What is your spreadsheet costing you?
Enter a few numbers to see what spreadsheet work, retyping and report-building cost your organization each year.
Calculator
How it works
Yearly cost = people × hours each per week × hourly cost × working weeks. The saving is the share of that time an app would take away. The payback compares the saving with $8,000, where most projects start. It leaves out hosting (usually $50 to $200 a month) and the cost of mistakes, which is often the bigger number.
What the numbers usually miss
- Mistakes: a wrong quote, a missed shift, an order nobody placed
- Decisions made late because the numbers arrive late
- The risk of the one person who understands the spreadsheet leaving
Questions
Is this an exact figure?
No. It is an estimate from the numbers you enter. It is most useful for seeing whether the cost is in the hundreds or the tens of thousands.
What hourly cost should we use?
Wage plus payroll taxes and benefits, often 1.2 to 1.4 times the hourly wage. For volunteers, use the published value of a volunteer hour.
What if the payback is long?
Then a custom app may not be worth it yet. Clean up the spreadsheet or look at off-the-shelf tools first.
Tell us how the work gets done today.
Use the contact form or write to hello@sarasoris.com. The first conversation is free.
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