Start with the work
Collect current plan information directly from the provider for the intended region and billing term. We do not publish a price ranking because seats, usage, included capabilities and billing conditions can change.
Build the working checklist
- Record seats, usage units, minimum commitments and required add-ons.
- Estimate setup, integration, review and ongoing operator time.
- Include export, migration and overlap during transition.
- Use low, expected and high usage scenarios.
Check it against a real task
Calculate subscription plus usage plus paid operator time, then compare it with the manual baseline. Keep uncertain assumptions visible. A larger allowance is not automatically valuable if the task volume is small.
What to take away
Ask what happens after a limit, when a teammate joins and when the pilot ends. Recheck the current terms before committing to an annual plan.
Count cost components consistently
Scroll horizontally to read all columns.
| Cost component | How to calculate it | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Required plans and seats for the billing period | Billing term, currency and minimum commitment |
| Usage and add-ons | Expected units multiplied by the applicable quote | What consumes a unit and what happens at the limit |
| Setup | Setup hours multiplied by the operator’s cost | Include training, review and integration work |
| Maintenance | Monthly monitoring and recovery effort | Do not assume every exception disappears |
| Transition and exit | Overlap, migration and export effort | A cheaper headline price can still cost more overall |
A worked example with invented planning inputs
This arithmetic example is not a vendor quote: assume $50 monthly subscription, $15 usage, one maintenance hour at $30 and two setup hours at $30 spread over three months. The model is $50 + $15 + $30 + $20 = $115 per month over that trial period. A manual baseline of three hours at $30 is $90. Under those assumptions, the new setup costs $25 more each month before considering whether it improves the task outcome.
Replace every input with your own current quote and measured time. Spreading setup cost is a planning convention, not cash flow: if an annual commitment is paid up front, record the up-front payment separately. Show low, expected and high usage rather than hiding uncertain assumptions inside one number.
Compare cost with a useful outcome
Do not report saved time unless the pilot actually measured it. Compare correct handoffs, verified research matches or resolved issues alongside operator effort. A tool that is faster on normal items but expensive to recover from failures can be a poor trade for a small team.
Working files
Blank templates for your own planning. These contain no customer records and are not submitted to Sales Fit Lab.
Blank low/expected/high assumptions; includes a separately labelled arithmetic example in the guide.