ChatGPT at work: 3 prompt mistakes that waste your time
Generic answers, the wrong tone, unusable drafts: three common prompt mistakes with ChatGPT or Copilot, and how to fix them today. Practical examples for SMEs.
The problem isn't the tool
You use ChatGPT every day but your results are mediocre? Generic answers, a tone that feels off, content you can't use as it is. The problem often isn't the tool. It's the way you talk to it.
The gains are real when the tool is used well. You just need to fix three mistakes that almost every beginner makes.
Did you know?
A study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics covering 5,172 customer support agents found that a generative AI assistant increased the number of issues resolved per hour by 15% on average. The biggest gains went to the least experienced staff.
3 mistakes everyone makes
1. Prompts that are too vague.
You write: "Write me an email for a client." The AI gives you a generic, flat text.
Write instead: "Draft a follow-up email for a prospect, a Belgian SME in construction. Professional but warm tone. Goal: get a meeting. Maximum 100 words."
The result is much closer to what you want. The precision of the prompt determines the quality of the response.
2. No context.
ChatGPT knows nothing about your company, your industry or your audience. If you don't provide that information, it makes things up. Always include the role the AI should play, the context of your request, the target audience and the desired format.
Before: "Summarise this document." After: "You are a CFO. Summarise this quarterly report in 5 bullet points for the board. Focus on budget variances and risks."
A word of caution: don't paste personal or confidential data into a tool your company hasn't approved.
3. Accepting the first result.
Taking the first answer as it is resembles accepting an intern's first draft without proofreading. Iterate. Say "More concise", "Add figures", "Change the tone". And always check facts and figures: AI can invent plausible-sounding information.
Our Practical AI training has you practise these techniques on your own use cases. Available as a lunch & learn, half-day or conference.
Take action
- Test it now. Take your last prompt and add a role, a context, a format and a constraint. Compare the results.
- Train your team. Our Practical AI training builds your colleagues' skills with exercises tailored to your industry.
- Assess your maturity. Our free AI diagnostic measures your level and identifies areas for improvement in a few minutes.
A good prompt is the difference between a gimmick and a real productivity lever.
