The evidence

We don't do vibes. Every number traces to a source.

The ROI math in our audits isn't invented — it's built from published research, industry benchmarks, and measured field results. Here's the evidence base, and what it looks like applied to businesses like yours.

Measured in the field

Published, verifiable outcomes from real automation deployments and large-scale studies.

4.9 months

Payback on a document-processing automation.

A published 2026 case study: a $14,000 automation build replaced roughly $47,000/year of manual processing labor — a 74% effort reduction with monitoring retained on a monthly plan.

Arsum, published case study, 2026

$12.88 → under $3

Cost per invoice, manual vs. automated.

The benchmark spread on accounts-payable processing. At a few hundred invoices a month, the difference is a five-figure annual number.

Ardent Partners; Factura benchmarks, 2026

6.8 hrs/week

Owner time recovered with AI in operations.

Nearly a full workday per week, measured across small-business owners actually using AI — not projections.

JP Morgan Chase Institute, 2025

$500–$2,000/mo

Reported savings when implementation is done right.

What small businesses that implemented AI correctly report saving monthly — while 56% of CEOs report zero ROI from tool-buying without workflow redesign. The gap is the implementation.

Thryv SMB Survey 2026; PwC Global CEO Survey 2026

78% / 21x

The speed-to-lead effect.

78% of customers buy from the first business to respond; responding within 5 minutes makes qualifying a lead 21x more likely than waiting 30. Only 7% of companies manage it.

InsideSales; Harvard Business Review lead-response research; Drift

62% / $126,000

The missed-call economy.

62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered, 85% of missed callers never call back, and the average small service business is estimated to lose ~$126,000/year to it.

411 Locals; AMBS Call Center analysis

What the numbers look like in practice

Three businesses, modeled end-to-end from the benchmarks above — the same math we run in every audit, shown worked.

22-person HVAC & plumbing company · ~$6M revenue · dispatch-driven

Modeled from the benchmarks above

The situation

~400 inbound calls a month with the office answering during peak dispatch hours only. At the 62% industry miss rate, ~248 calls a month go unanswered — and after-hours callers reach voicemail, where 80%+ hang up.

The build

AI answering that books jobs from missed and after-hours calls, missed-call text-back within seconds, and estimate turnaround automation. A Customer Service sprint plus Care Plan.

The math

If just 15% of recovered calls are bookable at a $480 average ticket, that's ~$17,800/month in exposed revenue. A sprint at $9,000–$15,000 recovering a quarter of it pays back inside the first month — the fastest math we model in any department.

14-person insurance agency · ~$4M revenue · document-heavy

Modeled from the benchmarks above

The situation

Producers spend evenings on intake packets, renewal chasing, and certificate requests. Follow-up depends on memory; response speed depends on workload. The 78% first-responder rule is deciding deals before anyone quotes.

The build

Instant inbound response, intake that fills the management system automatically, renewal and follow-up sequences that never forget, and certificate automation. A Sales & Lead Handling sprint.

The math

At 60 inbound opportunities/month closing 20% at $2,400 first-year value, slow response costing even a fifth of them is ~$6,900/month walking out the door. Recovering half funds the sprint inside a quarter — then compounds.

30-person distributor · ~$12M revenue · 300 invoices a month

Modeled from the benchmarks above

The situation

Orders arrive by email and PDF, get re-keyed by hand, and AP runs on the benchmark's bad side: at ~$13 per manually processed invoice, processing alone costs ~$46,800/year — before late fees and the early-payment discounts manual shops mostly miss.

The build

Order intake straight into the system of record, invoice matching and coding with approval gates, collections follow-up, and a self-assembling monthly reporting pack. A Finance & Back Office sprint.

The math

Cutting per-invoice cost to the automated ~$3 range returns ~$36,000/year against a $9,000–$15,000 fixed build — with the reporting pack and collections riding along free.

Your audit replaces every assumption above with your actual volumes — that's the point of it.

Find out what AI is actually worth in your business.

Two weeks. Fixed fee. A ranked roadmap with real numbers — whether or not you build with us.

Book the AI Audit — $3,500

Audit fee credited in full toward your first Department Sprint.