Auto-scaling helps ensure your workspace continues running smoothly even when your usage grows unexpectedly. This guide explains how auto-scaling works for monthly active contacts (MAC) and flow enrollments, when it applies, and how you can manage these settings in your workspace.

What is auto-scaling?

Auto-scaling is a feature that automatically increases your workspace's usage limits when you exceed the capacity included in your current subscription plan. This prevents service interruptions when your contact volume or workflow activity grows.
 

SleekFlow offers auto-scaling for two types of usage:

• Monthly active contacts (MAC): Automatically adds a 100 MACs add-on when your contact usage exceeds your plan limit. To learn more about monthly active contacts, refer to this article: Monthly active contacts overview
• Flow enrollments: Automatically upgrades your flow enrollment tier when your workflow usage reaches the current tier limit

Each type of auto-scaling has its own toggle and works independently.

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 usage during busy periods

Monthly active contacts (MAC) auto-scaling

MAC auto-scaling automatically increases your monthly active contacts limit when your workspace exceeds its current MACs limit.

How it works

When your workspace exceeds its MAC limit:

1. SleekFlow calculates the additional MAC capacity required and rounds it up to the nearest 100 MACs
2. A one-time charge is applied to your default payment method for each 100 MACs add-on
3. Your MAC limit increases immediately for the rest of the current billing cycle
4. You’ll receive an email confirmation with the charge details
    

Example: If your plan includes 1,000 MAC and your usage reaches 1,150, SleekFlow automatically applies two 100 MAC add-ons. This increases your MACs limit to 1,200 for the remainder of the current billing cycle.
 

Flow enrollment auto-scaling

Flow enrollment auto-scaling automatically moves your workspace to the next flow enrollment tier when usage reaches your current limit. This helps keep your automated workflows running without interruption. 

How it works

When your flow enrollment usage reaches the current tier limit:

1. A 72-hour grace period begins, giving your workspace temporary additional execution capacity while the upgrade is processed.
2. SleekFlow automatically upgrades your flow enrollment to the next available tier
3. The charge for the upgraded tier is applied to your default payment method
4. Once payment is confirmed, the new flow enrollment limit takes effect.

Unlike MAC auto-scaling, flow enrollment auto-scaling upgrades your tier rather than adding individual add-ons. The upgraded tier remains active for future billing cycles.

Comparing MAC and flow enrollment auto-scaling

Enable/disable auto-scaling 

To enable/disable auto-scaling:

• Click on your profile icon in the bottom left corner and select “Settings”
• Go to the Subscriptions page under Plans and billings
• Under “Monthly active contacts” or “Flow enrollments”, toggle on/off auto-scaling

When auto-scaling does not apply

Auto-scaling may not apply if additional MAC capacity is unavailable for your workspace or cannot be added because of billing or account restrictions.

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 limit and MAC auto-scaling is disabled or cannot be applied, 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, increase your available MAC limit using one of the following options:

1. Purchase an MAC add-on: Add more MAC capacity to your workspace. Your limit increases as soon as the add-on is applied.
2. Enable auto-scaling: Allow SleekFlow to automatically apply additional MAC capacity when your workspace exceeds its limit.
3. Wait for the next billing cycle: Your monthly active contact usage resets at the start of each billing cycle. You can wait for the reset if you do not want to increase your current limit.

Once your workspace has sufficient MACs capacity, the affected features will resume automatically.

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between MAC auto-scaling and purchasing an MAC add-on?

A: MAC auto-scaling and manual MAC add-ons serve different purposes:

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: Who can manage auto-scaling?

A: Only users with billing access permissions can enable or disable auto-scaling in the workspace settings.