The Automation ROI Calculator
A credible return counts every cost and only the returns you can stand behind. Use the calculator below with your own numbers, then read how to present the result.
- Format
- Guide + interactive calculator
- Reading time
- About 6 minutes
What a real ROI includes.
Most automation business cases fail on the cost side, not the benefit side: the build is counted, the running cost and change effort are not.
Costs
- One-time investment
Design, build, integration with your systems, testing and go-live.
- Running cost
Licences, hosting, monitoring and the support that keeps it working month to month.
- Change effort
Training, process updates and the time your team spends on the transition.
Returns
- Hours released
Time your people stop spending on repetitive steps — the figure the calculator counts.
- Errors and rework avoided
Fewer corrections, re-keying and late-stage fixes. Real, but count it only once you've measured it.
- Faster cycle time
A shorter close, quicker approvals or faster resolution — often worth more than the hours themselves.
- Lower risk
Consistent controls and a clear audit trail. Hard to price, important to name.
Run the numbers for one process.
Pick a single, well-understood process — not a whole department. The result updates as you type.
The starting values are an example only — replace them with your own. Assumes 48 working weeks a year.
How the result is calculated.
Leadership trusts a number they can recompute. Put these lines in your appendix.
people × hours per week × 48 weeks × hourly costcost of this work today × share automatedvalue released − (monthly running cost × 12)one-time investment ÷ (net benefit a year ÷ 12)(net benefit a year × 3) − one-time investmentThree checks before you present it.
Exceptions, approvals and judgment calls stay with people. If you've assumed 100%, you've assumed away the hard part.
Re-run it with a lower share automated for the first months. A case that only works at full adoption is fragile.
Faster cycle time and lower risk are often the real reason to act. List them beside the number rather than inflating it.
Get a sized estimate for your actual process.
The calculator works from your assumptions. The Digital Taskforce assessment works from your answers — and returns a sized digital workforce with an indicative investment range.
