Before you start: the rule that changes everything
An AI assistant that does not know you writes like everyone else. One that knows your offers, prices, terms and way of speaking writes like you. Take twenty minutes to write an "About my business" page (what you sell, to whom, your prices, your lead times, three emails you were happy to send) and paste it into your assistant's instructions, or at the start of each conversation. Everything below depends on it.
1. Quotes
Dictate your site visit or phone call: "12 sqm kitchen, remove old tiles, lay 14 sqm of client-supplied tiles, two days". Ask: "Write the quote in my usual format, with my prices, and tell me what is missing." You proofread, fix the quantities, send. Typical gain: one evening a week.
2. Quote and invoice follow-ups
Export the list of unanswered quotes and overdue invoices. "Write a short, friendly follow-up for each one, adapted to the delay (7, 30, 60 days)." Ten follow-ups in two minutes, in your tone, sent in one click.
3. Replies to customer requests
Paste the email you received. "Reply using our terms and lead times, offer two time slots, stay warm." You get a ready draft, often better than what you would have written between two appointments.
4. Google reviews and social messages
"Here are three reviews from this week. Write a personalized reply to each, thanking them, no empty phrases, and answer the second one's criticism precisely." Replying to every review pushes your listing up in Google Maps. With AI, it takes five minutes on Friday.
5. Meeting and call notes
Record (with everyone's consent) or take quick notes. "Write a summary with: decisions, who does what, by when, open questions." Sent within the hour, it prevents half the misunderstandings.
6. Posts and the newsletter
Give one idea a week, no more. "From this story from a job site, write a 120-word LinkedIn post in my tone, no emojis, no 'revolutionize'." Then "Turn it into three sentences for Instagram." Your communication finally exists, and it sounds like you.
7. Paperwork: invoices, receipts, taxes
Photograph the receipts, export the bank statement. "Match these receipts to these statement lines, list what is missing." Accounting tools do part of the job; the AI does the rest, especially when labels do not match.
8. Long documents
A contract, a tender, a regulation. "Summarize in ten points, list the obligations that apply to me and the deadlines, flag anything unusual." You read the summary, then check the points that matter. Twenty minutes instead of two hours.
9. Product sheets, listings, menus
For a shop, a real estate agency, a restaurant. "From these specs, write the website version, the short marketplace version, and the Instagram version." Three consistent versions in a minute, proofread once.
10. The small tools you never had time to build
A quote calculator for your site, a booking form, a tracking sheet. Since 2025, an AI assistant can write and publish a small app in a few hours. It is the first exercise of my free course: build a bakery's website in under an hour, without writing a line of code.
How to go about it without giving up
- One task a week. The one that annoys you most. Not ten at once.
- Keep the good sentences. When a request gives a good result, copy it into a document. That is your method taking shape.
- Always proofread. AI makes confident mistakes, especially on numbers and names. Nothing goes out unread.
- No sensitive data on a consumer version. For customer data, take the business version of the tool. I explain why in the AI and GDPR guide.