Define what “done” means
For a document workflow, an answer may be only a list of suggested values. Completion could mean that a reviewer has checked those values and updated the correct record. For an enquiry workflow, completion may mean a useful handoff rather than a generated reply.
Choose the endpoint before comparing tools or prices. Otherwise one option can look cheaper simply because it stops before the expensive part of the process.
- Subscription
- AI consumption
- Review and exceptions
- Accepted outcome
Put costs in the right buckets
| Cost bucket | Include |
|---|---|
| Fixed commercial commitment | Subscription, required licences and contracted support. |
| Variable AI usage | Actual consumption across normal responses, retries and tool work. |
| Delivery and maintenance | Configuration, integration, evaluation and later changes. |
| People and exceptions | Review, correction, unresolved work and operational oversight. |
Avoid double counting included credits: a plan price already includes its stated allowance. Estimate additional consumption separately, then compare that forecast with actual use during the pilot.
Work through the people cost
Illustrative calculation, not a REDA result. Assume 500 items per month take 12 staff minutes each today: 100 hours. An assisted process still needs 4 minutes of review per item: about 33.3 hours. If 50 items each need another 8 minutes of exception handling, add about 6.7 hours. Add 5 hours for monitoring and changes. Total staff effort is 45 hours, releasing 55 hours of capacity.
This example assumes comparable output quality and includes every item, including exceptions. Replace every assumption with your own observations. If the freed time is redeployed, it is capacity—not automatically a cash saving. Salaries do not fall simply because a task becomes quicker.
Measure the expensive tail
Run awkward documents, long conversations and failed tool calls alongside ordinary examples. Record the spread of consumption, not just the best run. A small set of difficult requests can change the budget and the staffing required to review them.
In REDA AI, credits meter usage and can be reviewed alongside conversation activity. Processing choices and workflow design affect consumption. Use the pricing calculator and plan information as a starting estimate, then replace assumptions with pilot measurements.
Make the purchase decision explicit
Compare the expected value with the complete cost at realistic low, normal and high volumes. Note what happens if quality is below target or reviewer availability is limited. This is your decision model, not a guaranteed forecast.
Our business-case white paper takes the model further. Bring the workload and acceptance criteria to REDA; we can discuss a suitable plan and implementation scope around the work.