How Much is Digitizing Your Frontline Business Worth?
Use this helpful calculator to quantify how much running a traditional analog workplace is costing your business.
Time Wasted: A Primer
We've gathered the primary time waste causes for both frontline workers and their managers. First, we'll look at the daily causes and impacts of time waste for frontline workers. Then, we'll outline the daily causes and impacts of time waste for frontline managers.
From there, you can use our time waste calculator to input your team size, then estimate the state of productivity technology in your workplace. We'll use those answers to tell you how much time and money your current standard operating procedure is costing your business!
Time Wasted: Frontline Worker
Based on observed patterns in frontline environments, here are daily estimates of frontline worker time wasted:
| Activity | Time Wasted Per Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for task instructions or clarification | 15–30 min | Start of shift delays, unclear task ownership |
| Searching for tools, forms, or information | 10–20 min | Especially in shared spaces or with paper-based systems |
| Redundant or duplicated work | 5–10 min | Tasks completed multiple times or by multiple people |
| Manual logging or reporting of completed work | 5–15 min | Filling out forms, updating boards, texting supervisors |
| Walking to/from central location for updates or check-ins | 10–20 min | For whiteboard or supervisor updates |
| Total per day | 45–95 min | 0.75–1.6 hours/day |
| Total per week (5 days) | 3.75–8 hours |
Time Wasted: Frontline Manager or Supervisor
Based on observed patterns in frontline environments, here are daily estimates of frontline manager time wasted:
| Activity | Time Wasted Per Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Repeating instructions or clarifying assignments | 20–30 min | Due to unclear task lists or missing handoffs |
| Chasing incomplete tasks or missed responsibilities | 15–25 min | Verbal check-ins, physical walkthroughs |
| Manual follow-ups or reminders | 10–15 min | Phone, text, or in-person nudges to keep work moving |
| Updating status boards, logs, or spreadsheets | 15–30 min | For task tracking or compliance visibility |
| Handling escalations caused by lack of visibility | 10–20 min | Reactively addressing preventable issues |
| Total per day | 70–120 min | 1.2–2 hours/day |
| Total per week (5 days) | 6–10 hours |
Lost Productivity Calculator
Using the detailed breakdown of regular activities and time wasted for both frontline employees and frontline managers above, input the fields below to measure your annual lost productivity costs driven by these principal time waste and productivity loss sources:
- Task assignments, follow-ups, reminders, and reporting are handled manually (paper, whiteboards, radio, in-person).
- Employees and managers lack centralized visibility and must rely on memory or repeated check-ins.
- Common friction includes: missed tasks, duplicated work, waiting for instructions, manual reporting, and unclear ownership.
Annual Cost of Lost Productivity
Using the most conservative estimates and based on your frontline employee headcount and the number of frontline managers/supervisors you employ:
Total Frontline Employee Time Wasted Annually: Hours
Total Manager Time Wasted Annually: Hours
Total Annual Lost Productivity Cost:
Potential Annual ROI of UnDesked Platform: X
With this much time and money at stake, if UnDesked could capture even a fraction of this potential ROI doesn't it make sense to explore the ultimate digital transformation tool for frontline workplaces?
UnDesked is the easiest way to comprehensively modernize your frontline workplace operations.
