Start with useful capacity
Monthly capacity value = eligible cases × minutes saved ÷ 60 × loaded hourly cost × realization.
Realization is the share of released time that can become useful work. It is not the share of tasks answered by AI. For example, scattered minutes may be difficult to redeploy, and a process may still require the same staffing coverage.
Add only independently verified additional benefits. Avoid counting the same staff time twice through both capacity value and a separate labor-savings line.
Show a base case and a downside case
The following reproduces the website's planning example. Every input is an assumption, not a measured Steprill customer result. Both cases use 8,000 eligible cases per month, a $40 loaded hourly cost and 50% realization.
| Input or result | Base case | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes saved per case | 3 | 2 |
| Monthly capacity value | $8,000 | $5,333 |
| Recurring monthly cost | $4,500 | $4,500 |
| Total implementation | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| First-year net economic value | $17,000 | −$15,000 |
| Simple implementation payback | 7.1 months | 30 months |
Recurring costs in this example include a $4,000 module planning fee and $500 of incremental operating costs. Implementation includes the $10,000 pilot; do not add it again. The downside monthly value is rounded in the table; annual calculations use the unrounded value.
The base case produces $96,000 of annual economic benefit against $79,000 of total first-year costs. Its illustrative return is $17,000 ÷ $79,000, or about 21.5%. This is not a promise of cash savings.
Count accepted results, including their hidden work
Cost per accepted case = total attributable operating cost ÷ accepted completed cases. Include provider calls, retrieval, infrastructure, review, retries, corrections and operating support. Report implementation separately or disclose an explicit amortization period.
Count spending on failed and rejected attempts in the numerator. Track how many cases were eligible, attempted, accepted and escalated so a lower average cost cannot hide a smaller accepted workload.
Cash savings require a real reduction in spending, such as overtime or outside services. Useful capacity may instead let the same team handle more work. These are different outcomes and should be reported separately.
Replace assumptions with pilot evidence
Use the interactive workflow value calculator to test your inputs. It runs in your browser. Its first-year calculation assumes 12 active months and excludes ramp-up, tax and financing; adjust a business plan for those factors before making a commitment.
Measure actual review effort and operating costs, then revisit case volume, time saved and realization. Test low-volume and slower-adoption scenarios. If monthly net value is zero or negative, simple payback is not available.
The decision to expand should follow a documented evaluation that meets quality requirements as well as financial goals.