5 Low-Risk, High-ROI Ways to Use ChatGPT at Work (This Week)
- Brayden Cantzler
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
If you want AI to help your team this week without creating a mess, start with the work that is:
• repetitive
• internal-first
• easy to review
• low consequence if the first draft isn’t perfect
Below are five use cases that consistently deliver time savings for small businesses and nonprofits—without requiring complex integrations or “automation projects.”
TEC Tip: Start with 1–2 use cases, standardize a prompt template, and run a quick human review before anything goes out.
Before You Start: Two Ground Rules
1) Use A “Do Not Paste” Rule
Do not paste confidential information, credentials, financial details, or personal data into prompts.
2) AI Drafts, Humans Approve
AI can draft fast, but your team owns accuracy, tone, and final decisions.
If you want a simple review habit, use a quick “Human-In-The-Loop” check: accuracy, completeness, tone, risk, privacy, clarity.
1) Turn Meeting Notes Into A Clean Recap (With Action Items)
Why It Works: Most teams lose time after meetings—reconstructing decisions, owners, and next steps.
What To Feed It (safe inputs):
• bullet-point notes (no sensitive identifiers)
• meeting agenda
• list of attendees by role (optional)
What To Ask For:
• recap summary
• decisions made
• action items with owners and due dates
• open questions / risks
Copy/Paste Prompt
“Turn these meeting notes into a recap.
Output format:
Summary (3–5 bullets)
Decisions
Action Items (Owner, Due Date)
Open Questions / Risks
If anything is unclear, list questions instead of guessing. Notes: [paste notes].”
TEC Tip: Ask for a table for action items. Then paste it into your project tracker.
2) Rewrite Emails So They’re Shorter, Clearer, And More Professional
Why It Works: AI is great at polishing the message you already wrote—without changing the meaning.
Best Use Cases:
• customer follow-ups
• scheduling emails
• “quick update” emails
• clarifying a confusing message thread
Copy/Paste Prompt
“Rewrite this email to be shorter and clearer without changing meaning.
Tone: professional, confident, helpful.
Keep it under 140 words.
Add a clear next step. Email: [paste draft].”
TEC Tip: After the rewrite, verify names, dates, pricing, and commitments before sending.
3) Draft A One-Page SOP Or Checklist From How You Actually Do The Work
Why It Works: SOPs are always “important,” but they never get written. AI makes the first draft easy.
Examples:
• onboarding checklist
• new computer setup checklist
• customer intake process
• invoice approval steps
• event planning checklist
Copy/Paste Prompt
“Create a one-page SOP for this process based on the steps below.
Output: numbered steps + a checklist version at the end.
Include ‘Common Mistakes’ and ‘When To Escalate.’
Steps: [paste rough steps].”
TEC Tip: Have the person who does the task daily review it. SOPs only work if the owners approve them.
4) Summarize Long Documents Into A Decision Brief
Why It Works: Leadership doesn’t need 12 pages. They need “what it means” and “what we do next.”
Great For:
• vendor proposals
• grant guidance documents• policy updates
• technical reports
• meeting minutes and board packets
Copy/Paste Prompt
“Summarize this document into a one-page decision brief for leadership.
Include:
• What this is (1–2 sentences)
• Key points (5 bullets)
• Risks / concerns (3 bullets)
• Recommended next steps (3 bullets)
• Questions we should ask (5 bullets)
Document: [paste text or key sections].”
TEC Tip: If the doc has numbers, deadlines, or requirements, verify those against the original before acting.
5) Create A Project Plan Outline (So Work Stops Living In Someone’s Head)
Why It Works: AI is excellent at turning a goal into a structured plan—phases, tasks, timelines, and dependencies.
Great For:
• software rollouts
• website updates
• office moves • security upgrades
• policy refreshes
• “we need this done by Q1” projects
Copy/Paste Prompt
“Create a project plan for this goal: [goal].
Context: [who it impacts, constraints, deadline].
Output:
• Scope (in/out)
• Phases and tasks
• Dependencies
• Risks and mitigation
• Simple timeline (by week)
Ask clarifying questions if anything is missing.”
TEC Tip: Use the plan as a starting point, then tighten it with real dates, owners, and your internal constraints.
How To Roll This Out In One Week (Without Overthinking It)
If you want this to work quickly, run a mini-pilot:
Day 1: Pick 2 use cases and assign a owner
Day 2: Standardize 1 prompt template per use case
Day 3–4: Pilot with real work
Day 5: Review what saved time and what caused rework
Next week: Keep what worked, adjust prompts, expand to one more use case
Want Help Making AI Useful Without Creating Risk?
TEC Services Consulting, Inc. helps organizations adopt AI responsibly—from workflow selection and prompt templates to policies, training, and security alignment.
• AI readiness and workflow selection
• Prompt templates and staff training
• “Do Not Paste” and acceptable-use policy
• Human-in-the-loop review standards• Ongoing optimization and support
Explore TEC AI Services: https://www.tecsinc.com/ai
Contact TEC: https://www.tecsinc.com/contact