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"Automation is expensive" – I hear this argument often. The reality: Automation that doesn't pay off is wrong automation. Done right, every investment pays back within months.
This guide shows you how to calculate ROI before investing – and how companies save €100k+ annually.
The ROI Formula
Simple Calculation
ROI = (Annual Savings - Annual Costs) / Total Investment × 100
Example:
- Annual savings: €50,000
- Annual costs: €6,000
- One-time investment: €20,000
ROI Year 1: (€50,000 - €6,000 - €20,000) / €20,000 × 100 = 120% ROI Year 2+: (€50,000 - €6,000) / €6,000 × 100 = 733%
Complete ROI Calculation
| Component | Description | Typical Values |
|---|---|---|
| Savings | ||
| Time savings | Hours × hourly rate | €30-100/h |
| Error reduction | Fewer corrections, complaints | 2-5% of process volume |
| Speed | Shorter cycle times | Hard to quantify |
| Costs | ||
| One-time: Development | External/internal development | €5,000-50,000 |
| One-time: Integration | Connection to systems | €2,000-15,000 |
| Ongoing: Tools | SaaS licenses | €100-500/month |
| Ongoing: Maintenance | Updates, adjustments | €500-2,000/month |
The Automation ROI Calculator
Step 1: Quantify Time Spent
| Question | Your Input |
|---|---|
| How often is the process performed? | _____ times/week |
| How long does one execution take? | _____ minutes |
| Who performs it? | _____ (role/hourly rate) |
Calculation:
Annual time spent = Frequency × Duration × 52 weeks
Annual personnel costs = Time spent × Hourly rate
Example email sorting:
- 50 emails/day × 2 min = 100 min/day
- 100 min × 220 working days = 22,000 min/year = 367 hours
- 367 hours × €50/h = €18,350/year
Step 2: Estimate Automation Potential
Not everything can be automated. Realistic assumptions:
| Automation Level | Description | Typical Processes |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100% | Fully automatic | Data transfer, backups, notifications |
| 70-90% | Largely automatic | Email sorting, reports, invoice checking |
| 40-70% | Partially automated | Quote creation, document processing |
| 10-40% | Assisted | Complex decisions, creative work |
Example:
- Email sorting: 80% automatable
- €18,350 × 80% = €14,680 savings potential
Step 3: Calculate Costs
Development costs (one-time):
| Complexity | Description | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | 1-2 systems, linear logic | €2,000-5,000 |
| Medium | 3-5 systems, branching | €5,000-15,000 |
| Complex | 5+ systems, custom code | €15,000-50,000 |
Ongoing costs:
| Component | Monthly | Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Tool licenses (n8n/Make) | €20-100 | €240-1,200 |
| API costs (with AI) | €50-500 | €600-6,000 |
| Maintenance/adjustments | €200-500 | €2,400-6,000 |
Step 4: Calculate ROI
Formula:
Payback period = One-time costs / (Monthly savings - Monthly costs)
Example email automation:
- One-time costs: €8,000
- Monthly savings: €1,223 (€14,680/12)
- Monthly costs: €150
Payback period: €8,000 / (€1,223 - €150) = 7.5 months
5 Real-World Examples with Numbers
Example 1: Invoice Processing
Initial situation:
- 200 incoming invoices/month
- 15 min per invoice (capture, review, booking)
- Clerk: €45/h
Before automation:
- 200 × 15 min = 50 hours/month
- 50 × €45 = €2,250/month = €27,000/year
After automation (80% automated):
- OCR + automatic capture
- Only review: 3 min/invoice
- 200 × 3 min = 10 hours/month
- 10 × €45 = €450/month
Savings: €2,250 - €450 = €1,800/month = €21,600/year
Investment:
- Development: €12,000
- Ongoing: €300/month (OCR API + tools)
ROI: (€21,600 - €3,600) / €12,000 = 150% in first year
Example 2: Lead Qualification
Initial situation:
- 500 leads/month
- 10 min per lead (research, CRM entry)
- Sales rep: €60/h
Before automation:
- 500 × 10 min = 83 hours/month
- 83 × €60 = €5,000/month = €60,000/year
After automation (70% automated):
- Automatic enrichment (Clearbit, LinkedIn)
- Scoring model
- 3 min/lead for high-quality check
- 500 × 0.3 × 10 min + 500 × 0.7 × 0 min = 25 hours
- 25 × €60 = €1,500/month
Savings: €3,500/month = €42,000/year
Investment:
- Development: €18,000
- Ongoing: €500/month (APIs + tools)
ROI: (€42,000 - €6,000) / €18,000 = 200% in first year
Example 3: Onboarding Emails
Initial situation:
- 100 new customers/month
- 5 emails per customer over 30 days
- 8 min per email (writing, personalizing, sending)
- Marketing manager: €55/h
Before automation:
- 100 × 5 × 8 min = 67 hours/month
- 67 × €55 = €3,685/month = €44,220/year
After automation (95% automated):
- Trigger-based email sequence
- Personalization via template
- Only setup + monitoring: 5 hours/month
- 5 × €55 = €275/month
Savings: €3,410/month = €40,920/year
Investment:
- Development: €5,000
- Ongoing: €100/month
ROI: (€40,920 - €1,200) / €5,000 = 794% in first year
Example 4: Report Creation
Initial situation:
- Weekly management report
- Gather data from 6 sources
- 4 hours per report
- Controller: €70/h
Before automation:
- 52 × 4 = 208 hours/year
- 208 × €70 = €14,560/year
After automation (90% automated):
- Automatic data retrieval
- Generated slides/dashboard
- Only review: 30 min/week
- 52 × 0.5 × €70 = €1,820/year
Savings: €12,740/year
Investment:
- Development: €10,000
- Ongoing: €200/month
ROI: (€12,740 - €2,400) / €10,000 = 103% in first year
Example 5: Multi-Process Automation (€100k+)
Combined scenario:
| Process | Annual Savings |
|---|---|
| Invoice processing | €21,600 |
| Lead qualification | €42,000 |
| Onboarding emails | €40,920 |
| Reporting | €12,740 |
| Total | €117,260/year |
Total investment:
- Development: €45,000
- Ongoing: €13,200/year
Total ROI: (€117,260 - €13,200) / €45,000 = 231% in first year From Year 2: (€117,260 - €13,200) / €13,200 = 789%
Hidden Savings (Often Forgotten)
1. Error Costs
- Manual entry: 2-5% error rate
- Automated: 0.1-0.5% error rate
- Cost per error: €50-500
Example: 1,000 records/month
- Manual: 30 errors × €100 = €3,000/month
- Automated: 3 errors × €100 = €300/month
- Additional savings: €32,400/year
2. Opportunity Costs
What could your team do instead?
- Sales time for customers instead of data maintenance
- Marketing time for strategy instead of reporting
- Support time for complex cases instead of FAQs
3. Scalability
- Manual: 2× volume = 2× personnel
- Automated: 2× volume = barely additional costs
4. Employee Satisfaction
- Less repetitive work
- Higher job satisfaction
- Lower turnover (recruiting costs!)
Common Mistakes in ROI Calculation
Mistake 1: Overly Optimistic Automation Levels
Assumption: 100% automatable Reality: Usually 60-80%
Solution: Calculate conservatively, then be positively surprised
Mistake 2: Forgetting Maintenance
Assumption: Built once, runs forever Reality: 10-20% of development costs annually for maintenance
Mistake 3: Ignoring Change Management
Assumption: Employees use the tool immediately Reality: 3-6 months until full adoption
Mistake 4: Only Counting Direct Savings
Forgotten: Error costs, opportunity costs, scalability
Prioritization Framework
The Automation Matrix
| Low Effort | High Effort | |
|---|---|---|
| High Savings | ✅ Implement immediately | 📋 Plan |
| Low Savings | 🤔 Nice-to-have | ❌ Don't prioritize |
Identifying Quick Wins
Criteria for quick wins:
- High frequency (daily/weekly)
- Rule-based (clear logic)
- Few system breaks
- High manual effort
Typical quick wins:
- Email notifications
- Data synchronization between 2 systems
- Automatic report sending
- Lead notifications
Next Steps
For beginners:
- Identify one process
- Measure time (1 week)
- Calculate ROI with this guide
- Make decision
For advanced users:
- Process mapping of all repetitive activities
- Prioritization by ROI
- Roadmap over 12 months
- Continuous optimization
Need help? Our Automation Potential Check identifies the best candidates in your company.
Conclusion
€100k+ savings per year isn't a marketing promise – it's math. With the right framework and conservative calculation, you'll find the processes that really pay off.
The first step: Choose one process and calculate it through. The ROI speaks for itself.
Want to know which processes are worth it in your company? Our AI Adoption Audit analyzes your situation and identifies concrete savings potential – with numbers, not guesses.
