'Saves 20 minutes per task' is the most common claim in AI business cases and the least reliable. Saved minutes only matter if they're converted into something: more output, faster service, avoided hires or redeployed effort.
A more honest count
- Measure before and after on the same task, with the same people, not a demo.
- Subtract review and correction time — often the largest hidden cost.
- Name where the time goes — what the person does instead, and whether that has value.
- Separate capacity from cash — freed capacity is real but only becomes savings if you act on it.
- Report as a range — and revisit after a few months of normal use.
If you can't say what the saved time was used for, you haven't yet found the benefit. You've found the potential for one.