A quick checklist for estimating chatbot ROI

Automation projects fail more often from vague goals than from bad technology. Before launch, get specific:

• Volume: How many repetitive questions do you handle per week today?
• Cost per contact: What does a human-handled ticket cost you, fully loaded?
• Deflection target: What percentage of that volume is realistically bot-answerable?
• Response time: What's your current average first-response time, and what would instant answers be worth?
• Escalation quality: When the bot can't help, does it hand off cleanly, or does it lose the customer?

Run these numbers before and after a 30-day pilot. If deflection and response time both improve without a spike in complaints, you've found a real win — not just a demo that looked good in a meeting.