Introduction

Before investing in AI automation, you need to understand the potential return. This guide provides formulas, benchmarks, and worksheets to calculate the ROI of automation projects in your business.

Unlike generic ROI calculators, this guide focuses specifically on AI automation—accounting for implementation costs, ongoing maintenance, and the compounding benefits that come from freeing up human time.

The Basic ROI Formula

For AI automation projects, we break this down into:

• Time Savings Value: Hours saved × hourly cost of labor
• Error Reduction Value: Cost of errors × reduction percentage
• Speed Improvement Value: Revenue impact of faster processes
• Scalability Value: Ability to handle more volume without adding staff

Industry Benchmarks

Based on our implementation data, here are typical results:

Step 1: Identify the Process

Start by selecting a process to analyze. Good candidates have:

•  High volume (performed frequently)
•  Repetitive steps with clear rules
•  Multiple system touchpoints (data entry across systems)
•  Current error rates or quality issues
•  Staff frustration or bottlenecks

Step 2: Calculate Current Costs

Labor Costs

Error Costs

Opportunity Costs

Step 3: Estimate Automation Benefits

Use industry benchmarks or conservative estimates:

Step 4: Calculate Implementation Costs

Step 5: Calculate ROI

Multi-Year Projection

Decision Framework

Use this framework to evaluate your results:

Next Steps

•  Complete ROI calculation for your top 3 automation candidates
•  Rank processes by ROI and strategic importance
•  Schedule discovery call to validate assumptions
•  Start with highest-ROI, lowest-complexity process
•  Document baseline metrics before implementation