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What does manual work cost your operation?

Re-typing measurements into estimates, copying order numbers between spreadsheets, rebuilding the same quote by hand. Put in your numbers and see the yearly cost — with the formula shown and a realistic range, not a sales number.

Your numbers

Manual work on one process

Estimators, dispatchers, coordinators or admins who touch this workflow.
3 people
Quick set:
Repetitive steps in one process — re-entering data, building quotes from templates.
6 hrs / week
Quick set:
Pay plus taxes, benefits and overhead. Quick rule: hourly pay × 1.3.
$45/hr
Quick set:
What to compare it against

One process, such as quoting or dispatch.

Your result

Cost of manual work on this process

Based on 3 people × 6 hrs/wk × $45/hr × 46 working weeks

Yearly cost of manual work
$37,260
828 hrs/yr
Realistically recoverable
$11,178 – $18,630
30–50% recoverable range
Estimated Payback Period
~3.2–8.6 months
Based on Focused Micro-System ($5,000–$8,000). The Operations Audit fee (from $1,000) is credited toward a Custom CRM build if started within 60 days.
Book an Operations AuditBook a Free 30-Min Call

Calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to send your brief.

Method

How the numbers are calculated

No hidden multipliers. This is the full formula.

Yearly cost = people × hours per week × loaded hourly cost × 46 working weeks.
46 weeks, not 52 — holidays, vacation and sick days are taken out.
Recoverable share: 30–50%. Automation rarely removes all manual work. Someone still reviews, approves and handles exceptions. 30–50% is a conservative range for automating the main repetitive steps of one or two processes.
Build cost comes from our pricing: $3,500–$9,000 for AI Workflow, $5,000–$8,000 for a Focused Micro-System, $15,000–$35,000 for a Custom Operational CRM. The audit fee (from $1,000) is credited toward a Custom CRM build if you start within 60 days.
Payback = total investment ÷ monthly recoverable cost, shown as a range from best to worst case.

What it leaves out — on purpose

This estimate covers only the time your team spends on repetitive data work. It doesn't include:

  • Lost or delayed deals — quotes sent a day late, leads that went cold.
  • Hosting and API costs of the new system — usually small, billed to your own accounts at provider prices without markup.
  • Time to adopt — your team needs a few weeks to switch over.

The first one is often significant. Because it's hard to estimate without seeing your process, we evaluate bottlenecks during the audit instead of guessing here.

Next step

This is an estimate. The audit gives you the operational blueprint.

In 5–7 working days we map one core process and identify where the bottlenecks actually lie:

  • Workflow bottleneck mapping
  • Clickable core-flow prototype (5–6 screens)
  • Written fixed-price build specification & quote

Fixed fee from $1,000. Credited toward a Custom CRM build if started within 60 days.

Book an Operations Audit

Questions about the estimate

Because some of the work stays: reviewing, approving and handling exceptions. Claiming 100% would make the number bigger and less true. 30–50% is a conservative range for automating the main repetitive steps.
Yes. Start with a rough guess and look at the range. If payback stays short even with conservative inputs, the problem is worth a closer look.
Then a custom build is probably not the right fix yet. We'd rather tell you that now than sell you a system you don't need.
Not unless you send it to us — by booking an audit or filling the contact brief. The calculator runs entirely in your browser: nothing is sent to our servers.
Talk it through

Not sure what your number means?

Book a 30-minute call. Bring your result — we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth automating, and where we'd start.

Book a free 30-min callSend brief with numbers