Fifteen everyday tasks for owners and office managers: what to use, a prompt you can copy, and what to check before you trust the result. Replace anything in [square brackets] with your own details.
This reflects each product’s public documentation in October 2026. Features and licences change, and some depend on your plan, so check what you have. Before you put customer, staff or financial data into any tool, check your plan’s data terms. AI makes mistakes: check numbers, names and facts yourself, and keep the original files untouched.
Disclosure (#ad): This is an affiliate/referral link. I have a Gojiberry referral code and may earn a reward if you sign up through my link: https://gojiberry.ai/?ref=seano5. It appears in the lead-generation task below.
| Task | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Clean messy spreadsheet data (names, dates, duplicates) | ChatGPT (Excel add-in or file upload). Copilot in Excel if you have the licence. |
| Write or explain a formula | ChatGPT, Claude, or the AI built into Excel |
| Summarise by job, customer or month (pivot-style) | ChatGPT (data analysis or add-in). Copilot in Excel is an option. |
| Check a spreadsheet for errors or odd results | Claude (Excel add-in or upload) or ChatGPT |
| Review a long document (contract, tender, policy, supplier terms) | Claude chat (upload the document) |
| Compare two versions of a document | Claude chat (upload both) or Word's built-in compare |
| Draft or polish a customer email | ChatGPT or Claude. Copilot in Outlook if licensed. |
| Summarise an inbox or long email thread; find follow-ups | Copilot in Outlook (needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence). Otherwise paste one thread into ChatGPT or Claude. |
| Meeting notes and action items | Copilot in Teams (needs transcription on, and a licence). Otherwise upload a recording or transcript to ChatGPT or Claude, if your plan allows. |
| Research with current information (suppliers, competitors, news) | Grok (live web and X search) |
| See what people are saying about a product, brand or topic | Grok (X search) |
| Rename, sort or merge files with a small script | Claude Code, if you do it often. A one-off of a few files: do it by hand or ask chat. |
| Pull data from a folder of files into one spreadsheet | Claude Code |
| Build a small internal tool (quote calculator, checklist page) | Claude Code. Chat is fine for a one-page tool. |
| Find prospects and write a personal first message | Gojiberry to find and score people showing interest; ChatGPT to research and draft. See Issue 3. Disclosure (#ad): this is an affiliate/referral link. I have a Gojiberry referral code and may earn a reward if you sign up through my link: https://gojiberry.ai/?ref=seano5. |
Clean messy spreadsheet data (names, dates, duplicates)
- Best tool
- ChatGPT (Excel add-in or file upload). Copilot in Excel if you have the licence.
- Why
- Can inspect the sheet, list problems first, then fix them on a copy.
- Example prompt
This sheet has one row per [customer order]. List every problem you can see (inconsistent names, mixed date formats, blanks, duplicates, numbers stored as text) with row numbers. Don't change anything yet.- Double-check
- Row count before and after. Keep the original sheet. Ask for a list of every change.
Write or explain a formula
- Best tool
- ChatGPT, Claude, or the AI built into Excel
- Why
- Describe the result in plain English; ask for the formula and a line-by-line explanation.
- Example prompt
In Excel, column B has dates and column C has amounts. Give me a formula for the total of C for the month of March, and explain each part in plain language. Tell me what happens if a cell is blank.- Double-check
- Test on 2 or 3 rows where you know the answer.
Summarise by job, customer or month (pivot-style)
- Best tool
- ChatGPT (data analysis or add-in). Copilot in Excel is an option.
- Why
- Builds summary tables and simple charts from the data.
- Example prompt
Build a summary: total [Amount] by [Job] and by [Month], with grand totals. Use formulas so I can see how it was calculated. List your assumptions.- Double-check
- Add up two groups by hand. Check that the grand total matches the original.
Check a spreadsheet for errors or odd results
- Best tool
- Claude (Excel add-in or upload) or ChatGPT
- Why
- Good at explaining what a sheet does and questioning its logic and assumptions.
- Example prompt
Review this workbook as a careful auditor. Look for inconsistent formulas, hard-coded numbers that should be formulas, ranges that miss rows, and results that look unreasonable. List each finding with the cell reference. Don't change anything.- Double-check
- Open each cell it points to and confirm the problem is real.
Review a long document (contract, tender, policy, supplier terms)
- Best tool
- Claude chat (upload the document)
- Why
- Handles long documents well; you can ask for quotes and page references.
- Example prompt
Read this document. List the obligations on us, deadlines, payment terms, termination and liability clauses, and anything unusual. Quote the exact wording and give the section number for each. If something isn't in the document, say so.- Double-check
- Read the quoted clauses yourself. Legal or high-value decisions need a professional.
Compare two versions of a document
- Best tool
- Claude chat (upload both) or Word's built-in compare
- Why
- Can describe what changed and why it might matter.
- Example prompt
Compare these two versions. List every substantive change (not formatting) in a table: section, old wording, new wording, why it might matter to us.- Double-check
- Spot-check three listed changes. Use Word's compare to confirm none were missed.
Draft or polish a customer email
- Best tool
- ChatGPT or Claude. Copilot in Outlook if licensed.
- Why
- Fast first drafts in your tone; Copilot works with the email thread.
- Example prompt
Rewrite my draft below as a clear, friendly reply, under 120 words. Keep the price and dates exactly as written. Draft: [paste]- Double-check
- Prices, dates, names and promises. Always read before sending.
Summarise an inbox or long email thread; find follow-ups
- Best tool
- Copilot in Outlook (needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence). Otherwise paste one thread into ChatGPT or Claude.
- Why
- Works inside your mailbox, so there's no copying.
- Example prompt
Summarise this thread in 5 bullets. List who owes whom what, with any dates. Draft a reply that confirms the next step.- Double-check
- Check dates and commitments against the original emails.
Meeting notes and action items
- Best tool
- Copilot in Teams (needs transcription on, and a licence). Otherwise upload a recording or transcript to ChatGPT or Claude, if your plan allows.
- Why
- Turns a transcript into notes and actions.
- Example prompt
From this transcript, write: a 5-line summary, decisions made, and action items with owner and due date. Mark anything unclear as 'unclear'. Don't guess names.- Double-check
- Check owners and due dates. Tell attendees if you record.
Research with current information (suppliers, competitors, news)
- Best tool
- Grok (live web and X search)
- Why
- Built to search the live web and X; asks for sources.
- Example prompt
Find the most recent public information about [company or topic] in the last [6 months]. Give a short summary and a list of links. Separate confirmed facts from opinions or rumours.- Double-check
- Open the links. Confirm dates. Don't rely on social posts for facts.
See what people are saying about a product, brand or topic
- Best tool
- Grok (X search)
- Why
- Strongest on recent public posts.
- Example prompt
Summarise what people on X are saying about [topic] this week. Give 3 themes with example posts. Note how many posts you actually found.- Double-check
- Remember it's a sample, not a survey.
Rename, sort or merge files with a small script
- Best tool
- Claude Code, if you do it often. A one-off of a few files: do it by hand or ask chat.
- Why
- Can write the script, run it, and fix errors. Best when the rule is clear and repeats.
- Example prompt
In this folder are PDFs named inconsistently. Propose a plan to rename them as YYYY-MM-DD_Vendor_Invoice. Do NOT change anything until I approve. Work on a copy of the folder.- Double-check
- Run on a copy first. Compare a sample before and after.
Pull data from a folder of files into one spreadsheet
- Best tool
- Claude Code
- Why
- Works across many files in a folder you choose.
- Example prompt
Look at the files in this folder. Propose a way to pull [invoice number, date, total] from each into one spreadsheet. Show me the plan and a sample for 3 files before doing all of them.- Double-check
- Check 5 files by hand. Check the count of files against rows.
Build a small internal tool (quote calculator, checklist page)
- Best tool
- Claude Code. Chat is fine for a one-page tool.
- Why
- Writes the code and shows you how to run it.
- Example prompt
Help me build a simple web page that calculates a quote from [inputs]. Start by asking me questions. Explain in plain language how to open and test it. Do not connect it to any customer data.- Double-check
- Test with real examples and have someone technical review before customers use it.
Find prospects and write a personal first message
- Best tool
- Gojiberry to find and score people showing interest; ChatGPT to research and draft. See Issue 3. Disclosure (#ad): this is an affiliate/referral link. I have a Gojiberry referral code and may earn a reward if you sign up through my link: https://gojiberry.ai/?ref=seano5.
- Why
- One finds who might care; the other helps with a short, specific message.
- Example prompt
Here is a public description of [company] and the person's job title: [paste]. Give me 5 bullets on what they likely care about and one true, recent detail to mention. If unsure, say so. Then write a first email under 90 words.- Double-check
- Check every contact by hand. Verify every fact. Follow CASL, and LinkedIn's rules. You send it.
When to use Claude Code, and when not to
Claude Code is a tool from Anthropic that works on your computer, in a folder you choose, and can read files, write scripts and run them. Its documentation says it isn’t only for programmers. It’s powerful and takes more care than chat.
It’s worth trying when
- A job that repeats every week or month on lots of files.
- Many files in one folder that need the same treatment.
- A small script or internal tool that you'll run more than once.
- You have someone who can read what it did, or you're willing to test on a copy.
Use plain chat instead when
- A one-off question, an email, or one document: use chat.
- Anything with sensitive data you don't have approval to share, or live systems and payments.
- When nobody will check the result.
- When you haven't looked at your plan's data terms.
If you do use it: work in a copy of the folder, choose manual-approval or plan mode, read what it proposes, and spot-check the output. Claude Code also has more automatic modes that approve more actions for you. Don’t use those until you’re confident.
Three ground rules
- Copy first, original untouched.
- You check the numbers and facts.
- Check your plan’s data terms before sensitive data goes in. Business plans typically carry stronger commitments than personal or free accounts, but read the terms for yours.
Not sure which task to start with?
The free Process Scan takes a couple of minutes, needs no email, and suggests a first process to look at and tools to test. If you’d like a written plan afterwards, the paid Process Scan is $350 CAD.
Sean Martin
Adapting Services