Chatbots can help craft businesses, for example, simplify the search for offers, specialized topics, products, or materials. (Photo: © Thanarak Worakandecha/123RF.com)
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Digital Craftsmanship - Themed Specials
November 2023
Crafts 4.0: With ChatGPT's artificial intelligence, craftspeople can significantly accelerate text-based processes in their daily work. But in which areas is its use worthwhile?
Craftsmen cannot avoid writing texts in their daily work: The range of tasks extends from emails , offers and job postings to texts for their own homepage , newsletters or posts on social media.
Anyone who doesn't want to spend their time searching for elegant phrasing and correct spelling should rely on digital support : With the artificial intelligence (AI) of chatbots, tradespeople can compose their documents in no time. A few content guidelines in the form of keywords are all that's needed.
The best-known chatbots with artificial intelligence are ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) and Google Bard . These digital assistants can not only write , shorten, and translate texts , but also research information or summarize the key points from longer articles or various websites. Furthermore, chatbots simplify the search for offers , industry-specific topics , products, or materials.
Many companies want to benefit from these advantages of artificial intelligence in the future: According to a representative survey conducted by the digital association Bitkom in April 2023, 17 percent of all companies in Germany are already planning the concrete use of AI applications , and another 23 percent can imagine using them. At the same time, 56 percent consider artificial intelligence for text generation to be the biggest digital revolution since the smartphone.
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To use these helpful chatbots, all you need is an internet connection – tradespeople can then contact the artificial intelligence via a website or app. Communication is simple – just like with messenger programs – using a text input field or voice input . When chatting with the chatbot, you can also refer to previous content or ask the artificial intelligence to revise delivered results, taking specific aspects into account.
To use the latest version of ChatGPT , you need a subscription , currently costing $20 per month . A free trial version is available, but its functionality is limited. A good alternative is Microsoft 's " Bing Chat . " Its advantages: It 's completely free and based on ChatGPT's latest language model, GPT-4 , including access to the internet as an information source. However, in addition to creating a free Microsoft account, using the Microsoft browser "Edge" or the Bing app on your smartphone is required.
Since artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, tradespeople should check ChatGPT's responses for accuracy before using them – as incorrect information can sometimes creep in. It's also important to be aware of copyright when using AI-generated texts : While content created by artificial intelligence is not protected by copyright, it's possible that the results might be too similar to existing texts – and then they could constitute copyright infringement . When using chatbots, tradespeople should also comply with the GDPR and never enter personal data into ChatGPT.
There are many areas of application for ChatGPT: In addition to daily business correspondence, for example, occupational safety instructions can be easily translated into several languages – as can texts from your own online shops to reach international customers.
Even when researching specific topics or products, no one needs to scroll through Google search results anymore, because ChatGPT clearly summarizes the most interesting content. If tradespeople cleverly utilize ChatGPT's capabilities in this way, they can save time and money in their daily work.
Inspiration
Chatbots become idea providers when you ask broad questions, for example: "Can you help me find more skilled workers for my craft business?", "Can you help me get more followers on Instagram for my craft business?"
Overview
To gain an overview of a field of knowledge, simple questions are sufficient, for example: "What do I need to consider as an employer when drafting references?", "How are photovoltaic systems taxed?", "Give me ideas for saving energy in my company."
Role reversal
For more precise answers, you can assign ChatGPT a role in advance, for example: "Act like a building insulation expert" or "Act like a specialist in labor law." Then you ask your specialist questions.
Texts
To generate texts, it's recommended to specify the desired text format, text length, and key content in bullet points. For example: "Write a celebratory speech for the graduation ceremony at my bakery with the following content:...", "Write a Facebook post with a maximum of 100 words and the following content:...", or "Write an email to a customer informing them that the delivery of their heater is delayed with the following content:..."
SEO
ChatGPT also helps with optimizing website text for search engines. Simply copy and paste the text you wrote after the prompt: "Perform an SEO analysis for this text:"
Tasks
ChatGPT can also provide solutions to more complex questions, such as: "Give me ideas for a healthy breakfast for each day of the next week. Plus a shopping list for each day, for four employees each."
Offers
ChatGPT finds the best deals based on requests such as "Find the cheapest deal for smartphone xy" or "Where can I find the best price for xy?"
AI specialist Gianluca Mauro developed a concept for better responses from ChatGPT: the CIDI method . The four letters stand for building blocks with which the artificial intelligence generates more precise texts: "Context," "Instruction," "Details," and "Input." For example:
Context
"Act like a creative copywriter at an agency."
Instruction
"I'll give you details of a customer service carpenter opening, and you'll write a compelling job advertisement for potential applicants."
Details
"Use a relaxed, modern writing style and focus on the benefits for professionals."
Input
"Location: Düsseldorf. Your tasks: Carrying out minor repairs in customer service, installing apartment entrance doors and interior doors. Performance-related compensation, vacation and Christmas bonuses, overtime pay, permanent employment contract, company pension plan, company bike also for private use."
Important: The four text blocks must be written directly one after the other in the same input field – without the words in brackets and without pressing the Return key in between.
The text generated by ChatGPT won't be a perfect fit for every detail of your business , but it can usually be optimized with just a few clicks . Of course, automatic post-processing by ChatGPT is also possible, for example, with the request: "The text sounds rather old-fashioned. Could it be made a bit more modern, youthful, and casual?"
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