Automation ROI Calculator
Put a real number on any repetitive process. Enter who does it, how long it takes and what it costs: see the annual saving, the payback period and the three-year return of automating it.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
How the number is worked out
- We take the time your team spends on the task (people × hours a week × 47 working weeks) and price it at your loaded hourly cost. That is what it costs you today.
- We apply the share automation removes to get the hours and money handed back each year.
- We subtract the ongoing running cost, then measure the one-time build against that yearly saving to get payback and the 3-year net benefit.
What we assume
- 47 productive weeks a year, to allow for leave and holidays.
- Loaded hourly cost means fully-burdened (salary plus on-costs), not the base wage.
- The build cost is spent once; the running cost recurs every month.
- It ignores softer gains (fewer errors, faster turnaround, happier staff), so real returns often run higher.
Questions
- What counts as a good automation ROI?
- A rule of thumb: payback inside 12 months and a healthy multiple over three years. Repetitive, high-volume, rules-based work (data entry, reconciliation, reporting) usually clears that bar comfortably. If the calculator shows payback beyond 18–24 months, the process may be too small or too variable to automate first.
- How do I estimate my loaded hourly cost?
- Take the fully-burdened annual cost of the person (salary plus on-costs, benefits and overhead) and divide by about 1,880 working hours. For many SME back-office roles that lands somewhere between HK$150 and HK$400 an hour.
- What share of the work can automation really remove?
- For structured, repetitive tasks it is often 60–90%. The residual is the judgement calls and exceptions a human still reviews. Start conservative (60–70%) and let a diagnostic sharpen it against your real workflow.
- Is this a quote?
- No. It is a fast, honest estimate to help you decide whether a process is worth a closer look. The free ROI diagnostic turns it into defensible numbers tied to your actual operation.
A calculator gives you a number. A diagnostic gives you the path to it.
Bring the process you just modelled to a free 30-minute ROI diagnostic. We'll pressure-test the numbers against your real workflow and come back with a specific, quantified opportunity. No pitch, no obligation.
Book a free ROI diagnostic