Measure automation ROI by converting hours saved into a dollar figure — multiply the hours a workflow used to take by a realistic loaded hourly cost, subtract the hours it takes now plus the tool's cost, and the difference is your ROI. This turns a vague productivity claim into a number leadership can actually compare against the subscription or build cost.
Track it before and after implementation with real time logs, not estimates, since teams reliably overestimate time saved from memory. Kando's Marketing Automation ROI Finder runs this exact calculation for teams evaluating whether a specific automation is worth building or buying.