Free simulator · online and PDF
Automation ROI calculator: what does doing nothing cost you?
An automation ROI calculation starts with what a manual task costs today. Value of one hour = annual revenue ÷ hours worked in the year. Multiply it by the hours spent on the task each month. The simulator does this for a repetitive task or for phone time, missed calls included. No data is sent anywhere.
The simulator
What doing nothing costs you
Two simulations based on a few numbers from your business. The starting values are an example: replace them with yours.
The math runs in your browser: nothing is saved or sent. Amounts are in the currency of your revenue. Value of one hour = annual revenue ÷ (hours per day × days per month × 12).
The right number
How do you work out an hourly cost?
The simulator estimates the value of one hour from your revenue. The PDF grid starts from the hourly cost instead: what one hour of work costs the company. The hourly cost is what one hour of work costs the company. It is the number that moves the result the most, so it is worth looking up.
- For an employee: take their total yearly cost to the company (gross salary plus employer taxes and benefits, which your accountant or payroll software can give you), and divide it by the hours actually worked in the year.
- For you, as a founder or freelancer: take what one billed hour brings in. An hour spent re-entering orders is an hour you don't bill.
- Several people on the same task: add one row per person, or use an average.
Reading the result
- 01
It is a cost, not a saving
The number shows what the current situation takes up. How much of it automation could win back depends on each task.
- 02
The most expensive task is not always first
A costly task full of special cases is harder to hand over to a tool than a mid-sized task with simple rules.
- 03
Compare it with the price of a solution
Setup and subscriptions included. If the solution costs more than the task over a year or two, keep doing it by hand.
The PDF version
What is in the grid?
- 01
The method on one page
The formula and what each term means, hourly cost included.
- 02
A filled-in example
A fictional six-person team and five tasks, with one calculation shown line by line.
- 03
A blank grid
Twelve rows to fill in by hand, ready to print for a team meeting.
- 04
What to do with the result
Four steps to go from a number to a decision.
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Fictional example
What 5 tasks cost a six-person team
For each task: how long it takes, how often it is done, and what that time costs in wages over a year.
| Task | Time | How often | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow up on quotes | 10 min | 8× / week | 2,400 |
| Re-enter orders | 6 min | 20× / week | 3,600 |
| Client status report | 25 min | 4× / week | 3,000 |
| Phone questions | 5 min | 15× / week | 2,250 |
| Monthly invoices | 1h30 | 1× / month | 675 |
| Total per year | 11,925 |
Get the PDF
Get the printable grid
- 01
Enter your first name and your email.
- 02
You receive the link to the PDF (4 A4 pages).
- 03
Fill it in as a team: each person knows best how long their own tasks take.
Frequently asked questions
The math in detail
Why does the simulator start from revenue?
It is a simple way to estimate what one hour of work brings in for your business: annual revenue divided by the hours worked in the year (hours per day × days per month × 12). An hour spent on a manual task is an hour that does not produce that revenue. To reason in payroll cost instead, the PDF grid starts from the hourly cost explained above.
How is the revenue lost to missed calls calculated?
Missed calls per week × share of those calls that would have become clients × average value of a client, brought back to a month (52 weeks ÷ 12). The suggested values are examples: only your own numbers, from your call log and your sales, give a useful result.
How do I count a task that only happens once a month?
Divide by four: a monthly task counts as 0.25 times per week. A daily task counts as 5 times if you work five days a week.
How many weeks worked should I enter?
Start from 52 weeks and subtract your vacation weeks and public holidays. The PDF grid example uses 45: it is a starting assumption, to be replaced with your company's figure.
Which currency does the calculator use?
Yours. Enter your revenue and client value in the currency you invoice in, and the results come out in that same currency. The default values are only there to show how the calculation works.
Is the result what automation would save me?
No. The result is the cost of the current situation. Automation wins back part of it, more or less depending on the task, and it has its own setup cost and sometimes a subscription. Comparing the two is what lets you decide.
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