Current annual process cost
Volume × minutes per case × hourly cost + rework + relevant operating cost.
Business case
What does process automation cost and when does it pay off?
Quick answer: A fixed price without a defined process scope is not responsible. A useful estimate combines one-off implementation cost, recurring platform/operations cost and the human work that remains. Compare total future cost with today’s process cost, then calculate net benefit and payback.
In short
Do not calculate build cost alone. Include current manual time, errors, waiting, licences, implementation, testing, operations and change cost. A smaller process with clear rules can be more attractive than a large use case with many exceptions.
Source status
What is sourced fact and what is our analysis?
The calculation structure is our decision model. The hypothetical example is not a price benchmark, quote or market average; use your own volumes, costs and operating burden for a real business case.
Cost
Which costs belong in the comparison?
Look beyond the initial build effort.
- Process analysis and design.
- Licence, platform or infrastructure cost.
- Integration, configuration or RPA development.
- Testing, acceptance and documentation.
- Monitoring, support and incident handling.
- Changes when processes or systems evolve.
Value
What value can be measured?
A business case does not need to rely only on headcount savings.
- Fewer minutes of manual work per transaction.
- Shorter lead time or waiting time.
- Less rework and duplicate entry.
- Better availability outside office hours.
- More predictable and auditable execution.
- Capacity released for work requiring human judgement.
Method
Create a simple baseline
Start with your own volumes and timings.
- 01
Volume
How often does the process occur each week or month?
- 02
Manual effort
How many active minutes does one case require?
- 03
Rework
How often does something fail and what does recovery cost?
- 04
New cost
What one-off and recurring costs does the solution introduce?
- 05
Effect
What saving or quality improvement is realistic after stabilisation?
Boundary
Avoid false precision
A business case is a decision model, not a guarantee.
Model conservative, likely and favourable scenarios. Include operations and change. If the case only works when every exception is automated perfectly, the design is probably too optimistic.
Four numbers
Build the business case with four simple calculations
Use your own volumes and loaded labour cost. Include only benefits you can evidence.
Future annual TCO
Residual human effort + licences/platform + monitoring/support + change. Keep one-off implementation separate for payback.
Annual net benefit
Current annual process cost − future annual TCO. Only monetise quality/risk benefits when they can be reasonably evidenced.
Payback period
One-off implementation investment ÷ average monthly net benefit. Test at least a conservative, likely and upside scenario.
Hypothetical example
Why “70% automated” does not automatically mean “70% cost saved”
The numbers below are solely a calculation example, not a Boermans Digital/Korper price indication, quote or benchmark.
| Component | Example | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 250 cases per month | 3,000 per year |
| Current handling | 10 minutes per case at €45 loaded hourly cost | ≈ €22,500 per year |
| Rework | Hypothetical €300 per month | €3,600 per year |
| Current direct cost | Labour + rework | ≈ €26,100 per year |
| Future state | 15 human hours/month + €450 platform/operations | ≈ €13,500 per year |
| Annual net benefit | €26,100 − €13,500 | ≈ €12,600 per year |
| One-off implementation | Hypothetical €9,000 | Payback ≈ 8.6 months |
Why the example is deliberately conservative
Not all human work disappears. Exceptions, control, monitoring and change remain. A business case should still work when the solution captures less than 100% of the workload.
Sensitivity
Test which assumption breaks the business case
A strong case should not rely only on the upside scenario.
- Volume: what if the process occurs 20% less often?
- Effect: what if only 50–70% of manual effort disappears?
- Operations: what if support and change cost twice as much?
- Adoption: what if teams only partially use the new flow?
- Risk: which failure could wipe out the expected saving in a single incident?
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about cost and ROI
Short answers for a transparent business case without false precision.
Why is there no fixed price for process automation?
Cost depends on scope, volume, systems, integrations, exceptions, security, testing and operations. Without a concrete process scope, one fixed figure creates false certainty.
What data do you need for an automation ROI calculation?
At minimum: current volume, active handling time, errors/rework, roles involved, loaded labour cost, operating burden and the expected one-off and recurring solution cost.
How do you calculate automation payback?
Divide the one-off implementation investment by average monthly net benefit. Include recurring platform, support and change cost and test multiple scenarios.
Is time saving the only automation benefit?
No. Error reduction, lead time, availability, auditability and lower operating risk can create value too. Monetise those benefits only when you can reasonably evidence them.
When is an automation business case too optimistic?
When it only works with 100% straight-through processing, zero operations, no exceptions or unrealistically high time savings. Explicitly test a conservative scenario.