Can SMEs Use ChatGPT? 5 Practical Examples for Daily Business Operations

"I've heard the name ChatGPT, but can we use it?"
"I tried it out a bit, but I didn't know what to use it for."
"I thought it was something only IT companies used."

Although interest in ChatGPT is growing, we often hear from SME owners and employees that they "don't know how to use it for their own work."

Let me give you the conclusion.
ChatGPT is a business tool you can start using today, even if you aren't in the IT industry or skilled with digital technology.

What's more, you can start for free. In this article, we will introduce five specific examples of how it can be particularly useful for the daily operations of SMEs.

First, what you need to know: What is ChatGPT for?

ChatGPT is an AI developed by OpenAI, which is funded by Microsoft. When you enter questions or instructions in a chat format, it generates, organizes, translates, and summarizes text, just like consulting with a knowledgeable staff member.

What ChatGPT is good at:

• Writing, editing, and summarizing text

• Generating ideas and options

• Answering questions and helping with research

• Organizing information into tables or bullet points

What ChatGPT is not good at:

• Confirming the latest information (there is a time lag in its knowledge)

• Accurate numerical calculations

• Handling proprietary or confidential company information (do not input this)

The trick is to understand these characteristics and only assign it tasks it is good at.

Use Case 1: Drafting business emails and documents

Useful in situations like these

"I have to write an apology email, but I don't know how to phrase it..."
"I can't think of how to start a proposal for a client."

This is the most effective way to use it for those who are not good at writing or who are short on time.

Example of how to use it

【ChatGPTへの指示】
納品が遅れてしまった取引先へのお詫びメールを書いてください。
状況：当初3日で納品予定だったが、5日かかってしまった。
トーン：丁寧・誠実
長さ：短め

Just by entering it like this, you will get a draft of an apology email that you can use immediately.
All that's left is to add your company's information and make minor adjustments.

How much time can be saved

Tasks that used to take 15 to 30 minutes to write a single email can be finished in under 5 minutes. If you write emails every day, saving 1 to 2 hours per day is quite realistic.

Use Case 2: Organizing Meeting Minutes and Notes

Situations where this is useful

"I don't have time to organize the notes I scribbled during the meeting later."
"I'm not good at writing meeting minutes, and it always takes a long time."

Example of how to use it

【ChatGPTへの指示】
以下の会議メモをもとに、決定事項・次のアクション・担当者をまとめた議事録を作成してください。

（メモの内容をそのままコピー＆ペースト）

Whether it's bullet points or scribbled notes, just paste them in, and it will format them into clean meeting minutes.

Key point

If you transcribe meeting audio using an AI transcription tool (like Notta) and pass that text to ChatGPT, you can almost automate the process from the meeting to the completion of the minutes.

Use Case 3: Creating Drafts for Proposals and Project Plans

Situations where this is useful

"I want to propose a new service, but I don't know the structure of a project plan."
"I want to quickly create the framework for a presentation."

Example of how to use it

【ChatGPTへの指示】
中小企業向けにITサポートサービスを提案する企画書の構成を作ってください。
含めたい要素：課題・解決策・サービス概要・費用感・導入事例
読む相手：経営者

The table of contents and summaries for each section of the proposal will appear in seconds. You no longer need to think from scratch, and you can focus on the task of fleshing out the draft.

Use Case 4: Creating Internal Documents and Manuals

Situations where this is useful

"I need to create a manual for new employees, but I don't know where to start."
"I want to document internal rules, but I'm not good at writing."

Example of how to use it

【ChatGPTへの指示】
以下の手順をもとに、新入社員向けの「請求書発行マニュアル」を作成してください。
読む人：入社したばかりの社員（IT初心者）
トーン：わかりやすく・親しみやすく

手順：
・毎月末に請求書を作成する
・Excelテンプレートを使う
・金額は見積書から転記する
・上長確認後にメールで送付
・送付後に送付記録シートに記録

Just by providing the steps in a bulleted list, you can complete a draft of an easy-to-read manual.

Practical Example 5: Using it as a partner for brainstorming and sounding out ideas

Situations where it can be used

"I want to think of new measures, but I get stuck when I'm alone."
"There is no one I can consult with on how to deal with this problem."

Example of how to use it

【ChatGPTへの指示】
当社は地方の小さな製造業です。最近、若い社員の離職が増えています。
離職を減らすために中小企業でもできる施策を10個提案してください。

You can use it as a sounding board for anything, such as management issues, business improvements, or ideas for new services. Not every idea will be usable, but you will gain insights like, "I didn't think of that perspective."

Rules to always follow when using it

Do not input confidential or personal information

Make sure never to input customer personal information, non-public company information, or confidential information from business partners into ChatGPT. The information you input may be used as training data for the AI.

Safe usage: Make it a habit to replace proper nouns, personal names, and company names with placeholders like "Company A" or "Mr./Ms. XX" before inputting them.

Always check and correct the output

ChatGPT's output may contain content that differs from the facts (hallucinations). Especially for numbers, proper nouns, and legal content, always have a human check it before use.The premise is that AI is merely an "assistant that creates drafts," and the final decision must be made by a human.

Establish internal AI usage rules

Clearly define within your company which tasks are allowed and which are not allowed when using ChatGPT. Starting to use it without rules increases the risk of information leakage.

Summary: Start by trying just one thing today

ChatGPT is a tool with a low barrier to entry and is easy to see the effects of."Have it write one draft email"—starting with just that is enough.

Open ChatGPT today and try having it write a draft of an email you plan to send tomorrow. The realization that "it's this useful" will lead to your next application.

📖 Read also

💬 Consultations here

At IT Work Lab, for small and medium-sized enterprises

• Support and training for using ChatGPT and AI tools in business

• Development of AI usage policies and security measures

• IT consulting for business efficiency

and more.
If you are at the stage where you want to use AI but don't know where to start, please feel free to consult with us. The initial consultation is free.