Chatbot ROI Calculator

See how much you could save by automating routine support tickets. Honest math, no BS.

These are estimates. Actual savings depend on ticket complexity and bot training.

Your Numbers

Chats, emails, tickets - all conversations

Average time to resolve, including notes

Salary + benefits + overhead (not just base pay)

Conservative (10%)Realistic (35%)Optimistic (60%)

Password resets, FAQs, order status = automatable. Complex issues = not.

Chatisto is $29/mo. Change to compare other tools.

The Math

$1,137/month saved

$13,644/year if these numbers hold

Cost Comparison

Current (humans only)$3,333/mo
With AI automation$2,196/mo
You save$1,137/mo

Cost Per Ticket

$3.33
Human agent
$2.20
With AI assist

ROI Breakdown

ROI3,921%
Payback periodInstant
Tickets automated350/mo

Want to test these numbers?

Chatisto: AI chatbot with guardrails. Won't hallucinate fake answers. Hands off complex tickets to your team. $29/mo flat.

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How We Calculated This

Current State (Humans Only)

  • 1,000 tickets/month
  • × 8 minutes each
  • = 8,000 minutes of work
  • = 133.3 hours
  • × $25/hour
  • = $3,333/month

With AI Automation

  • AI handles 35% = 350 tickets
  • Humans handle 650 tickets
  • Human cost: $2,167
  • Chatbot cost: $29/month
  • = $2,196/month total

What This Calculator Doesn't Account For

  • Setup time: Training a chatbot takes time. Plan for 2-4 weeks before you see these numbers.
  • Ticket complexity: "Reset my password" takes 2 minutes. "My integration is broken" takes 30. Your mix matters.
  • Quality differences: Some customers prefer humans. AI handles volume, not relationships.
  • Escalation rate: If the bot escalates 50% of tickets, your savings drop significantly.
  • Maintenance: Chatbots need updating as your product changes.

Bottom line: These numbers are realistic if you have repetitive tickets (FAQs, order status, password resets). If most of your tickets are complex troubleshooting, expect lower automation rates.

Common Questions

What percentage of tickets can AI really handle?

Depends entirely on your ticket mix. Password resets, "where's my order," FAQs, basic how-to questions - AI handles these well (if trained properly). Complex troubleshooting, angry customers, edge cases - humans only. Most teams see 20-40% automation on the simple stuff. We default to 35% because that's realistic, not because it sounds good.

How do I calculate fully-loaded agent cost?

Take base hourly wage, add 25-40% for benefits (health insurance, payroll taxes, PTO), then add 10-15% for overhead (software, equipment, management time). A $15/hr agent actually costs you $22-25/hr. If you're outsourcing, use whatever you're paying the agency.

Why is the default automation rate 35%?

Because that's what we actually see with well-trained bots on typical B2B/e-commerce support. Vendors claiming 70-80% automation are either counting deflected tickets (user gave up) or have unusually simple ticket types. We'd rather underestimate and overdeliver.

Does this account for chatbot mistakes?

No. If your chatbot gives wrong answers and creates more tickets, your ROI tanks. This is why Chatisto has guardrails - the bot admits when it doesn't know something instead of making stuff up. A bot that says "I don't know, let me get a human" is better than one that confidently gives wrong answers.

What's a realistic ROI timeline?

Week 1-2: Setup and training. Week 3-4: Bot goes live, you're tweaking responses. Month 2+: Stable automation rate, real savings. Don't expect instant results. Do expect positive ROI by month 2 if you put in the training work.

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