Busywork calculator
What is the busywork costing you?
Eight common leaks, each with its sum written out. Put in your own numbers and switch off anything that doesn't apply.
Nothing is sent or stored. The arithmetic runs in your browser.
Total, at these numbers
$165,748a year
- Missed calls$39,936
- Enquiries after hours$29,952
- Quotes nobody follows up$45,000
- Copying between tools$9,100
- Reports built by hand$9,360
- No-shows$10,800
- Extra work never billed$12,000
- Mistakes that cost money$9,600
This is the size of the leak, not a promise of what a fix recovers.
- 01
Missed calls
The phone rings while everyone is busy. Some of those callers were new work, and they ring the next name on the list.
How to count it: Your phone provider can show last month’s missed calls. Ring ten of them back and ask what they wanted.
Example figures. Put in your own.
%%$The sum: 8 calls a week × 52 weeks × 30% new work × 40% you would have won × $800 a customer
$39,936a year, at these numbers
- 02
Enquiries after hours
Forms and messages that arrive in the evening wait until morning. By then, some have already booked someone else.
How to count it: Look at the timestamps on last month’s web forms, texts and messages. Count the ones outside your working hours.
Example figures. Put in your own.
%%$The sum: 6 enquiries a week × 52 weeks × 40% gone elsewhere × 30% you would have won × $800 a customer
$29,952a year, at these numbers
- 03
Quotes nobody follows up
A quote goes out, nobody hears back, and nobody chases. Some of those would have said yes to a second message.
How to count it: Go through last month’s quotes and mark the ones that got no follow-up at all.
Example figures. Put in your own.
%$The sum: 10 quotes a month × 12 months × 15% that would go ahead × $2,500 a job
$45,000a year, at these numbers
- 04
Copying between tools
The same name, address and figures get typed into the quote, the schedule, the invoice and the spreadsheet.
How to count it: Follow one job through the week and count every time a detail is typed that already exists somewhere else.
Example figures. Put in your own.
min$The sum: 3 retypes × 4 minutes × 25 jobs a week, in hours, × $35 an hour × 52 weeks
$9,100a year, at these numbers
- 05
Reports built by hand
Someone pulls numbers from three places into a spreadsheet every week, so the owner can see how things stand.
How to count it: Ask whoever builds the weekly or monthly report how long it took last time, including the chasing.
Example figures. Put in your own.
hrs$The sum: 4 hours a week × $45 an hour × 52 weeks
$9,360a year, at these numbers
- 06
No-shows
Appointments that nobody turns up to. The slot is gone and so is the time spent getting ready for it.
How to count it: Count last month’s no-shows and late cancellations in your calendar or booking tool.
Example figures. Put in your own.
$The sum: 6 no-shows a month × 12 months × $150 an appointment
$10,800a year, at these numbers
- 07
Extra work never billed
A customer asks for a little more, someone says yes, and it never reaches the invoice.
How to count it: Compare what was done on your last five finished jobs with what was invoiced.
Example figures. Put in your own.
$The sum: 2 extras a month × 12 months × $500 each
$12,000a year, at these numbers
- 08
Mistakes that cost money
A wrong figure, a missed step, an order sent twice. Each one costs time to fix, and sometimes a refund.
How to count it: Think back over the last three months and list the mistakes that cost money to put right.
Example figures. Put in your own.
$The sum: 2 a month × 12 months × $400 each
$9,600a year, at these numbers
The total
The total
$165,748a year, across 8 leaks
This is the size of the leak, not a promise of what a fix recovers.
If the number is small, leave it, or fix it with a tool you already pay for. Not every leak is worth a build.
If it's large, send it to us. We'll tell you honestly whether it's worth fixing, and discovery measures it properly against a baseline.
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