How to calculate the return on investment of an AI agent

An AI agent is not an expense for the sake of being modern: it is an investment, which must bring in more than it costs. Here is a simple method to estimate it before signing, and check it afterwards.

Step 1: Put a figure on the time spent today

For the work to be handed over, three figures:

• frequency: how many times a week?
• duration: how many minutes each time?
• the fully loaded hourly cost of the person doing it.

Example: entering orders received by email, at 20 orders a week and 15 minutes each, i.e. 5 hours a week. Over 46 working weeks, 230 hours a year. At a loaded cost of €35 an hour (assumption), that is about €8,000 a year.

Step 2: Estimate what the agent takes over

An agent does not do 100% of the work: it handles routine cases, and hands over the others. Be cautious:

• the agent prepares, a person reviews and approves: some human time remains;
• special cases go back to a person;
• the first period requires adjustments.

Example (continued): if the agent takes over two thirds of the data-entry time, the gain is about 150 hours a year, i.e. about €5,000.

Step 3: Compare with the total cost

The cost of an agent is made up of:

1. set-up, paid once;
2. running costs: AI model usage, hosting, licences;
3. monitoring, if you choose it, monthly.

The calculation: annual gain − annual running and monitoring costs gives the net gain per year; set-up cost ÷ monthly net gain gives the number of months to pay it back.

Gains that are not time

Some agents pay off in other ways:

• cash flow: regular, graduated reminders shorten payment times;
• revenue: answering a request in a few minutes rather than two days changes the conversion rate;
• quality: fewer data-entry errors, fewer duplicates, fewer oversights;
• risk: a contractual deadline that is no longer missed.

These can be measured too, provided you have the starting figure.

The rule that keeps the calculation honest

Agree on the indicator before signing, and record it before starting. Without a measured starting point, no gain can be demonstrated: all that is left are impressions. We set two indicators at most per project (for example the time spent and the processing time), recorded before going live then thirty days after.

It is also what protects the buyer: with us, the last payment instalment depends on the final approval; if the agreed indicators are not met, it is not invoiced.

Running the calculation on your case

The free Scoping Meeting quantifies 3 to 5 leads in time saved and says what will make the price of each one vary; your detailed quote follows on request, within 7 days. For a complex process, the Process Audit quantifies what handing it over would bring you and gives you the quote for the Process Agent. To compare several processes in the same business domain, with figures to back it up (gains, costs, return on investment), that is what the Domain Audit is for. For market orders of magnitude: How much does an AI agent cost?