The most common question we hear from companies before investing in AI: "What will it really bring us?" The good news is: the ROI of AI projects is measurable — when you define the right metrics and calculate realistically.
The Basic Formula
ROI (%) = ((Savings + Additional Revenue - Investment Costs) / Investment Costs) × 100
What Counts as Savings?
Direct Cost Savings
- Personnel time: Hours per week × hourly rate × 52 weeks
- Error costs: Error rate before minus after × average cost per error
- Process costs: Paper, postage, processing fees eliminated by automation
Additional Revenue
- Higher conversion rates from faster response times
- 24/7 availability to handle enquiries outside business hours
- Capacity expansion allowing staff to handle more projects
Realistic Expectations
From our completed projects:
- Simple process automation: ROI 200-500%, payback 3-6 months
- Email support automation: ROI 150-300%, payback 4-8 months
- RAG knowledge system: ROI 100-200%, payback 6-12 months
Define KPIs Before the Project
Measurable KPIs to track: processing time before/after, error rate before/after, cost per transaction before/after, customer response time, customer satisfaction score.
Conclusion
The ROI of AI projects is real and measurable. With realistic assumptions, clearly defined KPIs and a fixed-price provider, the risk is calculable. The average ROI of our projects in the first year is 3.2× — a return of 220%.