The basic formula
Annual savings тЙИ tickets ├Ч handle time ├Ч hourly cost ├Ч deflection rate. Each input has an industry benchmark you can use as a starting point тАФ but the real numbers come from your own ticketing system.
Channel mix matters
Chat deflection (1.00 modifier) is significantly higher than email (0.85), voice (0.65), or social (0.90). A 70/20/10 chat/email/voice mix produces dramatically higher ROI than a 30/30/40 mix at the same volume.
Build vs buy on ROI grounds
For most companies under 100K monthly tickets in non-regulated industries, SaaS wins on year-3 TCO. The break-even point shifts to custom build when complexity > 30%, regulated industries, or 6+ languages.
What good looks like
Mature deployments hit 60-80% deflection on tier-1 tickets within 6 months. Anything outside that band is either an over-promise (vendor) or an under-deployment (you).
Callout
How to use this calculator
Run the wizard with your real numbers; the free preview shows the savings range, deflection percentage, and payback period. Sign in to unlock the full breakdown, hidden-cost warnings, and a board-ready PDF.
Try it on your numbers
Plug in your real volumes and see the projection.
The calculator runs the same methodology described above тАФ channel modifiers, hidden costs, and the build-vs-buy verdict. Free preview without an email.
Run the calculatorFrequently asked
Is the projection conservative?
Yes - we use vendor-published mid-points and apply a 15% conservative haircut for residual escalation, AI runtime overhead, and supervision drag.
Why is voice deflection lower than chat?
ASR error rates and intent ambiguity cap voice deflection at roughly 65% of chat effectiveness. Voice AI is improving rapidly but not yet at parity.
What counts as a simple ticket?
FAQ, account lookups, status updates, password resets - the 70-80% AI-deflectable bucket.
How accurate is the payback period?
It uses your actual cost inputs; expect ┬▒20% accuracy on the mid estimate when ticket volume and handle time are reasonably well-known.
Will this work for B2B?
Yes. B2B tier-1 deflection patterns are similar to B2C, though absolute volumes are typically lower. The methodology applies at any volume.
Can I edit the assumptions on the results page?
Yes. Every assumption is editable and recomputes live in the browser - no server round-trip.