Automation ROI calculator
Check the economics of a repetitive task. This illustration separates released staff capacity from cash savings and shows zero or negative results without an email gate.
Illustrative monthly result
- Current manual work
- 40.0 hours
- Gross capacity released
- 24.0 hours
- After review and support
- 19.0 hours
- Net monthly capacity value
- ₹2,750
- Simple payback estimate
- 10.9 months
Capacity value is not cash savings, reduced payroll or extra revenue. The illustration excludes financing, ramp-up, downtime and changing demand.
Sensitivity to the automation assumption
Other inputs remain fixed. Lower and higher scenarios change the automatable share by 20 percentage points, bounded between zero and 100 percent.
| Scenario | Automation | Net hours | Net monthly value | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | 40% | 11.0 | ₹750 | 40.0 months |
| Base | 60% | 19.0 | ₹2,750 | 10.9 months |
| Higher | 80% | 27.0 | ₹4,750 | 6.3 months |
Formula and assumptions
Manual hours = monthly tasks × minutes per task ÷ 60. Gross hours released = manual hours × automatable share. Net hours = gross hours minus review and support time. Net monthly capacity value = net hours × loaded hourly cost minus recurring costs. Simple payback = setup cost ÷ positive net monthly value.
Zero or negative monthly value produces no simple payback. Negative hours are shown rather than hidden. A zero setup cost with positive monthly value gives a zero-month mathematical payback, not a guarantee of immediate operational benefit.
The starting example assumes 300 tasks at eight minutes, 60 percent automation, five review hours, INR 250 per hour, INR 2,000 monthly costs and INR 30,000 setup. That gives 19 net hours, INR 2,750 monthly capacity value and approximately 10.9 months simple payback. These are editable illustration inputs, not a quote, market rate or measured client result.
Review the next decision
Use observed volumes and handling times, include a realistic support allowance, and compare a manual improvement, an existing tool and a custom workflow.