Diagnostics / ROI calculator
AI ROI calculator.
Estimate how long it takes to earn back the cost of automating one process with an AI agent or workflow. Use your own volumes, time and costs; it runs in your browser and nothing is sent.
The starting values are example inputs, not benchmarks or averages. Replace each one with your own numbers.
1 · The process today
Loaded cost means pay plus benefits, taxes and overhead for the people who do this work. The symbol changes; no exchange rate is applied.
2 · With the AI system
Cases the system cannot finish stay with your team and cost the same as today, so they do not change the result.
3 · Costs
Running cost covers models, hosting and monitoring. Estimate it with our cost calculator; enter its model and hosting lines only, since review time is counted here.
Enter the build cost from your own quote or internal estimate. Payback and 12-month value appear once it is filled in.
The formula with your numbers
- Cases handled = 1,000 × 60% = 600
- Hours saved = 600 × (10 − 2 min) ÷ 60 = 80 h
- Net monthly saving = 80 h × $50 − $400 = $3,600
- Payback = build cost ÷ net monthly saving = add a build cost
- 12-month net value = $3,600 × 12 − build cost = add a build cost
Figures are rounded for display; the math uses the unrounded values.
How the math works
Time saved, minus what it costs to run.
- → cases handled = cases per month × share the system handles end to end
- → hours saved = cases handled × (minutes per case today − review minutes per case) ÷ 60
- → net monthly saving = hours saved × loaded hourly cost − monthly running cost
- → payback in months = one-time build cost ÷ net monthly saving; 12-month net value = net monthly saving × 12 − build cost
- → cases the system cannot finish stay with your team at today's cost, so they drop out of the math
FAQ
Questions about AI automation payback
How do I estimate the share of cases the system can handle?
Pull a few weeks of recent cases and sort them into ones a system could finish without a person and ones that need judgment, missing data or an exception. Use that share as a starting point, then test the system on the same cases before you rely on it.
What should the loaded hourly cost include?
Pay plus benefits, payroll taxes and a share of tools and management for the people who do the work today. If your finance team has no figure, start from salary divided by working hours and adjust it up.
Why does the calculator say it does not pay back?
Either review takes as long as the work it replaces, or running the system costs more than the time saved is worth. Low volume and short tasks make this more likely. A rules-based workflow may fit better; the agent-or-workflow assessment helps you check.
What does the estimate leave out?
Ramp-up time, maintenance and changes after launch, the cost of errors that get past review, and benefits that are hard to price, such as faster response times. Treat the result as a first check, not a business case.
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