ChatGPT is about eight weeks old, and it is difficult to find anyone who has not tried it. Most people asked it for a poem about their dog, found the result amusing and closed the tab. Many could not even access it, as it frequently displays a message stating that it is "at capacity right now."
Microsoft has also just confirmed another multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, which indicates that this technology is not a passing trend.
We have worked with OpenAI's models since GPT-3, when access required a cumbersome developer playground and the text lost coherence after a few paragraphs. The quality of the writing is therefore not entirely new to us. What has changed is access: anyone can now use it, without an API key or settings, through a simple text box.
The question we hear most often from small business owners is straightforward: how can it be used in day-to-day operations? Below is our list. Each use includes the point to verify, and this second element matters more than the first.
How can a small business use ChatGPT today?
- Replying to customer emails and reviews. Paste the substance of the message, without the person's name, specify the desired tone and obtain a draft. Verify that it does not promise a refund or discount the business never offered; it tends to be generous with the business's money.
- Job postings. Provide the actual hours, tasks and location. Verify that it has not added benefits the business does not offer, or buzzwords that do not reflect how people speak in a small town.
- Menu and product descriptions. Useful for overcoming writer's block. Verify the ingredients: it readily adds a garnish that is not on the plate, which is a serious error for anyone with an allergy.
- An FAQ page. List the questions customers ask by phone, then have it turn your answers into clear text. Verify hours, prices and parking information, since these are precisely the details it fills in with assumptions.
- Translation drafts, English and French. Useful for businesses serving customers in both languages. Verify that it has used Quebec French rather than European French. At present, it leans heavily toward European usage, for example "e-mail" instead of "courriel."
- Social media posts. Suitable for a first draft. Monitor the number of emoji and hashtags; left unguided, it writes like every other business page on Facebook.
- Summarizing long documents. A supplier contract, a lease or a government program guide. It quickly provides an overview. Read the actual clauses before relying on anything: it is not a lawyer and may omit the one line that matters.
- Brainstorming. Names, promotions, event themes or a slogan. Expect to discard nine ideas out of ten, and verify that a preferred name is not already in use.
- Turning rough notes into procedures. A closing checklist, a cancellation policy or training steps for a new cashier. Verify that it has not added rules the business never established.
- Spreadsheet formulas and short how-to guides. For example, how to count bookings per month in a given column. Test the result on a copy of the file first.
None of these uses is spectacular, which is typical of genuinely useful applications.
How can you get better results from ChatGPT?
By providing context and examples in your prompt. The main difference between users who find it useless and those who find it useful is the amount of information they provide.
"Write a Facebook post about our sale" produces generic text. Compare it with the following:
You're writing for a small hardware store in a rural town in Quebec. Our customers are mostly contractors and cottage owners. Write a short Facebook post, three sentences max, about 20% off all deck stain this weekend. Friendly, no exclamation marks, no emoji. Here's a post we did last year that people liked: [paste it].
The prompt specifies who the business is, who the readers are, the length, the tone and an example. The example contributes more than any other element.
OpenAI's help page on best practices for prompt engineering makes essentially the same recommendations: place instructions first, be specific about context, length, format and style, and demonstrate the desired format with an example. Although it is written for developers using the API, every recommendation applies equally to a store owner.
We would add one point. If the first answer is unsatisfactory, do not start over; explain what needs to change, for example: "Shorter. Less salesy. You forgot the hours." The tool works as a conversation, yet many users treat it like a vending machine.
Why must everything be reviewed before publication?
Because it invents information. On first login, OpenAI warns that the tool may occasionally generate incorrect information and that its knowledge of the world ends in 2021. Most users dismiss this notice within seconds.
This warning deserves attention. The tool presents invented information with complete confidence: incorrect dates, incorrect prices, a phone number that appears valid. It does not know the business, so it fills any gap with something plausible. Asked about a program or rule that changed last year, it will still answer, based on outdated information.
We expect the models to improve in this regard. Improvement, however, will not mean reliability, and careful review of every word these tools produce will remain necessary for a long time.
A simple practice helps: read the text aloud. If you would not say it to a customer at the counter, revise it.
Why should customer data be kept out of ChatGPT?
This is the most frequently overlooked point, and the one most likely to create legal difficulties.
ChatGPT is a free research preview. OpenAI's own FAQ states that conversations may be reviewed to improve its systems, and asks users not to share sensitive information. Very few users read the FAQ.
In Quebec, Law 25 is coming into force in stages. The first part took effect last September. The more substantial part, covering consent and the communication of personal information outside Quebec, takes effect this September. It imposes real obligations on businesses regarding where their customers' information goes, and having pasted it into a chatbot is not an acceptable explanation.
Our rule is therefore unequivocal: do not paste names, email addresses, phone numbers, health information or anything a customer shared in confidence. Replace these details with "the client" or "Customer A." The draft will be just as good.
OpenAI may eventually offer business accounts with stricter terms. Even then, we recommend maintaining this practice, since a single lapse is enough to share the wrong information.
What role should ChatGPT play in a small business?
Based on our observations over these first two months, the users who benefit most rely on it to overcome the blank page for the texts they least enjoy writing, then revise the draft themselves. Those who attempt to delegate an entire task to it are generally disappointed.
We recommend selecting two or three of the uses above, those that take up the most evening hours, and developing proficiency in them. For teams that prefer guided learning, AI training can be completed in a short time.
Most of these skills can also be learned independently in an afternoon, provided the servers allow access.