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Research
Every ROI, payback and cost-saving figure published on this site is produced by the model described on this page. It is the source referenced as “AIQorex composite ROI model” and “AIQorex ROI methodology” throughout our blog and case studies.
These are composite figures, not a public dataset and not a controlled study. They are drawn from our own deployment engagements, anonymised and aggregated so that no individual client is identifiable. We publish the assumptions so the arithmetic can be checked and re-run against your own cost base.
Where a figure comes from an external source instead, the citation on that page names the publication directly. Anything attributed to AIQorex is ours and is governed by this page.
Labour is costed at its fully loaded rate, never at base salary. Hourly models assume a 52-week year.
| Function | Basis | Type |
|---|---|---|
| SalesLoaded cost of a mid-level SDR or account executive, averaged across our EU client base. | EUR 35 / hour | Blended hourly cost |
| MarketingBlended across a professional-services marketing team rather than a single role. | EUR 40 / hour | Blended hourly cost |
| Customer support (UK)Includes employer NI, pension, tooling and management overhead. | EUR 55,000 / year | Fully loaded salary |
| Finance (Germany)Includes employer contributions and statutory costs for a finance professional. | EUR 52,000 / year | Fully loaded salary |
| LogisticsAverage cost to detect, correct and re-process one mis-handled order. | EUR 45 / order | Error remediation cost |
Savings are measured over a fixed window after go-live, not from the first day of the project. The window differs by workload because automations stabilise at different speeds.
| Window | Applied to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 60 days | Customer support automation | Ticket deflection stabilises quickly once intent coverage is complete. |
| 90 days | Sales, marketing and finance automation | Covers a full reporting quarter, absorbing month-end and campaign cycles. |
| 120 days | Multi-agent logistics automation | Longer orchestration rollouts need more elapsed time before error rates settle. |
Two quantities are calculated, then compared.
Gross benefit
(hours removed per period x loaded hourly rate) + (errors avoided x remediation cost)
Total cost
build or licence cost + infrastructure + maintenance + internal time to adopt
Net ROI
(gross benefit - total cost) / total cost, over the stated window
Payback period is the point at which cumulative gross benefit equals total cost. Internal adoption time is included in cost deliberately, because excluding it is the most common way automation ROI is overstated.
The comparison cited in our data-sovereignty writing holds the workload constant and varies only where inference runs. Both sides include the same categories, so the two totals are directly comparable.
Crossover depends almost entirely on sustained volume. Low or spiky volume favours cloud; steady high volume and strict data-residency requirements favour local-first.
The composite draws on more than 20 deployment engagements across sales, support, finance, marketing and logistics workloads, primarily with small and mid-sized businesses in the EU and UK.
If you want the workings behind a number in a particular post or case study, or want the model re-run against your own cost base, get in touch.