Free tool · Operations
Integration payback calculator
Pick the workflows your team types into more than one system, put in your own volumes and rates, and see the annual hours, dollars and errors, which integration to build first, and roughly when it pays back. Print it or share the link to take it to your team.
3. What double entry costs you
Lost per year
$23,211
Hours per year
502
Errors per year
140
Simple payback
9–22 months
- AP invoice entry & approval$11,760
294 h · 108 errors a year
- New job setup$4,092
74 h · 5 errors a year
- Change orders$3,795
69 h · 18 errors a year
- Commitments & subcontracts$3,564
65 h · 10 errors a year
$1,161 a month at 60% of effort removed. Payback where the line enters and leaves the band.
Show as a table
| Month | Cumulative net savings |
|---|---|
| 6 | $6,963 |
| 12 | $13,927 |
| 18 | $20,890 |
| 24 | $27,853 |
| 30 | $34,817 |
| 36 | $41,780 |
Start here
AP invoice entry & approval
About $11,760 and 294 hours a year of re-keying at medium build complexity (Inbox / Procore → ERP). It has the highest annual cost per unit of build effort among the workflows you turned on, so it's the sensible first integration to scope.
Per workflow: re-keyed entries = items per month × 12 × (systems − 1). Errors = entries × error rate. Hours = (entries × minutes + errors × minutes to fix) ÷ 60. Cost = hours × loaded hourly cost. Net benefit = total cost × share of effort removed − added annual cost. Payback months = build cost ÷ (net benefit ÷ 12). "Start here" = highest annual cost ÷ build effort (complexity, plus half a point per system beyond two). A planning estimate from your inputs; nothing here is a benchmark, quote, or savings promise. Calculated in your browser.
Reopen or edit these numbers: https://www.buildflows.ai/tools/integration-roi?w=job_4_45_3_5_55.commit_20_15_2_4_55.co_30_10_2_5_55.ap_300_4_2_3_40&g=30_60_10000_25000_0
Before you build anything
The number tells you whether to look closer, not what to build. The first integration is usually one workflow, one direction, with a crosswalk for jobs, vendors and cost codes and a clear owner for every field. Get that right and the next workflow is cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
What does this calculator count?
Only the time people spend typing the same record into more than one system, plus the time to find and fix the entries that go wrong. It doesn't count late billing, missed change orders, or decisions made on stale numbers, so it tends to understate the real cost.
Where do the default numbers come from?
They're example starting points so the page isn't empty, not industry benchmarks. Replace volumes, minutes, error rates and hourly costs with your own. Counting one week of real entries is usually enough to get close.
Why isn't the most expensive workflow always the recommendation?
"Start here" divides annual cost by build effort. A two-way commitment sync with approvals is harder to get right than pushing new vendors into the ERP, so a slightly cheaper but simpler workflow often pays back sooner and builds trust for the next one.
Is the build cost range a quote?
No. It's an editable planning range for a scoped integration of one or two workflows. Your systems, data quality, approvals and security requirements all move the real number. Put in a quote when you have one.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. Your inputs are stored in the page link so you can share or reopen it, and they're only sent to us if you choose to send a brief.
Next step
Want a second opinion on your numbers?
Bring the workflow you'd start with. We'll talk through the systems involved, what an integration would and wouldn't remove, and whether it's worth scoping.
Prefer email? charley@buildflows.ai