AI Support ROI Calculator: Is It Worth It?
Let's calculate your exact ROI with real numbers. No vague promises—just math.
Your Current Support Costs
Calculate Your Annual Expenses
Agent Costs:
- Number of agents: ___
- Average salary + benefits: $60,000
- Subtotal: ___ agents × $60,000 = $_____
Tools & Software:
- Help desk platform: $___/month × 12 = $_____
- Other tools (chat, phone, etc.): $_____
- Subtotal: $_____
Overhead:
- Office space: ___ agents × $10,000 = $_____
- Management & HR: 15% of agent costs = $_____
- Subtotal: $_____
Training & Turnover:
- New hires per year: ___
- Cost per hire: $15,000
- Subtotal: ___ × $15,000 = $_____
Your Total Annual Support Cost: **$_____**
Calculate Cost Per Ticket
Annual tickets: _____
Cost per ticket: Total cost ÷ tickets = $_____
Your AI Support Costs
One-Time Setup:
- Platform setup: $500
- Initial training: $1,000
- Integration: $500
- Total one-time: $2,000
Annual Ongoing Costs:
- AI platform subscription: $12,000/year
- Reduced team size: ___ agents × $60,000 = $_____
- Maintenance & optimization: $3,000/year
- Total annual: $_____
Calculate Your Automation Rate
Typical automation rates by industry:
| Industry | Automation Rate |
|---|---|
| E-commerce | 75-85% |
| SaaS | 70-80% |
| Professional Services | 60-70% |
| Healthcare | 50-60% |
Your estimated automation rate: ____%
Real Example: SaaS Company
Let's walk through a real scenario:
Company Profile:
- 10 support agents
- 30,000 tickets/year
- Current cost: $750,000/year
- Cost per ticket: $25
After AI Implementation:
Automation: 75% (22,500 tickets)
- AI cost: 22,500 × $1.50 = $33,750
Human handling: 25% (7,500 tickets)
- Reduced to 4 agents: $240,000
- Cost per ticket: $32
New Total Cost:
- AI: $33,750
- Agents: $240,000
- Platform: $12,000
- Tools: $15,000
- Total: $300,750/year
The Results:
💰 Savings:
- Before: $750,000
- After: $300,750
- Annual savings: $449,250
- Savings rate: 60%
⚡ Payback:
- One-time cost: $2,000
- Monthly savings: $37,437
- Payback period: 0.05 months (1.6 days!)
📈 3-Year ROI:
- Total savings: $1,347,750
- Total investment: $904,250
- Net gain: $443,500
- ROI: 49%
Beyond Direct Cost Savings
Additional Value (Harder to Quantify)
Customer Lifetime Value Increase:
Faster support → Higher satisfaction → Lower churn
Conservative estimate: 5-10% retention improvement
Revenue Expansion:
Happy customers buy more, referrals increase
Estimate: 3-5% revenue growth from better support
Team Productivity:
Agents focus on high-value work, less burnout
Estimate: 20% productivity boost
Scalability:
Handle growth without proportional cost increase
Value: Ability to enter new markets with 24/7 support
Break-Even Scenarios
When Does AI Support Make Sense?
🟢 Clear Win (ROI > 300%):
- ✅10+ support agents
- ✅20,000+ annual tickets
- ✅High repetition rate (>60%)
- ✅Struggling with coverage/speed
🟡 Good Fit (ROI 100-300%):
- ✅5-10 support agents
- ✅10,000-20,000 annual tickets
- ✅Need 24/7 availability
- ✅Growth trajectory strong
🟠 Worth Considering (ROI 50-100%):
- ⚠️3-5 support agents
- ⚠️5,000-10,000 annual tickets
- ⚠️Planning to scale soon
- ⚠️High customer acquisition cost
🔴 Probably Too Early:
- ❌<3 support agents
- ❌<5,000 annual tickets
- ❌Low repetition
- ❌Support not a bottleneck
Your Decision Framework
Green Light Indicators (Go For It) ✅
- ✅Clear ROI > 200%
- ✅Payback < 6 months
- ✅Team supportive
- ✅Growth trajectory strong
- ✅Customer experience suffering
Yellow Light (Proceed with Caution) ⚠️
- ⚠️ROI 50-200%
- ⚠️Payback 6-12 months
- ⚠️Limited budget for implementation
- ⚠️Small team (< 5 agents)
- ⚠️Unique/complex support needs
Red Light (Wait) ❌
- ❌ROI < 50%
- ❌Payback > 12 months
- ❌Very low ticket volume
- ❌Support is not a pain point
- ❌No documentation exists
Calculate Your Numbers
Current State:
- Agents: ___
- Annual cost: $_____
- Annual tickets: _____
- Cost per ticket: $_____
Future State with AI:
- Automation rate: ____%
- New annual cost: $_____
- New cost per ticket: $_____
- Annual savings: $_____
ROI:
- Payback period: ___ months
- 3-year savings: $_____
- ROI percentage: ____%
Decision: **Go / Wait / Learn More**
Get Your Custom ROI Report
Want a detailed analysis specific to your business?
Start a free trial and get:
- ✅Custom ROI calculation
- ✅Implementation roadmap
- ✅Risk analysis
- ✅Expected timeline
- ✅Competitive benchmarks
No pressure, no commitment—just data to make the best decision.