AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude have gone from novelty to everyday business kit in a remarkably short time. Plenty of Uckfield firms are already using them to draft emails, summarise documents and produce first drafts, and it’s a regular talking point at Chamber networking events. Yet many business owners still feel they aren’t getting much back. Usually that isn’t the tool’s fault. It comes down to how you ask.
Be clear about what you actually want
AI works best when you treat your request like a brief, not a search term. Instead of typing “social media post”, tell it what the post is for, who it’s aimed at, how long it should be and the tone you want. “Write a 60-word Facebook post announcing our summer sale to local families, friendly and upbeat” will get you something far closer to usable than a one or two-word prompt ever could. The more detail you give up front, the less you’ll need to fix afterwards.
Give it a role and some context
You can also tell the AI who to be. Ask it to reply “as an experienced bookkeeper” or “as a friendly customer service manager”, and the answer shifts to match. Add background too: what your business does, who your customers are, and any details that matter. The more context you give, the less generic the response. Think of it as briefing a new starter who’s keen but knows nothing about your company yet.
Keep the conversation going
Your first answer is rarely the finished article, and you don’t have to accept it. Tell the AI what to change. “Make it shorter”, “less formal”, “add a line about free delivery” all work. Treating it as a back-and-forth, rather than a one-shot vending machine, is where most of the value sits. A few rounds of refining will usually get you there.
Build a prompting library your whole team can use
Once you land on a prompt that works, save it. A lot of the real time savings come from building a small library of reliable prompts for the jobs you repeat, whether that’s replying to enquiries, drafting quotes or writing social posts, so nobody starts from a blank page each time. It also helps to get everyone using the same tried-and-tested wording, rather than each person working it out alone and getting mixed results. Prompting is a genuine skill and it rewards practice. Artemis Marketing offers practical AI training and support for Sussex businesses, helping people use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude more effectively day to day. It’s built for ordinary SME teams rather than techies, so there’s no coding or jargon to wrestle with.
One important caution
Before you paste anything in, think about what you’re sharing. Public AI tools shouldn’t be fed sensitive customer data, confidential figures or anything you wouldn’t want stored on someone else’s server. Most providers keep and process what you type, so a good rule of thumb is simple: if you’d hesitate to email it to a stranger, don’t hand it to an AI either. For anything involving personal data, it’s worth checking your obligations under UK data protection rules before you begin.
Used well, AI won’t replace your judgement, but it will save you time and take some of the grind out of the day. Start with one task you do often, get specific with your instructions, and build from there. The businesses getting the most from it aren’t the most technical. They’re simply the ones asking better questions.
This piece was contributed by Artemis Marketing, a Sussex-based digital marketing agency and fellow Uckfield Chamber member.