Every software vendor we use has added an expensive AI add-on fee to our monthly subscriptions. How do we measure the actual return on investment of these upgraded AI features before we keep paying the higher recurring licensing costs?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Do not buy into the vendor hype. Most software companies are simply putting a fresh coat of paint on their existing systems and calling it AI to justify a subscription price hike. To measure the real return on investment, you must tie the tool directly to a metric on your weekly Scorecard.

Look at the specific seat on your Accountability Chart that uses the upgraded software. If the vendor claims their AI feature will save your customer service reps two hours a day, you should see an immediate change in your numbers. Either the number of resolved tickets per rep goes up, or the average response time goes down. If your Scorecard metrics do not move within sixty days of activating the AI features, the tool is not delivering.

To track this systematically, follow a simple evaluation process:
- Identify the specific Scorecard metric the AI is supposed to improve before turning it on.
- Establish a baseline using thirty days of historical data.
- Run a sixty-day pilot with a small group of users.
- Compare the pilot group's metrics against the baseline.

If the data does not show a clear increase in capacity or a reduction in direct costs, cancel the upgraded licenses during your next Level 10 Meeting. Never pay for software theater that does not produce measurable results.