.

What is never billable

• Wrong numbers, misdials, and test calls.
• Callers or leads with no genuine intent in the advertised service.
• Consumers outside your agreed geography or qualification criteria.
• Duplicates of any unit already delivered to you within the previous 30 days.
• CPL calls that disconnect before the 90-second engaged buffer is reached.
• Enquiries whose consent record cannot be produced.

Replacements

When a delivered unit fails the standards above, we replace it. Flag the unit within 72 hours of delivery (the window in our Credit & Refund Policy), include the delivery reference, and tell us which standard it failed. Confirmed non-billable units are removed from your block count and a qualifying replacement is delivered in the normal flow of production. We do not refund cash against individual delivered units. Duplicates, and CPL calls that disconnect before the buffer, are usually caught by our own systems and credited automatically before you need to ask.

Questions

Email mike@optimax-ai.com and we will walk you through any specific unit.