Evidence to bring
- Time study or task-volume sample.
- Actual loaded labor cost.
- Error or exception log.
- Missed-lead and close-rate data.
- Implementation and monthly operating quotes.
🧮 Automation decision tool
Calculate the Business Case Before You Automate
Model four value streams, recurring costs, payback, and first-year ROI. Start with sourced benchmark context, then add your own measured assumptions.
Know the boundary
Understand the model before you trust the number
Before you run it
Use the result to choose a next action—not to outsource the decision.
What this tool checks
Time savings, error reduction, opportunity capture, credited headroom, recurring costs, payback, and downside inputs.
What it does not
It does not turn a benchmark into your result, remove uncertainty, or approve an investment.
Example result
A result can show positive modeled benefit but still require a measured pilot, ownership, and a conservative downside case.
Private browser calculator
Model value, cost, payback, and downside honestly
Start with published evidence, then add your business data. Each profile shows the source, date, sample context, and limitation. Only a benchmark that maps directly to a field is prefilled; volumes, adoption, savings, recovery, and project costs stay blank until you document them.
Directional result
Monthly net benefit—
Payback period—
First-year net benefit—
First-year ROI—
Time savings—
Error reduction—
Opportunity capture—
Credited headroom—
Total monthly benefit—
Recurring monthly cost—
One-time build cost—
Enter your assumptions to calculate a directional result.
Method: monthly net benefit = time savings + error reduction + opportunity capture + credited headroom − recurring costs. Payback = one-time build cost ÷ positive monthly net benefit. First-year ROI = (12 × monthly net benefit − build cost) ÷ build cost. This simplified screen does not model taxes, financing, discount rates, cash timing, risk adjustments, or benefit overlap.
Decision quality
A result is only as credible as its inputs
Adjust before approval
- Remove overlapping benefits.
- Discount uncertain adoption and recovery.
- Add internal change-management time.
- Test a downside scenario.
- Name the owner and measurement period.
Method
Use public context, then replace it with business evidence
Methodology context
The calculator separates benefits, costs, capacity, and uncertainty instead of turning a vendor benchmark into a promise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employer Costs for Employee Compensation is a useful public reference for understanding wages plus benefits, while your own payroll remains the relevant input. The structure also follows the same broad discipline as Forrester's Total Economic Impact methodology: examine benefits, costs, flexibility, and risk. Custom AI Works is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organization.
FAQ
How to interpret the estimate
Do I need an account?
Yes. Free tools are for members. A free account takes a few seconds with Google or an email and password. Signing in does not change how the calculator works: your inputs still never leave the browser.
What do the benchmark profiles represent?
They are published external evidence with a named source, period, and sample context. A benchmark is prefilled only when it maps directly to a calculator field. Company-specific volumes, savings, adoption, recovery, and project costs must come from your records or a real quote.
What should I use for loaded hourly cost?
Use the employer's actual wage, payroll tax, benefit, and relevant overhead data where available. Public compensation data can provide context, but it is not a substitute for your own cost base.
Why does the calculator use contribution value instead of revenue?
Revenue can overstate an automation benefit. Contribution value is the amount a converted opportunity contributes after the direct costs needed to deliver the work or order.
Does the result guarantee savings or revenue?
No. It is a directional scenario based entirely on the assumptions entered. Validate volume, adoption, benefit overlap, implementation cost, risk, and measurement before making an investment decision.
Does Custom AI Works receive the numbers I enter?
No. The calculator runs in the browser. Printing and CSV download happen locally, and the entered assumptions are not sent automatically.
Let's Build
Want the assumptions challenged before you build?
We can map the workflow, identify double counting, and scope a measured first phase without turning an estimate into a guarantee.