Should You Hire or Automate This Task?
Pick one repeated task, like data entry, appointment reminders or estimate follow-up. Compare what it costs a year to pay someone to do it with what it costs to automate most of it. Nothing is stored or sent.
Paying someone to do it, per year
Automating it, first year
Automating it, each year after
Setup pays for itself in
Paying someone = hours a week × 52 × hourly cost. Automating, first year = setup + 12 months of software + the hours automation doesn’t cover × 52 × hourly cost. Each year after drops the setup. Payback = setup ÷ (monthly labor saved − monthly software).
Which tasks are good candidates for automation?
Tasks that happen the same way every time and follow clear rules: reminders, confirmations, moving information between systems, and creating follow-up tasks. Pricing, judgment calls and unhappy customers stay with people.
What should I count as the hourly cost?
The wage plus payroll taxes, benefits, and the time someone spends supervising or checking the work. Use your real numbers.
What if the task is different every time?
Then neither a hire nor a tool will fix it yet. Define the steps first. A task that can’t be written down can’t be handed to a person or a system reliably. See automation vs. hiring.
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