1. Measure the starting point
Count how often the task is performed each month and time several cases, including difficult ones. Multiply volume by average minutes and divide by 60 to get monthly hours.
For 600 tasks at 5 minutes each, that means 50 hours a month. At €22 per hour, that represents €1,100 of work capacity. This is an example, not a savings promise.
2. Separate the costs
- Implementation: analysis, connections, rules, tests and rollout.
- Maintenance: monitoring, incident resolution and changes.
- Usage: AI, messaging, telephony and other providers.
- Internal work: exception review, training and data upkeep.
3. Use time you can actually release
Not all manual work disappears. Estimate what can be automated after allowing for review and new tasks. Subtract recurring costs from the value of released time.
If the net monthly value is positive, divide the initial investment by it to estimate payback in months. Zero or negative net value will not recover the investment under those assumptions. Released capacity does not necessarily reduce payroll.
4. Ask for a quote you can assess
Klarvai covers this in the assessment. We recommend checking the first process before expanding.
- Which steps are included and excluded.
- Which connections and permissions have been validated.
- How errors, retries and duplicates are handled.
- What the pilot measures and who approves it.
- Separate upfront and recurring costs, with usage limits.