AI can save a small business time when working with quotes, documents, videos and Excel data. Here are four tools worth trying, along with the points that still need a human check.
When people talk about AI in business, writing advertising copy and social media posts often comes up first. But the way you speak to customers can be one of the things that sets your company apart. You do not have to hand that over to AI.
AI can be useful in less visible ways: it can review your work, translate something you wrote or handle a technical task that would otherwise take another program and more of your time.
Here are four straightforward uses. You do not need a developer, an automation system or a library of elaborate prompts. Start with a problem your business already has.
A quick comparison
| If you need to | Try | What remains your responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| find gaps in a customer quote | ChatGPT or Claude | the content, price and final wording |
| translate your own text or document | DeepL | checking the meaning and specialist terms |
| add captions to your own video | VEED | your voice, expertise and caption corrections |
| check or understand data in Excel | Microsoft Copilot in Excel | verifying formulas, totals and results |
If none of these jobs sounds familiar, do not pay for a tool yet. AI should solve a specific problem, not give you another app to keep track of.
1. Use ChatGPT or Claude as a second pair of eyes
Imagine that you have prepared a quote for a customer. It makes sense to you because you know the whole project. The customer only sees the document in front of them. They may not understand exactly what they will receive, when it will be delivered, what the final price is or what the quote excludes.
ChatGPT or Claude can act as an impartial reader. It should not write the quote for you. Its job is to identify places where a customer might hesitate or ask a follow-up question.
The process is simple:
- Remove personal and confidential information from the document.
- Upload the quote to ChatGPT or Claude.
- Ask for a list of unclear points, missing information and likely customer questions.
- Decide which suggestions are useful and revise the document in your own words.
One short instruction is enough:
Read this quote as a cautious customer.
List anything that is unclear, any important information that is missing
and the questions you would ask before ordering. Do not rewrite the text.
You can use the same approach to compare two supplier quotes, check an instruction manual or look for contradictions in a longer document. For contracts, taxes and legal questions, however, AI is not a substitute for a qualified professional.
A free version of either tool is enough for a first test.
2. Use DeepL to translate something you wrote
If a customer from another country contacts you, or you need to send a quote in another language, you do not have to begin with an awkward sentence in a blank document.
Write the text in your strongest language first, just as you would send it to a local customer. Then paste it into DeepL, select the target language and review the translation. DeepL can also translate complete documents.
It is useful for:
- replying to an overseas enquiry,
- preparing a first version of a quote in another language,
- translating a product sheet or instruction manual,
- understanding a message from an overseas supplier.
In this case, AI is not deciding what you want to say. It is carrying your own message into another language. You should still check names, numbers, prices, dates and industry terminology. An important contract or a text intended for publication should also be reviewed by someone who knows the language well.
3. Use VEED to add captions to your video
An authentic video does not need to look like a polished advert. A shop owner can use a phone to demonstrate a new product, a tradesperson can explain a common mistake, and an estate agent can introduce a property in their own words.
Typing and timing captions by hand is tedious. VEED can generate them automatically from speech.
The process:
- Upload your own video.
- Choose automatic captions and the language spoken in the video.
- Read the transcript and correct names, numbers and misheard words.
- Adjust the appearance of the captions and export the video.
The voice and the message are still yours. AI only removes the mechanical work. You can try the basic features for free, while longer videos and some export options require a paid plan.
4. Use Microsoft Copilot to make sense of an Excel workbook
Excel is used by all kinds of traditional businesses: accountancy practices, manufacturers, wholesalers and office teams. The difficult part is often not creating a spreadsheet. It is understanding a file made by someone else or checking hundreds of rows quickly.
Microsoft Copilot in Excel can work with data in an open workbook. You can ask questions in everyday language, such as:
- Which invoice numbers appear more than once?
- Which rows are missing a payment due date?
- Which products have unusually high material use?
- What does the formula in the selected cell do?
- How have monthly costs changed compared with last year?
Copilot can suggest a formula, highlight unusual values, create a summary or present the result as a chart or PivotTable. The data remains in Excel, and you can inspect and edit any formulas it creates.
The process:
- Open an existing workbook and format the data as a table.
- Select Copilot in Excel.
- Describe what you want to find or calculate and name the relevant columns.
- Compare the answer with the source data before using it.
Copilot is not included with every Microsoft 365 plan. If you cannot see it in Excel, your business may not have the right licence or an administrator may have disabled it. It is not worth buying for one small spreadsheet. If your company regularly checks invoices, stock, production data or budgets, it may save time on recurring work.
Financial and production figures still need a final human check. Copilot may create the wrong formula or misunderstand what a column represents. It is a tool for checking and analysis, not a replacement for an accountant or the person responsible for production.
Two rules for every tool
Think before uploading confidential information. Customer names, contact details, complete contracts, payroll data, passwords and trade secrets do not belong in a general online tool. You can find more examples in What not to share with ChatGPT or Claude.
Always check the result. AI can misread a number, change the meaning of a sentence or misunderstand a technical term. You remain responsible for the quote, translation and published video.
Summary
AI is worthwhile when it removes a specific nuisance without adding a complicated new process to the business. Choose a task you do regularly, try the tool on a real example and check whether it genuinely saves time.
If fixing the result takes longer than doing the original job, it is not the right tool for you - however popular it may be.
