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ROI Calculator for AI Automation

The ROI calculator shows you how much manual routine work costs your business per month — and what share can realistically be automated. Eight symptom fields, 60 seconds, result in €/month. The figure is an estimate, not a promise. Real numbers come from the pilot phase. For comparison: A Vienna law firm reduced 8 hours of manual email triage per week to under one hour *(internal measurement, Vienna law firm, 2025)* — documented, not projected.

ROI Calculator

What is your manual status quo really costing you?

Eight numbers from your everyday operations — and you see immediately where money is leaking each month.

Email triage and routingHours per week spent in the inbox and forwarding
8 h/week
Quote creationHours per month (all staff combined)
16 h/month
CRM and data maintenanceHours per week on records, follow-ups, updates
4 h/week
Manual invoicingHours per month in the billing process
10 h/month
Lost follow-up leadsLast 3 months — forgotten requests that were never answered
5 leads
AI tool subscriptions without measurable useMonthly cost for licenses no one opens anymore
200 €/month
Months since your last AI pilot started without ROI0 = no pilot or already concluded
0 months
Hourly rate of the affected staffFully loaded cost (wages + overhead + workplace)
55 €/h

Illustrative calculation based on verified OptimusFlow projects. Conservative 65 % automation rate, lead value flat at €4,000. Not a binding offer.

Gross loss per month

11 154 €

Manual labour + tool subscriptions + lost leads, before automation share

Realistic monthly savings

7 250 €

Conservatively calculated with 65 % automation share

Roadmap cost comparison

under 1 month

Time for estimated savings to equal the €2,000 roadmap cost. Excludes implementation and operating costs; not a full payback calculation.

What does the calculator compute?

Eight inputs: time spent on email, quotes, CRM and invoicing, lost leads, unused subscriptions, pilot duration and hourly cost. Weekly hours are converted to months using 4.33; lost leads use an assumed €4,000 each over three months. Potential savings are 65% of the monthly total. Pilot duration is shown separately. A real-world example: EECS Green plans exhibition stands with an AI agent from its own parts inventory and has a human sign off every plan. The routine gets automated, the decision stays with the business.

Not sure where your chaos lives? Take the Kundenchaos test first →

Want to talk through the potential with us?

Request a free discovery call

How realistic are the numbers?

Illustrative calculation

2 employees × 10 hours/week × €55 fully-loaded rate × 52 weeks × 70 % automation share = approx. €40,040/year. This is an estimate based on typical DACH SME parameters, not a binding offer. Real ranges from three OptimusFlow cases →

Illustrative calculation — own estimate based on typical DACH SME parameters.

The calculator gives you a range, not a guarantee. What it does not capture: change management effort, learning curve, edge cases in the first 4–6 weeks.

When the figure is too optimistic: Processes with high variability, legally reviewed steps, custom stakeholder reviews. Use the lower end of the range.

When the figure is too conservative: When the calculator counts FTE time but not hidden opportunity costs — deals lost through slow response times, growth that doesn't scale.

We recalculate with you during the pilot phase — not in the sales conversation. More on this: How to build a credible AI business case →

You've seen the numbers — what's next?

In 30 minutes we analyse together where your business loses the most time — and what can concretely be automated.

Request a free discovery call →

30 minutes · Free · Result: roadmap or clear no.

Frequently asked questions about the ROI calculator

How accurate is the calculation?+
The calculator gives you a range, not a guarantee. We multiply manual routine hours by the fully-loaded cost rate and an automation share of 60–80 % — that is the corridor our cases fall into. What the calculator does not capture: change management effort, learning curve, and edge cases in the first weeks. We recalculate real numbers in the pilot phase, not in the sales conversation.
What input values do I need?+
Three numbers: the number of employees doing manual routine work, the average hours per week per person, and the fully-loaded cost rate (gross salary + employer contributions + overhead, typically €45–80/hr depending on the role). If you don't know the fully-loaded rate, use 1.5 times the gross salary as a rough estimate — that is close enough for the range.
What if the figure looks too optimistic?+
Then it probably is. The calculator applies an average automation rate. In reality there are processes that are hard to automate: high variability, legally reviewed steps, custom stakeholder reviews. If your workflow has many exceptions, use the lower end of the range. We discuss this honestly in the discovery call — if AI is not the right fit, we say so.
What does the implementation cost that the calculator assumes?+
It depends on the scope. The entry point at OptimusFlow Consulting is the Strategic Roadmap at €2,000 (with a €1,500 credit back if implementation starts within 60 days) — it validates whether the calculator figure is realistic before you commit to a full implementation. The implementation price for larger projects is based on scope and is calculated in the discovery call.
Does the calculator account for ongoing costs?+
No. The calculator shows savings before ongoing costs. Typical run costs depending on workflow volume are €50–300 per month (n8n + AI models + hosting). In most SME cases the savings pay back within 3–6 months — the run costs are negligible compared to the personnel savings.

Don't want to calculate yourself? Bring us your real process numbers and we'll deliver a reliable figure in the discovery call. Request a free discovery call →