Free tool
AI automation ROI calculator
Is a task worth automating? Enter how many people do it and for how long, what an hour costs, and what the automation would cost to build and run. See the hours saved, the monthly saving and how soon it pays back.
Payback period
19.5 months
First-year return: − ₹1,15,200 (-38% ROI)
| Hours spent on the task per month | 156 |
|---|---|
| Hours saved per month | 94 |
| Value of time saved per month | ₹23,400 |
| Running cost per month | − ₹8,000 |
| Net saving per month | ₹15,400 |
| Net saving over three years | ₹2,54,400 |
Arithmetic on the figures you enter, for planning. Time saved turns into money only when the hours are used for other work; a proof of concept on your own data gives the real automation share.
How to work out whether an automation pays back
Payback period = build cost ÷ (hours saved per month × cost of an hour − running cost per month).
1. Measure the task. Count the people who do it and the hours each spends in a normal week. Ask them; managers usually underestimate.
2. Price an hour. Take the monthly cost of the person to the company, salary plus employer contributions, and divide by about 190 working hours.
3. Be cautious about the share. Automation handles the routine cases; unclear documents, unusual requests and approvals still reach a person.
4. Include running costs. Model usage, message charges, hosting and maintenance continue every month.
A payback under twelve months is usually worth a proof of concept. See what we automate under AI and business automation and AI agent development.
Updated 11 November 2026 by Infovion Technologies, a software development company in Pune, India.
| Project | Typical budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment and proof of concept | ₹50,000 – 1.5 lakh | 2 – 3 weeks |
| WhatsApp assistant or chatbot | ₹40,000 – 5 lakh | 2 – 8 weeks |
| Document extraction pipeline | ₹1.5 – 6 lakh | 4 – 8 weeks |
| AI agent with tools and integrations | ₹2 – 8 lakh | 6 – 10 weeks |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the ROI of AI automation?
Work out the hours spent on the task each month, multiply by the share that can be automated and by the cost of an hour to get the monthly saving, then subtract the running cost. Payback period is the build cost divided by that net monthly saving. First-year ROI is twelve months of net saving minus the build cost, divided by the build cost.
How much does AI automation cost in India?
With Infovion Technologies, an assessment and proof of concept typically costs ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, and a production assistant or document-extraction pipeline ₹1.5 lakh to ₹6 lakh, plus a usage-based running cost that is estimated in advance.
Which business tasks give the best return from automation?
Tasks that are frequent, rule-based and done by several people: entering invoices, answering the same customer questions, following up leads, preparing daily reports, and copying data between systems. Rare or judgement-heavy tasks usually do not pay back.
What is a realistic share of a task to automate?
For clean, structured work 70 to 90 percent is possible. For documents and conversations, 50 to 70 percent is a sensible planning figure, with exceptions passed to a person. Measure it in a proof of concept before committing to the build.
What running costs should I expect?
Language model usage per document or conversation, WhatsApp or SMS message charges where used, hosting, and maintenance. For a small business these usually total a few thousand rupees a month, and they scale with volume.
Does automation replace staff?
In most small and mid-sized businesses it removes repetitive work rather than roles: the same people handle more volume and the exceptions that need judgement. The saving in this calculator is real only if the freed hours are put to other use.
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Have a task worth automating?
Describe the task and its volume. We reply within one business day and, where it makes sense, propose a proof of concept on your own data.