Usage can materially change the economics of an otherwise fixed monthly proposal. The following is a calculation using the published Online Marketing Help Growth tariff—not a prediction of a contractor’s actual usage. All figures exclude VAT, internal supervision and any unquoted extras. (onlinemarketinghelp.co.uk)
| Assumed billed minutes each month | Calculated monthly supplier charge | Calculated first-year supplier cost, including setup |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | £449 | £6,683 |
| 1,500 | £1,049 | £13,883 |
| 3,000 | £1,949 | £24,683 |
Calculation dated 27 October 2026: monthly charge = £449 + £0.60 × minutes above 500; first year = £1,295 + 12 × monthly charge. Constant monthly usage is assumed solely for illustration. (onlinemarketinghelp.co.uk)
What should an HVAC AI proposal cost audit include?
Use a month-by-month cost model, with separate rows for normal demand, winter peaks and out-of-hours activity. Ask suppliers whether billed usage includes hold time, transfers, retries, outbound calls, spam, wrap-up work and failed integration attempts.
Compare human and AI services on the same tasks and metering basis. For example, AnswerConnect explicitly publishes whole-minute rounding, so raw call duration and billed minutes need not be identical. (answerconnect.co.uk)
The desk’s recommended approval formula is:
Required additional completed jobs = total incremental cost ÷ contribution per additional completed job.
Use contribution after variable delivery costs—not invoice value. Deduct work that existing callbacks would have recovered, and cap the opportunity at available delivery capacity. Show released staff time separately unless it produces a credible cash saving or additional productive output.
Sources cited on this page
- onlinemarketinghelp.co.uk ↗onlinemarketinghelp.co.uk
- answerconnect.co.uk ↗www.answerconnect.co.uk