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Calculator · Cost and ROI

Quote automation ROI calculator: what your manual quote lines cost

This quote automation ROI calculator shows what manual quote and order lines cost a wholesaler: monthly lines × minutes per line ÷ 60 × loaded hourly cost. The 5.5-minute default is the midpoint of the 4–7 minutes per line a sales rep spends on average creating quotes and orders by hand, according to our case study. ERP Agent takes over that keying, so your team reviews instead of typing.

Your numbers

Example input. Replace it with your own volume.

4–7 according to our case study.

Salary plus overheads per hour. Example input.

Time spent keying lines by hand

Hours per month
45.8 h
Cost per month
€2,063
Hours per year
550 h
Cost per year
€24,750

Formula500 lines × 5.5 min ÷ 60 = 45.8 h per month; 45.8 h × €45 = €2,063 per month; €2,063 × 12 = €24,750 per year.

This is what keying lines by hand costs your team today. ERP Agent drafts those lines for review, so your team checks and sends instead of typing.

How does the quote cost calculator work?

The calculator prints the formula with your numbers, so you can check it or rebuild it in a spreadsheet.

How does the quote cost calculator work?
Result shownFormula
Hours per monthquote and order lines per month × minutes per line ÷ 60
Cost per monthhours per month × loaded hourly cost
Hours per yearhours per month × 12
Cost per yearcost per month × 12

The arithmetic works in any currency: enter your hourly cost in pounds, kronor or dollars and read every result in that currency.

Worked example: 1,000 lines a month

Worked example: 1,000 lines a month
Minutes per lineHours per monthCost per monthCost per year
4 (low end of our case study)66.7€3,000€36,000
5.5 (default, the midpoint)91.7€4,125€49,500
7 (high end of our case study)116.7€5,250€63,000

Example inputs: 1,000 quote and order lines a month at €45 an hour. Every minute per line is worth €750 a month, or €9,000 a year. At about 125 productive hours a month per rep, manual entry takes roughly half of one rep’s working time at 4 minutes a line and nearly all of it at 7.

Where do the minutes go, and what does ERP Agent take over?

The minutes per line in the calculator are hands-on work. ERP Agent does each step for the rep and leaves one decision: approving the draft.

Where do the minutes go, and what does ERP Agent take over?
Step in each lineBy handWith ERP Agent
Reading the requestOpen the email, retype lines from a PDF or spreadsheetReads the email and its PDF (scanned too), Excel, Word or image attachments
Finding the productTranslate the customer’s shorthand, part numbers and codes into your item codesIdentifies the right product in your catalogue from abbreviations, dimensions, part numbers and customer codes, even across languages
PricingLook up the customer’s prices and discountsBrings in customer pricing from the data and rules configured for your company
KeyingType each line into the ERPThe approved draft lands in your ERP, CRM or other system
CheckingRe-read every line before it goes outScores every match from 0 to 100 and marks lines under 80 for the rep

What should you enter in each field?

  • Quote and order lines per month. Count lines, not quotes: a 3-line quote and a contractor’s 300-line materials list are different jobs. Include every line someone keys from an email, PDF, spreadsheet or Word request: take three months of quote lines from your ERP, add the sales order lines keyed from customer purchase orders, and divide by three.
  • Minutes per line. Hands-on time from opening the request to the line saved in your ERP, CRM or other system: reading, finding the product, pricing, keying, checking. Waiting for a supplier’s price is turnaround, not cost. Time 20 to 30 of your own requests, awkward ones included, to see where you sit against the 4–7 minutes from our case study. The guide to the cost of manual quoting shows how.
  • Loaded hourly cost. The €45 default is a starting point; replace it with your own figure. Add employer costs (employer’s National Insurance or other social security contributions, pension, benefits) to gross pay and divide by productive hours after holidays and sick leave.

How do you turn the cost into quote or order entry automation ROI?

The calculator gives your baseline: what manual entry costs today. ROI is how much of that work ERP Agent takes over, set against the subscription and setup fee.

  1. Time the review in a pilot. With ERP Agent’s AI quote automation, the rep’s job changes from typing lines to approving a prepared draft. Every line carries a match score from 0 to 100 and lines under 80 are marked, so the review goes where it matters. Time it per line on your own requests. Count hands-on minutes only: while the agent prepares a request (typically 3–8 minutes), the rep is free for other work.
  2. Monthly saving = lines per month × (manual minutes − review minutes per line) ÷ 60 × loaded hourly cost.
  3. Payback. Net monthly saving = monthly saving − monthly subscription. Payback in months = setup fee ÷ net monthly saving.
  4. First-year ROI = (12 × monthly saving − first-year cost) ÷ first-year cost, where first-year cost = setup fee + 12 × monthly subscription.

In numbers

4–7 min
per line when quotes and orders are created by hand, according to our case study
95%
average automation across our customers
Over 95%
accuracy in quote-line automation at LVI-WaBeK
3–8 min
for the agent to draft a whole typical request, every line, while the rep does other work

Where does the saving come from?

Our customers average 95% automation: the agent prepares the lines and the rep’s minutes go into the ones marked for review. A pilot on your own requests puts that review time into the formula, and the AI quote agent pilot checklist has a scoring sheet for it.

The saving grows with use. The agent learns from the lines your team sends: the next time a customer writes the same thing, it picks the same product, and that knowledge stays in the company.

Measure it before you integrate

Load your product list as a catalogue file, forward real requests to your agent mailbox the same week and time the review. Your ERP connection follows when you’re ready.

Frequently asked questions

Is the result what quote automation would save?

It is your starting point: what keying lines by hand costs today, and the work ERP Agent takes over. Your saving is that cost minus the minutes your team spends approving drafts, which a pilot on your own requests measures. ROI sets that saving against the setup fee and subscription. For cost per quote, see the guide to the cost of manual quoting.

Does it work as an order entry automation ROI calculator?

Yes. Keying a customer purchase order as a sales order is the same per-line work, and our case study covers both quotes and orders. Enter your sales order lines and their minutes per line; ERP Agent prepares quotes and sales orders alike. See AI order entry automation.

Does the result include slow replies and errors?

No, it counts paid time only, so the true cost of manual entry is higher. Quotes lost to a faster supplier, credit notes for wrong lines and lost selling time come on top; estimate them from your own records, using the costs the formula leaves out as a starting list.

Does ERP Agent work with my ERP?

Yes. ERP Agent integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM. We set up the connection for your company during onboarding, and you can start with a catalogue file the same week. See all integrations.

What does ERP Agent cost?

A setup fee and a monthly subscription. The setup scope depends on integrations, product data and your business requirements, and you receive an itemised quote before getting started. See how ERP Agent pricing works.

Let’s look at your quote workflow

Check the numbers on your own requests

Bring your monthly line volume and a handful of real requests, the awkward ones too. We’ll show you what the agent prepares from them, so you can time the review and put your own numbers into the ROI.

  • Your requests and product catalogue
  • Your pricing and review process
  • A clear scope for the next step
Lauri Pelkonen

Lauri Pelkonen

Founder & CEO

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