Fettle Advisory · Free business tool
Would automation
actually earn its keep?
Check the business case for a process change, automation or AI. Include the checking and exceptions as well as the time you hope to save.
Try the checkTime saved. Value realised?
Estimate the benefit after checking, exceptions and ongoing costs. Separate useful capacity from actual cash savings before committing to a project.
01 / Set out the work
Your starting figures
The starting values are a hypothetical example. Replace them with your own estimates. Enter 0 only where genuinely none. All cash figures exclude recoverable VAT.
Free and ungated. Figures and notes stay in this browser tab. Nothing you enter is sent to Fettle or saved by this tool.
02 / Understand the decision
Your result
Use the hypothetical starting figures or enter your own, then choose Calculate the impact.
Hours released are not automatically cash saved. Simple mode excludes maintenance and internal setup time. Add them above for a fuller view. This estimate does not establish technical feasibility or service quality.
03 / Test the assumption
Start with one task.
Measure the whole job.
Time a representative sample from start to finish, including mistakes and checking. Pilot the change on suitable work, then update these estimates with observed results.
See how Fettle approaches practical AI and automation.
How are time and cash calculated?
Eligible tasks = monthly tasks × suitable percentage. Unchanged tasks retain their current time. Remaining time includes work, checking and optional maintenance. Hours released = current monthly hours − remaining monthly hours.
Capacity value = hours released × your hourly assumption. It is kept separate from cash benefit. Net monthly cash benefit = confirmed avoided payments − extra recurring costs. Cash payback = one-off cash cost ÷ positive net monthly cash benefit.
What does payback leave out?
Payback assumes steady monthly benefits start immediately. It excludes ramp-up, tax, financing and the time value of money. Internal setup time is reported separately and never silently converted into cash. Additional sales or revenue are not included.
Check all supplier costs, contract terms and implementation work. A positive estimate does not prove the integration is technically possible, suitable for the data or acceptable to customers.
Worked example: time is not payroll savings
Hypothetical: 200 tasks at 12 minutes take 40 hours a month. If 80% are suitable, with 3 minutes remaining work and 2 minutes checking per eligible task, the process releases 18.7 hours before maintenance. Add 2 maintenance hours and it releases 16.7 hours.
At an assumed £25 per hour, that capacity is valued at about £417. It is not £417 saved in cash. If a separate £150 monthly payment can genuinely stop and new software costs £60, cash benefit is £90 a month. A £500 cash setup cost has simple payback of about 5.6 months.
With checking rising to 5 minutes, released capacity falls to 8.7 hours. If avoidable payments also fall to £100, cash benefit is £40 and payback is 12.5 months. All figures are illustrative, not client outcomes.
A useful next step
What is worth changing first?
Bring a repetitive task or a process that keeps slowing the team down. We can discuss what to measure, what might help and whether Fettle is a useful fit.
Free 15-minute conversation. No obligation.
Your figures are not shared automatically.