Guide
How to work out whether automation paid for itself
Most automation is judged on how it feels. That is how businesses keep paying for tools that changed nothing.
This guide covers the four numbers to write down before you start.
The four numbers
1. Enquiries received
Across every channel, for a normal fortnight. Most owners guess this wrong by a wide margin.
2. Response time
How long until the first reply. This is usually the number that moves first.
3. Conversion rate
Enquiries in, jobs won. Without it you cannot tell recovered work from busier weather.
4. Owner hours on admin
Timed honestly for a week, evenings included.
Doing the sum
Value of recovered work, plus hours saved multiplied by what your time is worth, minus build and running costs. If the answer is not clearly positive within a few months, the wrong thing was automated.
Record the four numbers again a month after go-live, not a week. Early weeks flatter everything.
Get a starting estimate
The 2-minute check gives you a rough range for hours lost and where the leak is, before you spend anything.
Related reading
Start with a free strategy call
Book a free strategy callQuestions we get asked
- What if I have no baseline numbers?
- Spend a fortnight recording them. It is the cheapest part of the whole project and it makes everything after it judgeable.
- How soon should the numbers move?
- Response time within days. Conversion and hours over a month or two.