Choose a complete numerator
List platform fees, usage charges, relevant staff time and any integration or review costs included in the comparison. Document what is excluded. Allocate shared costs consistently rather than charging one workflow for the whole team and another for only AI usage. Keep one reporting currency and record the date and source of any conversion; a US-dollar budget and a Saudi-riyal invoice cannot be added directly.
Use an honest denominator
Count resolved cases under the same definition and time window for both workflows. Separate unresolved work and avoid counting one conversation several times because it crossed channels. Report quality and repeat-contact outcomes alongside cost. A lower cost per closed ticket can be misleading if premature closures create more work in the following period.
Fictional worked example
Fictional calculation: 1,000 reporting-currency units in platform and usage costs plus 2,000 in allocated review time, divided by 600 resolved cases, equals 5 units per case. If 100 cases are still unresolved, report them separately. This illustrates the formula; it is not Anti Sandbox pricing, a savings claim or a recommended staffing budget.
Action checklist
- Document included fees, usage, staff time and exclusions.
- Use one currency with an explicit conversion reference when needed.
- Apply the same resolution definition and reporting window.
- Show unresolved cases and quality measures beside the cost result.