Process automation ROI calculator
Enter a few numbers about one manual process and see an estimated annual saving and a payback figure. It takes about a minute.
Automation ROI is the value a process automation reclaims each year set against what it costs to build and run. The simplest version is the people-time it gives back: the hours a manual process takes, multiplied by the fully-loaded cost of the people doing it. Payback is how long the saving takes to cover the build cost, in months. You work it out by dividing the build cost by the saving per month. A £20,000 agent that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months. This calculator gives an indicative figure from your own numbers. Softblues confirms the real figure in a paid Process Discovery, where we map the process and scope a fixed-price build.
Estimate your saving
Tell us about one manual process.
e.g. invoice processing, order intake, claims triage. Helps us scope it.
How many times this process runs in a month.
Hands-on time per run, start to finish.
Salary plus on-costs, per hour, for the people doing it.
Optional. Used for context, not the core saving.
Optional. Share of runs that need correcting or redoing.
Enter your runs, minutes and hourly cost to see an estimate.
This is an indicative estimate from the numbers you entered. It is not a quote and not a guaranteed saving. We confirm the real figure in a paid Process Discovery, where we map the process and scope a fixed-price build with a payback line.
Email me the full breakdown, or book a discovery call.
Process automation ROI calculator: at a glance
- What it does
- Estimates the annual saving and payback on automating one manual process.
- Inputs
- Runs per month, minutes per run, fully-loaded hourly cost. Process name and error rate optional.
- Headline formula
- Hours saved a year multiplied by hourly cost.
- Payback
- Build cost divided by the saving per month, in months.
- Accuracy
- Indicative. The real figure is confirmed in a paid Process Discovery.
- Next step
- Book a Process Discovery to map the process and get a fixed-price build with a payback line.
- Based in
- London-based, working with mid-market firms.
How the estimate works
The calculator works out the people-time the process takes, then puts a cost on it. Runs a month times minutes a run, divided by 60, gives the hours a month. Times twelve gives the hours a year. Multiply those hours by the fully-loaded hourly cost and you get the saving a year. Divide by twelve for the saving a month. Payback is the build cost divided by that monthly saving. A £20,000 agent that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months. The figure here is an estimate from your numbers. We confirm the real one in discovery, where we map the process, find the steps worth automating, and quote a fixed price.
Common questions about automation ROI
How do you calculate automation ROI?
Start with the people-time the process gives back: hours a year multiplied by the fully-loaded hourly cost of the people doing it. That is the annual saving. Set it against the build and running cost to get the return.
What is automation payback?
Payback is how long the saving takes to cover the build cost, in months. You divide the build cost by the saving per month. A £20,000 agent that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months.
Is this estimate accurate?
It is indicative. It uses your inputs and a simple time-saved model. The real figure depends on the process, the systems and the edge cases, which we map in a paid Process Discovery before quoting a fixed price.
What is a fully-loaded hourly cost?
Salary plus on-costs such as employer contributions, divided down to an hourly rate, for the people who run the process. Use your own number if you have it.
Do you include error and rework savings?
Not in the headline figure. Reducing rework is usually real upside, but it varies, so we treat it as a note and size it properly in discovery rather than inflate the estimate.
What happens after I get my estimate?
You can book a Process Discovery. We map your process end to end, find the steps worth automating, and come back with a fixed-price plan carrying a payback line. Production in 90 days, money back if the proof of concept fails.
Turn the estimate into a fixed-price plan
Book a Process Discovery and we will map the process, then quote a fixed-price build with a payback line.