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About 420 recoverable hours a year, valued at €45/h, repay a Diagnostic and a first agent within 24 months, all costs included. The threshold depends above all on the hourly cost of the tasks targeted: ≈ 570 h for clerical tasks, ≈ 280 h for managerial tasks.
Key takeaways
- ≈ 420 recoverable hours a year, at €45/h, repay a Diagnostic and a first agent within 24 months, all costs included.
- The hourly cost of the tasks targeted shifts the threshold: ≈ 570 h for clerical tasks, ≈ 280 h for managerial tasks.
- The threshold tells you whether the question arises; only a measurement tells you what you gained.
A threshold in hours, not a promise
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The threshold is the number of recoverable hours a year, valued at the loaded hourly cost, at which the cumulative net value returns to zero in month 24. It is the calculation used by the simulator and the Who it is for page, applied to 20 people interviewed: ≈ 420 hours a year at €45/h.
It tells you whether a scope is wide enough for the question to arise. It does not tell you what you will gain: only an assessment, then a measurement, can.
What the calculation counts
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All costs, SHIFTLABS fees included. The Platform is not counted: with its subscription, the threshold is higher. The Sources and methods page sets out the same rule on the homepage example.
- The Diagnostic, at its published starting price: €12k excl. VAT.
- An example agent at €12k excl. VAT: an agent that automates, connected to two business systems, under the published price list.
- Your teams’ time: 0.75 h per person interviewed, plus 4 h for the sponsor and the contact person.
- Running costs (€150 a month) and expert review (5 h a month), counted from the first month as a precaution.
- Two months of building, then a first month of service counted at half.
The hourly cost shifts the threshold
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The same calculation, for 20 people interviewed, by the loaded hourly cost of the tasks the agent takes on. €45/h is the average loaded hourly cost of French companies with 10 or more employees in 2025, rounded (Insee: €44.7); the other two rates are a calculation by category from the SHIFTLABS market study.
| Tasks targeted | Loaded hourly cost | 24-month threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Company average | €45/h | ≈ 420 h a year |
| Clerical tasks | €31/h | ≈ 570 h a year |
| Managerial tasks | €77/h | ≈ 280 h a year |
At the scale of your team
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420 hours a year is about a quarter of a full-time equivalent (1,607 hours a year): 1.3% of the hours worked in a team of 20, 0.26% in a company of 100. The threshold barely changes with the number of people interviewed: 424 hours at 30.
Two caveats. A freed hour is a saving only if it is reassigned to useful work or avoids a hire. And the example agent is not yours: the price list runs from €6k to €13k excl. VAT per agent depending on whether it assists, automates or redesigns the process, plus the connections to your systems (up to €3k each), billed once; a signed quote prevails.
Frequently asked questions
Why 24 months?
It is the horizon of every payback calculation on the site, all costs included. A shorter horizon raises the threshold, a longer one lowers it.
Why €45/h?
It is the average loaded hourly cost of French companies with 10 or more employees in 2025 according to Insee (€44.7), rounded. If you know the cost of the roles concerned, use it: it is the input that weighs most.
What if the agent costs more than the example?
The threshold rises. An agent that redesigns the process and connects to SAP costs €16k excl. VAT under the price list: the threshold then moves to ≈ 470 hours a year, with the same assumptions.
Is the Platform counted?
No. The threshold counts the Diagnostic and one agent. With the Platform subscription, far more hours are needed for payback within 24 months.
Sources
Further reading
Keep reading
- ROI of an AI project: how to calculate the gain and the payback period
- Measuring an AI gain without fooling yourself
- Playbook: running a successful AI assessment in an SME
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