Uncover the hidden cost of your meetings! (Cost calculator step-by-step guide)

Meetings are unavoidable. But how often have you sat in one thinking, "This could've just been an email"? Every time your team gets stuck in an unnecessary meeting, valuable time goes to waste that could've been spent more productively. It doesn't show up as a direct expense, but the indirect cost of lost productivity can be significant.

In this article, we uncover the real impact of these 'hidden' meeting costs and walk you through a step-by-step plan to build a cost calculator. That way, you can boost your team's efficiency and make sure time only goes toward meetings that actually add value.

PS: let's be honest, we didn't reinvent the wheel here. This is based on a use case we found on Make.com's own website. We just added a few extra touches, like an email notification instead of Slack (not everyone uses Slack).

The solution: automatically calculating the cost of meetings

The meeting cost tracker we're building in this tutorial works in a pretty simple way:

• First, it pulls a list of that day's meetings from your Google Calendar.
• Then it calculates the cost of every meeting you organize.
• Finally, it sends you a Slack message with a list of those meetings and their respective costs.

As a bonus, the Slack message also includes links to cancel meetings, in case you decide the cost is too high and an email would do the job better.

Here's what the Slack message the tracker generates looks like:

What you'll need to build this:

• Google Calendar
• A Slack account
• A Make.com account

Step 1: Create a new scenario in Make.com and connect your Google Calendar

Imagine getting a clear view of all your scheduled meetings in just a few clicks. Sounds pretty good, right? With Make, that's well within reach. Follow this simple step-by-step guide to get a grip on your meeting calendar.

1. Start your Make adventure: Create a brand-new scenario in Make. Then search for the 'Google Calendar > Search Events' module and add it to your scenario.
2. Sync with Google: Connect this module to your Google account. A seamless integration is ready to go.
3. Dig into your calendar details:
4. Calendar ID: Choose the specific calendar where all your important meetings live.
5. Start date: Use the code {{formatDate(now; "DD.MM.YYYY")}}. This makes sure you start from today. Handy, right?
6. End date: With {{formatDate(addDays(now; 1); "DD.MM.YYYY")}} you look one day ahead, so nothing gets missed.
7. Single events: Set this to 'Yes'. This gives you a clear view of every individual meeting, even recurring ones.
8. Limit: Decide how many meetings you want to see at a glance. A tip: pick a number like "20", so you always have plenty of room, even on your busiest days.

Step 2: Add a Tools module to set up the meeting information

Optimize your meeting costs: what your tracker needs to know

Want to uncover the real cost of your meetings? Then your tracker needs to be armed with the right information. Here's what you need:

1. Meeting duration: How long do your meetings run? This is crucial — think in hours.
2. Your email address: This is the key. The tracker uses this to figure out whether you're the organizer of the meeting or someone else is.
3. Hourly rate of attendees: What's the value of each attendee's time? To keep things simple, we'll assume everyone has the same hourly rate.

Tip: An average hourly rate works well here. It keeps colleagues from comparing their hourly rates with each other, which can sometimes get awkward.

Let's get started!

Add the 'Tools > Set multiple variables' module to your scenario. This is where the magic happens.

• Step 1: Click 'Add item' and dig into the details.
• Step 2: Use "duration" as your variable name. For the value, use this handy formula: {{(1.end - 1.start) / 3600000}}. This quickly calculates the length of your meeting. Don't worry about the milliseconds — the formula neatly converts them into hours.

Check out the image below to see what it should look like.

Tips & tricks for setting up your variables in Make

A quick warning: If you like to type your variable values in yourself, watch out. Make has its own unique way of doing math. Use Make's special parentheses function and mathematical operators. Just typing (, ), -, or / on your keyboard directly? That won't work!

Let's add some variables!

1. Hourly rate: Click 'Add item' and enter "hourlyRate" as the variable name. For the value, keep it simple — type your hourly rate as a plain number, without dollar signs or euro symbols. So if you earn $70 an hour, just enter "70".
2. Your email: Click 'Add item' once more. This time, enter "myemail" as the variable name and type your email address in the value field.

Curious what it should look like? Check the image below for a good example.

Step 3: Add a second Tools module to calculate the cost of each meeting

Calculate the cost of every meeting like a pro

Now it's time to reveal the real cost of your meetings. With one smart variable in Make, you can do this in no time.

1. Add the magic module: Go to 'Tools' and choose 'Set variable'. This is where the calculation happens.
2. Give it a name: For 'Variable name', type "cost". This labels the outcome of our calculation.
3. The formula: Now the exciting part. For 'Variable value', use the following formula: {{formatNumber(length(1.attendees) * 4.meetingDuration * 4.hourlyRate; 2; "."; ",")}}. It might look complicated, but this formula does all the heavy lifting for you by multiplying the number of attendees by the meeting duration and the hourly rate.

The magic behind the 'cost' variable: how it works

Step into the world of automatic calculations with our 'cost' variable. Here's how this clever tool operates:

1. Counting attendees: First, it takes a quick count of how many people are actually attending that meeting.
2. Quick math: Then it takes that number and multiplies it by both the meeting duration and each attendee's hourly rate. The result? The total cost of that meeting.
3. Finishing touch: And for that professional touch, the total gets neatly rounded to two decimals.

Got everything set up and happy with the configuration? Great! Click 'OK' and you're ready to move on to the next step in your Make scenario.

Step 4: Have the tracker calculate meeting costs only for the meetings you organized

Refine your cost calculator: focus on meetings you organize

While our current cost calculator gives a great overview of every meeting we attend, we want to take it one step further. After all, we only have the power to cancel meetings we scheduled ourselves. So let's make our tracker a bit smarter!

1. Head to the settings: Between the two 'Tools' modules, you'll find a handy wrench icon. Click it and choose 'Set up a filter'.
2. Name your filter: Something descriptive works well, like "Continue only for meetings we organized". This will help you later if you ever need to make changes.
3. Set up your filter:
4. Pick the 'Organizer: Email' field from your Google Calendar module and link it to the first operator.
5. Change the condition to 'Boolean operators > Equal to'.
6. Finally, link the "myemail" variable (which you set up earlier) to the second operator.

Curious what it should look like exactly? Check the image below for a visual guide.

How our cost tracker selects smartly: the power of filtering

Our cost tracker isn't just a tool — it's a smart assistant that knows exactly what to look for. Here's how it works:

1. The email check: When a meeting comes up, the tracker first checks the organizer's email address. Does it match yours?
2. Match? Action!: If there's a match, the tracker gets to work and accurately calculates the cost of that specific meeting.
3. No match? No problem: But if the email address doesn't match, the tracker simply says "This one's not for me!" and moves on, ignoring that meeting.

Step 5: Build the list of meetings and their respective costs

Turn your meeting costs into a clear list

Now that your cost calculator knows all the ins and outs of your meetings, it's time to organize that data into a clean overview. Follow these steps to create a clear list:

1. Add the Text aggregator: Go to 'Tools' and select 'Text aggregator'. This is where all your meeting info comes together.
2. Dig into the advanced settings: See that 'Show advanced settings' toggle? Turn it on. This is where the magic unfolds.
3. Set up your aggregator:
4. Source module: Choose 'Google Calendar - Search Events [1]'. This is where the aggregator pulls all the necessary information from.
5. Row separator: Select 'New row'. This way, every meeting gets its own line in the list.
6. Stop on no meetings: If you have a quiet day with no meetings scheduled, make sure 'Stop processing after an empty aggregation' is set to 'Yes'. Your tracker will just take a break then.
7. Text format: Add the following text: {{1.summary}}: ${{3.cost}} | <{1.htmlLink}}|Cancel this meeting>. This creates a clear line for every meeting, complete with cost and a handy cancellation link.

Tip: Using Slack? Then the text format above will work perfectly for you. But if you use a different app, just adjust the formatting so it looks good in your favorite messaging app.

Step 6: Send the list of meetings to yourself via Slack

Get an overview of your meeting costs straight in your inbox

Want to wake up every morning to a clear overview of your scheduled meetings and their costs? With Make and Slack (or your favorite team messaging app), that's a piece of cake. Follow these steps:

1. Integrate with Slack: First, add the 'Slack > Create message' module. Connect it to your Slack account. (Tip: using a different app? Just swap Slack for your preferred one.)
2. Choose your channel: Decide which Slack channel you want to receive these valuable updates in.
3. Message content: In the text field, set the content of your message. Make sure to include the "text" item from the text aggregator, so you get a neat list of your meetings in the message.
4. Fine-tuning: Turn on 'Show advanced settings'. Set 'Unfurl primary text-based content' to 'No'. This prevents a preview from popping up for every meeting link.

Extra flair: In the advanced settings, customize the emoji icon and username of your message for a personal touch.

1. Wrap up: Click 'OK' and admire your work. Your scenario is ready to go!

Give it a try: Click 'Run once' in the bottom left. Do you get a Slack message with your meetings and their costs? Perfect! Now set your scenario to run every morning, and you're ready for a more efficient workday.

Time is money

Every minute in a meeting is valuable: make every second count!

Picture this: you're sitting in a meeting and the clock keeps ticking. Have you ever wondered what every tick of that clock is worth in euros? With our meeting cost calculator, you no longer have to guess.

Insight, not shock: The goal of this tool isn't to overwhelm you with numbers, but to give you clear insight. Once you know the real cost of a meeting, you can make smarter decisions. Is that two-hour meeting really necessary, or could it be summed up in an email?

Appreciation all around: Imagine turning a meeting into an email and giving your team members an hour of their day back. They'll thank you for it! And on the flip side, if you're saving the company money by working more efficiently, your managers will definitely notice and appreciate your effort.

The power of automation: This is the magic of our automated meeting cost calculator. It gives you the knowledge and the power to make smarter choices.

Start today: Sign up for a Make account and discover how you can streamline your organization, so you can focus on what really matters.

With the right tools and insights, you can take your organization's efficiency to the next level. Make every meeting count!