Auto-scaling helps ensure your workspace continues running smoothly even when your contact activity grows unexpectedly. This guide explains how auto-scaling works, when it applies, and how you can manage the setting in your workspace.
What is auto-scaling?
Auto-scaling is a setting that automatically increases your monthly active contacts (MACs) limit when your workspace usage exceeds the limit included in your current subscription plan.
This ensures that your workflows, automations, and messaging activities continue running without interruption when your contact volume grows.
When auto-scaling is enabled:
- Your workspace automatically upgrades to the next pricing tier once your MAC limit is exceeded
- The upgrade takes effect immediately, preventing service interruptions
- Your new plan tier remains active for future billing cycles
Auto-scaling is enabled by default for all workspaces.
Why use auto-scaling
Auto-scaling is particularly useful when:
- Running marketing campaigns or broadcasts that may suddenly increase the number of active contacts
- Handling seasonal or event-driven traffic spikes (e.g. promotions, product launches, holiday campaigns)
- Operating automated workflows that continuously enroll new contacts into messaging flows
- Avoiding manual monitoring of MACs usage during busy periods
ℹ️ To learn more about monthly active contacts, refer to this article: Monthly active contacts overview
Enable/disable auto-scaling
ℹ️ Only users with billing access can manage this setting. Learn more about roles based permission here: Roles and permissions
To enable/disable auto-scaling:
- Click on the
icon on the left-hand navigation bar - Go to the Subscriptions page under Plans and billings
- Under “Monthly active contacts”, toggle on/off auto-scaling
When auto-scaling does not apply
If your workspace is already on the highest available pricing tier, auto-scaling cannot increase your capacity further.
In this situation:
- Your workspace will follow standard usage limits and blocking rules
- You will need to contact the SleekFlow team to discuss other options.
What gets paused if your workspace is blocked?
If your workspace exceeds the buffered monthly active contacts (MAC) limit and auto-scaling is disabled, or if your workspace is already on the highest available tier, your workspace will be temporarily blocked until usage capacity is restored.
During this period, the following features will be paused:
- Inbox messaging: You will not be able to send new messages or reply to incoming messages.
- Flow enrollments: New contacts will not be enrolled into Flow Builder workflows.
- AI agent responses: AI agents will stop automatically responding to conversations.
- Broadcast sending: Scheduled or new broadcasts will not be delivered.
Existing data and conversation history remain unaffected. Once your workspace is unblocked, all paused services will resume normally.
If your workspace is close to reaching its monthly active contacts (MAC) limit, SleekFlow will notify you so you can take action before any disruption occurs.
How to resume service
To restore full functionality, you must increase your available MAC limit. You can do this in several ways:
- Purchase a MAC add-on: You can purchase an additional monthly active contacts add-on, which increases your limit immediately.
- Enable auto-scaling: Turning on auto-scaling allows SleekFlow to automatically upgrade your workspace to the next MAC tier, restoring service instantly.
- Wait for your billing cycle to reset: Your monthly active contacts count resets at the start of each billing cycle. If you prefer not to upgrade your plan, you can wait until the next billing period for usage to reset.
Once your workspace has sufficient limits again, blocked features will automatically resume.
FAQs
Q: How much does auto-scaling cost?
A: When auto-scaling upgrades your workspace to the next MAC tier, you are charged the prorated price difference between your current tier and the upgraded tier for the remainder of the billing period.
The new tier will then become your workspace’s default plan for future billing cycles.
Q: Can I turn auto-scaling off after it upgrades?
A: Yes. You can disable auto-scaling at any time.
However:
- The upgrade remains active for the current billing period
- Disabling auto-scaling only prevents future automatic upgrades
Your workspace will stay on the upgraded tier until the billing cycle ends or until you manually change your plan.
Q: What happens if payment fails?
A: If a payment attempt fails during auto-scaling, you will receive notifications through multiple channels, including:
- Inbox notifications
- The Usage page
- Email alerts
If the payment issue is not resolved before the next usage check, your workspace may be temporarily blocked according to standard usage rules.
Q: Does the upgraded tier carry over?
A: Monthly active contacts usage resets at the beginning of each billing cycle.
However, if auto-scaling upgraded your subscription plan during the previous cycle, the upgraded plan tier becomes your new default billing tier unless you manually downgrade or change your subscription.
Q: Who can manage auto-scaling?
A: Only users with billing access permissions can enable or disable auto-scaling in the workspace settings.
Q: How often is usage checked?
Monthly active contact usage is checked every 3 hours.