They provide a staffing comparator—not an entitlement for the supplier to capture that amount. Assess the work the contractor still needs after the proposed automation, and compare complete options over the same period.
How should a buyer distinguish capacity from cash savings?
Use three separate categories:
- Released capacity: staff have more time for other work, but payroll does not fall.
- Avoided expenditure: a documented reduction in overtime, temporary cover or an otherwise necessary additional hire.
- Additional contribution: incremental completed work, after variable delivery costs, within available capacity.
Do not count the same released hour both as a payroll saving and as the resource that delivers additional work.
Illustration, not a market estimate: removing 20% of the tasks from a £30,000 role corresponds to £6,000 of salary-equivalent time. It does not establish a £6,000 cash saving if the employee remains on the same salary and hours.
What should the first-year comparison include?
| Cost or benefit | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| Human hire or outsourced answering | Actual proposed hours, coverage, employment costs or service quote |
| Existing software | Confirmed plan, add-ons, configuration and training requirements |
| Agency implementation | Fixed scope, setup price, acceptance criteria and exclusions |
| Recurring operation | Subscription, telephony, messages, usage and integration maintenance |
| Internal work | Testing, monitoring, corrections and exception handling |
| Exit | Export, account transfer, number ownership and handover arrangements |
| Benefits | Measured avoided costs or incremental completed-job contribution |
Illustrative break-even calculation: £3,000 setup + £300 monthly fees + £1,200 annual usage + £1,200 internal supervision equals £9,000 first-year cost. At an assumed £150 contribution per genuinely additional completed job, it requires 60 additional completed jobs to cover that cost if no other cash benefits arise. These figures are arithmetic assumptions, not recommended prices or expected results.
This is a better foundation for HVAC AI pilot measurement and investment approval than comparing an agency retainer with the full salary of a multifunctional office employee.
Is there any direct evidence of a contractor advertising an AI project budget?
One closed Freelancer brief, posted by someone identifying their business as WDI Group, requested a UK trades AI receptionist with a strict £500 setup budget, with third-party running costs separate. It requested owner controls, human escalation and disclosed charges; ServiceM8 integration was optional. The poster’s identity, contract award and delivered outcome were not independently verified. (freelancer.in)
Interpretation: this is a concrete example of stated buying intent and price sensitivity—not a viable-delivery benchmark, market average or reason to promise that the requested scope can be delivered for £500. It also means the desk should not treat its earlier hypothetical project-budget ranges as validated market demand.
Sources cited on this page
- freelancer.in ↗www.freelancer.in