The cost of a Digital Employee needs to be assessed against the agreed process. The commercial model separates a one-off setup fee from a monthly fee; the quote must specify their amounts, coverage and any additional charges. A public starting price does not price an entire department, several group companies or every possible task.
Setup and the monthly fee answer different questions
For Digital Employee, setup and the monthly fee are separate items. Setup concerns establishing the assignment; the monthly fee concerns providing the agreed service on an ongoing basis. This describes the commercial model, but does not by itself establish which tasks, integrations or levels of support are included in your proposal.
The quote should therefore state what will be delivered before the service starts and what will be provided during operation. Process mapping, configuration, system connections and testing are matters to discuss under setup, rather than inclusions to assume. Monitoring, support and subsequent changes likewise need to be clarified within the recurring scope.
The payment arrangement distinguishes the one-off setup fee from the first monthly fee, even when both are collected in the same initial payment. Subsequent fees follow the monthly schedule set out in the agreement. When comparing costs, count the first month only once.
What can change a quote?
Company size provides context, but it does not describe the work on its own. Two organisations with the same headcount may need very different assignments. The starting point is the actual process, with defined systems and responsibilities.
Scroll the table horizontally to read every column.
| Factor | Question to resolve | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | One task or an entire process? Which teams and group companies? | A list of inputs, outputs and excluded steps. |
| Volumes | How many requests arrive, and what happens at peak times? | Observed counts and their distribution over time, without unnecessary personal information. |
| Integrations | Which access methods are available, and who maintains them? | Systems, versions, environments and exchange methods agreed with IT. |
| Controls | Which actions need approval, and what evidence is required? | A permissions map and conditions requiring a stop. |
| Support | Who handles an interruption, and on what terms? | Written coverage, support channels and responsibilities. |
| Change | What happens when a company is added or the process changes? | Rules for scope changes and approval of their cost. |
These are general criteria for assessing a proposal, not a statement that this service uses consumption-based pricing. Do not add a “per-document charge” or an “AI charge” unless the contract provides for it. Where additional charges apply, the proposal should explain the trigger, the calculation and whether another item already covers them.
For business systems, the ERP integration checklist helps you gather information before an estimate. “We have an ERP” does not establish whether a usable export exists, whether the project needs write access or whether a test environment has already been made available.
A clear first-year calculation
First-year service cost = setup + 12 monthly fees + additional charges that actually apply and are not already included.
This is an illustrative formula. It assumes twelve full monthly periods, an unchanged monthly fee and the agreed scope throughout. If the initial payment includes setup and the first month, there are eleven further monthly fees to include after that payment, not twelve. The actual term, start date and changes must follow the contractual proposal.
For the full business budget, also identify internal commitments separately: the process owner's time, IT work, data preparation, review of outputs and any training needed. These are resources to plan; they do not automatically become supplier charges. Include third-party licences only where they are needed and not already covered.
A public starting price can provide initial context. It is not a universal quote for an enterprise department, a group of companies or every integration. This guide does not give a figure because a meaningful comparison needs a scope that applies to your organisation and an up-to-date proposal.
Expenditure, time and released capacity are different
As an illustrative example, suppose a team delegates initial document collection while retaining review and approval. To assess the outcome, it must measure both the preparation work avoided and the time still needed to check outputs and resolve exceptions. Counting only the first part would give an incomplete picture.
Released capacity can support better checks, help clear a backlog or accommodate additional volumes. It does not automatically reduce payroll expenditure. To support a decision, distinguish the service budget, the net time made available and the specific work the manager intends to use it for.
An initial comparison might cover just one of the finance tasks being considered for delegation. Measure the existing work first, then measure the same scope, including review and rework. There is no need to assign a savings percentage before that evidence exists.
How to obtain comparable proposals
Give suppliers the same process description and ask for a response separating setup, the monthly fee, any additional charges, exclusions and the commitment required from your team. Ask what counts as delivered, how it will be checked and which changes require a fresh assessment.
The provider selection checklist helps connect each cost item to evidence. That makes the comparison a decision about the work covered and the responsibilities involved, rather than simply the lowest monthly figure.