Knowledge Base
Pricing & Packages · 7 min read

How to Calculate Your ROI

The formula we use to build the ROI case — fully-loaded labour cost comparison, error-reduction value, and payback period — with worked examples from three industries.

The formula

Annual Labour Cost = (Base salary × 1.25 burden) × number of FTEs

OnlyBoring Annual Cost = Monthly package fee × 12

Net Annual Savings = Labour Cost − OnlyBoring Cost

Payback Period = Setup Fee ÷ Monthly Savings

The 1.25 burden multiplier accounts for payroll taxes, benefits, and overhead. For higher-cost roles or regions, we often use 1.35–1.5. We also add a turnover cost estimate — typically 30–50% of annual salary per replacement, multiplied by your average turnover rate.

Worked examples

Property Management (45 units)

Challenge2.5 FTE handling 200+ lease applications/month
Previous cost$112,500/year labour + benefits (~$140,000 total)
OnlyBoring costProfessional package: $7,500/month × 12 = $90,000/year
Bonus24/7 availability, no turnover, scalable for growth

Net annual savings

~$50,000/year

Payback period

~11 months

Freight Brokerage (35 employees)

Challenge6 operations staff handling load matching, documents, after-hours coverage
Previous cost$330,000/year labour + benefits (~$410,000 total)
OnlyBoring costProfessional + 3 agents: $11,100/month × 12 = $133,200/year
Bonus24/7 coverage, faster response times, happier carriers

Net annual savings

~$277,000/year

Payback period

~6 months

Manufacturing Distributor (80 employees)

Challenge12 operations staff handling orders, inventory, supplier coordination
Previous cost$576,000/year labour + benefits (~$720,000 total)
OnlyBoring costEnterprise package: $18,000/month × 12 = $216,000/year
BonusScalable for growth, handles seasonal spikes without temp hiring

Net annual savings

~$504,000/year

Payback period

~6 months

Beyond labour cost: hidden value

The direct labour comparison is the easiest to quantify, but often not the largest value driver. Consider also:

Error reduction: At 1–2% error rates in manual processing, a business handling $10M in transactions annually may be absorbing $100,000–200,000 in rework, refunds, and relationship damage.
Throughput expansion: Agents work 24/7 and scale instantly. If operational capacity is the bottleneck on revenue growth, agents unlock revenue that was previously inaccessible.
Turnover elimination: Average turnover cost for an operational role is 30–50% of annual salary. For a business replacing 3–4 people per year, this is often $60,000–150,000 annually.
Speed improvement: Faster processing (lease approvals, load confirmations, order acknowledgements) directly impacts customer satisfaction, win rates, and retention.

Typical metrics

40–60%

of fully-loaded employee cost

3–6 mo

typical payback period

90%+

accuracy on trained workflows

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