Fill in your current metrics before testing any AI tool.
AI ROI Worksheet for Fire Protection
A repeatable framework for calculating the business case for AI investments.
The Core Formula: Time saved per job × Labor rate × Monthly volume = Real dollar savings
This worksheet walks you through the inputs, calculations, and business case for evaluating any AI tool.
Section 1: Your Baseline Numbers
Team Size & Volume
| Input | Your Number |
|---|---|
| Number of technicians | |
| Average inspections per tech per day | |
| Workdays per month | |
| Total inspections per month | (techs × inspections/day × workdays) |
Example
10 techs × 5 inspections × 22 days =
1,100 inspections/month
Labor Costs
| Input | Your Number |
|---|---|
| Average technician hourly wage | $ |
| Burden rate (benefits, taxes, overhead) | % |
| Fully-loaded hourly cost | (wage × (1 + burden rate)) |
Example
$25/hr × 1.4 burden =
$35/hr fully-loaded
Current Time Spent
| Task | Time (minutes) |
|---|---|
| Average time per inspection (field) | |
| Average time per inspection (office review) | |
| Average time to create a proposal | |
| Average time to resolve a correction |
Section 2: Time Savings Calculation
After running a pilot, measure the time saved.
Direct Time Savings
| Metric | Before AI | After AI | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes per inspection | |||
| Minutes per proposal | |||
| Minutes per office review |
Monthly Labor Savings
Formula: (Minutes saved per task ÷ 60) × Fully-loaded hourly rate × Monthly volume
| Calculation | Your Numbers |
|---|---|
| Minutes saved per inspection | |
| ÷ 60 = Hours saved per inspection | |
| × Fully-loaded hourly rate | $ |
| × Monthly inspection volume | |
| = Monthly labor savings | $ |
Example
- 15 minutes saved per inspection
- ÷ 60 = 0.25 hours
- × $35/hr = $8.75 per inspection
- × 1,100 inspections =
$9,625/month
or
$115,500/year
Section 3: Indirect Savings
Beyond direct time savings, AI can reduce costs in other areas.
Re-Visit Reduction
| Metric | Your Numbers |
|---|---|
| Current re-visit rate | % |
| Target re-visit rate (with AI) | % |
| Average cost per re-visit (labor + fuel + time) | $ |
| Monthly inspections | |
| Monthly re-visit savings | (reduction % × volume × cost per re-visit) |
Example
- 8% re-visit rate → 4% = 4% reduction
- 4% × 1,100 inspections = 44 fewer re-visits
- 44 × $150/re-visit =
$6,600/month
Compliance & Risk Reduction
Harder to quantify, but real value:
Estimate: What would one compliance issue cost you? (legal fees, re-work, reputation)
| Risk Factor | Estimated Annual Cost Avoided |
|---|---|
| Compliance issues avoided | $ |
| Documentation improvements | $ |
| Audit readiness | $ |
Section 4: Revenue Impact
AI can also help you win and close more business.
Quote Velocity & Win Rate
| Metric | Your Numbers |
|---|---|
| Current average quote turnaround | days |
| Target quote turnaround (with AI) | days |
| Current win rate on proposals | % |
| Expected win rate improvement | % |
| Average monthly proposal volume |
Revenue Impact Formula : Win rate improvement × Monthly proposal volume = Additional monthly revenue
Example
- 5% win rate improvement
- × $200,000 monthly proposal volume
- =
$10,000/month additional revenue
or
$120,000/year
Section 5: Total Cost of AI
Subscription Costs
| Cost | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| AI tool subscription | $ | $ |
| Additional seats/users | $ | $ |
| Total subscription cost | $ | $ |
One-Time Costs (Amortize Over 12 Months)
| Cost | One-Time | Monthly (÷12) |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation/setup | $ | $ |
| Integration fees | $ | $ |
| Training time (hours × labor rate) | $ | $ |
| Total one-time (monthly) | $ |
Total Monthly AI Cost
| Category | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Subscription | $ |
| One-time (amortized) | $ |
| Ongoing (governance/oversight) | $ |
| Total monthly cost | $ |
Section 6: ROI Summary
Monthly Benefit vs. Cost
| Benefit | Monthly Value |
|---|---|
| Direct labor savings | $ |
| Re-visit reduction | $ |
| Compliance/risk value | $ |
| Revenue impact | $ |
| Total monthly benefit | $ |
Net Monthly Benefit
| Calculation | Your Numbers |
|---|---|
| Total monthly benefit | $ |
| – Total monthly AI cost | $ |
| = Net monthly benefit | $ |
Payback Period
| Calculation | Your Numbers |
|---|---|
| Total one-time costs | $ |
| ÷ Net monthly benefit | |
| = Payback period | months |
Rule of thumb: Net monthly benefit should exceed total monthly AI cost within 90 days. If it takes longer, tweak your pilot or pick a different use case.
Section 7: Business Case Summary
Use this to present to leadership.
The Ask
What AI tool are you evaluating and what does it cost?
The Problem
What inefficiency or pain point does it solve?
The Pilot
How will you test it? (30-day pilot, specific workflow, measurable metrics)
The Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly labor savings | $ |
| Monthly re-visit savings | $ |
| Monthly revenue impact | $ |
| Total monthly benefit | $ |
| Total monthly cost | $ |
| Net monthly benefit | $ |
| Annual net benefit | $ |
| Payback period | months |
Recommendation
Based on the numbers, should we proceed?
Key Principles
- Be explicit about success criteria upfront. Define what “win” looks like before you start.
- Capture baseline metrics. You can’t prove ROI without knowing where you started.
- Run the pilot. Real data beats projections.
- Measure the results. Actually look at the numbers.
- Hold yourself accountable. Don’t just run a pilot and forget about it.
A business case isn't just an email or PowerPoint — it's a repeatable formula for testing.
Pro Tip
An LLM like ChatGPT or Claude can help you build out this framework for your specific situation. Paste in your numbers and ask it to calculate the ROI or draft the executive summary.
Ready to Build Your Business Case?
Book a 20-minute readiness call. Bring your inspection metrics and we’ll run the numbers together.
