# Enquiry automation operating-cost worksheet

Fireflax · Version 1.0 · Reviewed 8 October 2026

Companion: https://fireflaxgpt.com/resources/enquiry-automation-operating-costs

Use a text editor and save your own copy. This is a planning worksheet, not a software purchase, customer quote or connection. Do not enter credentials or customer records. Unknown is different from zero.

## Define the workload

- One bounded task:
- Intended result:
- Responsible operator:
- Monthly enquiries / runs:
- Ordinary billable units per run:
- Test runs, polling and other billable activity:
- Duplicate, retry and failure assumptions:
- Source of these estimates / measured test date, or “not measured”:

## Keep the budget lines separate

For each item record: provider or owner, full existing bill, incremental cost, currency, billing period, units/allowance, source URL/date, assumptions and unknowns.

1. Implementation: agreed one-off scope or estimated hours × agreed rate:
2. Existing platform / new subscription / upgrade:
3. Executions, credits, tasks and overage:
4. AI usage, only if chosen:
5. Hosting, data storage, logs and backup:
6. Support and maintenance: responsibility, included work and review interval:
7. Tax, currency conversion and other applicable charges:

Known monthly incremental subtotal:

Required but unpriced items (the total remains incomplete until resolved):

Separate one-off implementation amount:

Annual or other upfront cash payment:

## Formulas

- Monthly billable units = monthly enquiries × units per enquiry + other billable activity.
- Monthly equivalent of an annual subscription = annual bill ÷ 12. This is a budgeting equivalent, not necessarily the payment schedule.
- Monthly incremental operating cost = new/upgrade subscription + usage charges + AI charges + new hosting/storage + support/maintenance + other applicable charges. Do not count included usage twice.
- One-off implementation = agreed fixed amount, or estimated implementation hours × agreed hourly rate, with the basis made explicit.
- If a model is priced per million tokens: model cost = input tokens ÷ 1,000,000 × input rate + output tokens ÷ 1,000,000 × output rate + other applicable charges. Use one currency and current provider rates. An unknown model/rate leaves cost unknown.

## Fictional credit example

Assume 100 enquiries per month, three fixed-rate credits per enquiry, 20 testing credits, no additional polling, branches, repeated runs or AI. This is not a tested integration.

- Base: 100 × 3 + 20 = 320 credits/month.
- Four times the enquiries: 400 × 3 + 20 = 1,220 credits/month.
- Ten full repeat runs: 100 × 3 + 20 + 10 × 3 = 350 credits/month.
- No enquiries but testing continues: 0 × 3 + 20 = 20 credits/month.
- No billable activity at all: 0 × 3 + 0 = 0 variable credits. A paid subscription can still be payable.

Make's public Free plan lists no subscription charge and 1,000 credits/month; two active scenarios, minimum scheduled interval and other restrictions still apply. A 320-credit estimate does not prove the whole workflow fits or that total operating cost is zero. Implementation and support are unpriced in this example, so no total is given. Make's default fixed rate is one credit per operation, with exceptions and dynamic billing for some features; verify the actual modules.

## Dated paid-plan reference

Jobber's public plan page on 8 October 2026 listed Connect for one user at USD 99/month when billed annually, excluding applicable sales tax: 99 × 12 = USD 1,188 for twelve months at that rate. This is the full plan price, not an automation fee or an account-specific upgrade price. No purchase is recommended or assumed. Recheck seats, region, current terms and account eligibility.

## Provider questions and stopping point

- Is the needed native feature already included?
- Is the specific connector/action supported on this plan?
- What happens to billing and execution when a limit is reached?
- Who checks failures and decides whether a retry is appropriate?
- Which items are fixed, variable, prepaid, already paid or still unknown?
- Who approves a scope/cost change and can pause the workflow?
- What test will compare the estimated units to an observed run before production?

Budget owner:

Pause / escalation threshold:

Next review date:

## Sources checked 8 October 2026

- https://www.getjobber.com/pricing/
- https://www.make.com/en/pricing
- https://help.make.com/credits
- https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/32337438839565-What-s-included-in-Zapier-s-Free-plan

The Fireflax samples use local rules/templates and no paid model inference. Free browser planning tools and zero incremental marketing cash spend do not establish the cost of a connected customer system. The website plan does not include custom automation; scope, implementation, software and ongoing support are agreed separately.