ROI Calculation for Certified AV Integration: Methodology for Measuring Time Savings and Eliminating Downtime
Reading time: 10 minutes
Quick summary:
The return on investment in AV technologies is measured by how many hours per week the IT department saves on incident resolution, how many minutes employees gain each day thanks to seamless connection, and the financial impact of eliminated downtime during key meetings.
This article provides a specific ROI calculation methodology, including a calculation example for a company with 5 meeting rooms.
Who this calculation applies to: The figures in this article correspond to a company with 5 meeting rooms that are used daily in hybrid mode and where the existing AV equipment is 4 – 7 years old without systematic service.
If your meeting rooms work reliably or have recently been modernized, your current losses will be lower and the ROI of the investment will depend on other factors.
Why ROI for video conferencing rooms is so difficult to calculate
For most IT investments, calculating return on investment is relatively straightforward.
A licence costs X, saves Y hours and the ROI is Z months. With AV technologies in meeting rooms, it is more complicated because the savings are not directly visible on a single invoice.
The costs of a non-functional or partially functional meeting room are distributed across several areas:
- IT department time – resolving repeated incidents related to connection, sound and video
- Lost employee time – the first 5 – 15 minutes of a meeting spent adjusting technology instead of working through the agenda
- Indirect losses – meetings that are moved or shortened because of technical problems
- Reputational impact – audio and video quality during calls with external partners and clients
These costs do not appear on any invoice. This is why investment in high-quality AV integration often seems “more expensive” – because only the purchase price is compared, not the total operating cost.
A detailed breakdown of acquisition and operating costs is available in the cost guide.
ROI calculation methodology for AV integration
The following methodology is based on PSNI Global Alliance practice and MediaTech’s experience from projects for medium-sized businesses in Slovakia. It is not theoretical – it is based on measurable values that can be verified from IT tickets, calendars and service records.
A 2023 study (Kinly: The Global State of Video Conferencing) found that 83% of workers regularly lose time because of technical problems during meetings, and the average meeting start delay is 10 minutes and 40 seconds.
Similarly, research by Zoom and Owl Labs from the same period confirms that incompatible devices and unstable connections are among the most common causes of hybrid meeting interruptions. These values provide the reference framework for the ranges in the following table.
Step 1: Mapping common time losses (pre-investment state)
The values in the table apply to companies where the existing AV equipment has not been systematically serviced or is more than 4 years old. If your technology works without outages, the actual losses will be at the lower end of the range or below it.
| Type of time loss | Typical value¹ | How to measure |
| Meeting startup time | 5 – 15 min / meeting | Difference between scheduled and actual start time |
| IT incidents related to meeting rooms | 3 – 8 hours / week (for 5 rooms) | IT ticketing system |
| Meetings shortened because of technology | 10 – 20% of all hybrid meetings | User feedback |
| Time spent on improvised solutions (BYOD) | 5 – 10 min / meeting | Observation |
¹ The ranges correspond to companies with problematic or unserviced AV equipment. The lower end is realistic for most environments, while the upper end occurs with equipment older than 5 years without regular maintenance. Reference for meeting delays: Kinly Global State of Video Conferencing 2023; for IT incidents: Commercial Integrator / AVIXA Industry Outlook 2023.
Why meeting room technology freezes and meetings start late is explained in the article on the five most common mistakes.
Step 2: Financial expression of losses
Time losses are converted into costs based on the average hourly rate of employees who use the meeting rooms. For a medium-sized business in Slovakia with average management labour costs of €25 – €40/hour, including payroll contributions:
Calculation example for a company with 5 meeting rooms (used daily in hybrid mode, AV equipment 4 – 7 years old without service):
| Item | Calculation | Annual cost |
| Delayed meeting starts | (10 min ÷ 60) × 4 meetings/day × 5 rooms × 250 days × €30/hour | €25,000 |
| IT support for meeting rooms | 5 hours/week × 52 weeks × €35/hour | €9,100 |
| Shortened / cancelled meetings | 15% × 20 meetings/day × (30 min ÷ 60) × 250 days × €30/hour | €11,250 |
| Total annual losses | ~€45,000 |
Calculation assumptions:
The 10-minute delay is based on the 10 min 40 sec average found in the Kinly study (2023).
IT support of 5 hours/week corresponds to the midpoint of the range from
Step 1 for 5 rooms. Shortened meetings (15%) are a conservative midpoint estimate of the 10 – 20% range. The hourly rate of €30 – €35/hour corresponds to average management labour costs in Slovakia, including payroll contributions.
Specific values for your company may vary – this is why we recommend using your own IT tickets and calendar data.
Step 3: Calculating the investment in certified integration
Professional AV integration according to PSNI standards for 5 meeting rooms, combining small rooms, medium rooms and a boardroom, typically ranges from €60,000 – €120,000, including:
- Design and project documentation
- Hardware (cameras, microphones, displays, DSP, control system)
- FAT testing (Factory Acceptance Test – verification in the workshop before installation)
- SAT testing (Site Acceptance Test – calibration directly on site)
- User training
- SLA and service support for 3 years
How to verify the quality of an integrator is explained in the article on PSNI standards for medium-sized businesses.
Step 4: ROI and payback period calculation
ROI formula: ROI = (Annual saved costs – Annual total costs) / Annual total costs × 100
Payback Period: Payback = Initial investment / Annual gross savings after deducting operating costs
Example for a €90,000 investment with a 5-year lifecycle:
| Item | Value |
| Annual saved costs (eliminated time losses) | €45,000 |
| Annual amortization cost (€90,000 ÷ 5 years) | €18,000 |
| Annual SLA and service cost | €5,400 |
| Total annual costs | €23,400 |
| Annual net savings | €21,600 |
| Annual ROI | 92% |
| Payback period | ~50 months (~4.2 years) |
Note on payback period: €90,000 ÷ €21,600/year × 12 months = 50 months. The investment therefore pays back within the 5-year device lifecycle.
What exactly do FAT and SAT testing do for ROI?
These two terms do not usually appear in a standard IT project, but in professional AV integration they form the foundation of why the system works from day one.
FAT – Factory Acceptance Test
The entire system is assembled, configured and tested in the integrator’s workshop before arriving at the installation site. Firmware conflicts, device compatibility issues and software settings are resolved in a controlled environment, not during live operation at the customer’s site.
In practice, this means that on installation day, only physical mounting and network connection are handled on site. The configuration is already complete. This significantly shortens installation time and eliminates system “teething problems”.
SAT – Site Acceptance Test
After physical installation, protocol-based testing follows directly in the customer’s space:
- Speech intelligibility measurement at different places in the room, not a subjective “can we hear each other?”, but objective data
- Connection testing from different platforms (Teams, Zoom, Webex) and different device types
- DSP processor calibration for the specific room acoustics (reflections, reverberation, noise)
- Verification of One-Touch Join – joining a meeting with one touch works reliably
Only after all criteria are met is the project considered handed over. This is the key difference compared with the standard approach, where handover equals physical installation.
When calculated over 5-year total cost of ownership (TCO), investing in a PSNI integrator is typically cost-neutral or positive. Savings on service, faster outage resolution and avoiding the need to “pay for fixing a predecessor’s mistakes” compensate for the higher initial price.
Where certified integration does not add measurable value
For an honest ROI calculation, it is also important to say where investment in a PSNI integrator will not show a significant measurable difference:
- One meeting room with a simple configuration – if it is one room with a display, soundbar and USB camera, the ROI difference between a standard and certified supplier is minimal. Which type of room fits which team is explained in the overview of meeting room types.
- Low usage intensity – if the meeting room is used 2 – 3 times per week, savings from eliminated time losses are low
- A company without a hybrid work model – if all participants sit in one room and video conferences are rare
For a medium-sized business with a hybrid work model, regular external calls and 3+ meeting rooms, the situation is different. In such cases, the investment typically pays back within 4 – 5 years, while most annual benefits are visible from the first year of operation.
How to start calculating ROI for your company?
The fastest way is an AAVS audit (Audio-Visual Systems Audit). A technician physically tests existing devices, measures room acoustics and identifies specific sources of time loss. The result is a report with prioritized recommendations and input data for ROI calculation.
Three inputs you can prepare in advance:
- IT tickets related to meeting rooms from the last 6 months (number, resolution time)
- Calendar data – average number of meetings in meeting rooms per month
- List of existing devices – model, age, condition
With this data, we can model ROI even before the actual solution design.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
| How long does it take for an investment in certified AV integration to pay back? | For 5 meeting rooms with regular use, the typical payback period is 4 – 5 years. It depends on usage intensity, the average wage level of employees and the investment volume. |
| Can the investment be split into phases? | Yes. MediaTech also offers AV technology leasing, which makes it possible to spread costs into monthly instalments and start with the most critical rooms. |
| What if we have meeting rooms from different suppliers? | The AAVS audit maps the existing condition regardless of the supplier. Recommendations are prioritized according to ROI impact. Not according to what needs to be replaced, but according to what will bring the greatest savings. |
| Is employee stress reduction included in ROI? | Not directly. Stress is difficult to quantify in euros. Indirectly, yes. A lower number of IT incidents, faster meeting starts and greater willingness to use meeting rooms are measurable indicators that reflect reduced stress. |
| What is the price difference between a standard supplier and a PSNI integrator? | The hardware costs the same. The 10 – 20% difference is for services: design, FAT/SAT testing, documentation and SLA. In a 5-year TCO calculation, this difference is typically compensated by lower operating costs. |
Would you like to know the ROI for your company?
If you have meeting rooms that are used daily and want to know the real return on investment in their modernization, we will be happy to sit down for a consultation. We will review your IT tickets, usage intensity and model ROI for your specific case.
The consultation, including a preliminary ROI model, is free of charge.
Contact us
+421 220 999 700 | mediatech@mediatech.sk | mediatech.sk/kontakt