Artificial intelligence is generating a lot of excitement – and terror – as the evolving technology promises to transform the way we communicate, work and do business. It’s not yet at the stage where it looks likely to take over the world but, when used cleverly, it might just transform your business.

Here are five simple tips that will help your cleaning company use AI as effectively as possible. They can be applied with any AI bot, such as Microsoft Bing, OpenAI, or Gemini, including their free models.

1: Be safe and secure

Before you start using AI, you need to be aware of the potential risks and challenges. 

AI is not a magic wand, but a new tool still in its infancy. It can help you, but it also has its limitations and risks. 

Consider the safety and security of your data. When you use AI, you are sharing information with the AI model, and you don’t know where that information is going or who can access it. This is a risk when dealing with sensitive data, such as customer details, passwords, or payment details. Think about anonymising your data before sharing with the bot. 

Don’t assume it is correct. AI will generally provide information in a way that appears to be fact. It might not be. The model usesuse probabilities to understand what you’re asking and reply with an answer. But you MUST fact check it.

Be polite. You don’t know who the AI is sharing your messages with. Comments you make may be traced back to you. Besides, do you really want to offend something that might already be smarter than you are (or any of us, for that matter)?

2: Talk rather than Type

Talking to the AI bot, rather than typing, means you can express yourself more naturally and fluently, without worrying about spelling or grammar. This can help you generate more ideas and explore different perspectives on your topic. 

Talking to the bot can also make the interaction more engaging and fun, as you can hear the bot’s voice and tone, and feel like you are having a real conversation.

3: Not sure where to start? Ask AI

If you’re wanting to work out how to use AI better, trytrying asking the bot. To do this, you need to supply a prompt – which is. (A prompt is simply a command.)

Here is an example: “I don’t know anything about AI. I run a cleaning company and I want to see how you can help me improve my back office work.”

When I asked the AI this, it gave me 10 ideas. Two were not simple to implement and one was not really what I was after. But it’s a good start. 

You can always refine your prompts, adding something like: “Items one1 and five5 are too complex and number six6 is not really what I am after. Can you give me five more that fit my criteria?” 

4: Some of my favourite use cases  

For me personally, AI is very useful in three main areas.

Getting the first 70 percent. Sometimes the hardest part is to get started and once you do, the thinking process begins and you can complete the task. But to start can be challenging. Asking the AI bot how to begin is a great way to get the ideas flowing. It’ll give you more time to focus on the last thirty percent of polishing and perfecting the work.

AI is very good at summarising. It can quickly process a lot of information and provide a summary in no time. I use it all the time for meeting notes and minutes, although it often doesn’t understand what I want to know.

Giving me another perspective. AI is a great tool to use to ask for another point of view. If you’re using a recorded meeting transcript, you can ask about the different opinions that each person had in a meeting.

5: Don’t expect it to be perfect 

Don’t think of AI as a powerful supercomputer, but as a very smart child. Maybe like young Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. 

It can handle a lot of data and process things fast, but it doesn’t really understand the world like we do. It doesn’t always know what’s true or false. And it tries to please you by giving you the answer you want, not the one you need.

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Five prompts for cleaning companies

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Try these prompts to get AI working for you.

Checklists

“I need a training checklist for new cleaning staff. The tasks include mopping floors, cleaning restrooms, emptying trash bins and restocking supplies. Can you create this checklist?”

Meetings

“I need a meeting summary from this transcript. Please give me the main topics discussed and actions.”  

Emails

“I need to send a follow-up email to a client named John Doe. We completed a cleaning job at his office last week. Can you draft an email thanking him for his business and asking for feedback?”

Clients

“I need a client proposal for a new cleaning contract with ABC Ltd. We will provide weekly office cleaning services at $30 per hour, and the contract will be for six months. Can you draft this proposal?” 

Recruitment

“I need a job description for a part-time cleaner. Responsibilities include cleaning offices, restrooms, and common areas. Must have prior cleaning experience and be available to work evenings. Can you create this job description?”

Words: By Brad Horan

About the author: Brad is the director of Lucrature®️ – Business Growth Consultants. He has been working closely with AI tools and has developed a number of AI tools to support clients with developing strategy, analyse pricing, and create marketing content.  If you have any questions about AI please email him at bhoran@lucrature.com.

Photo by Gerard Siderius on Unsplash.