Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in numerous industries. However, one increasingly popular way to apply it is for business communication tasks. Finding the most strategic and relevant options can help you save time, feel more confident when expressing yourself, and get better results when engaging with others.
Brainstorm Questions Customers May Ask
One way to use an AI writing tool is to help you fill thought gaps in the most common information your customers want to know when asking a representative from your business for help. For example, perhaps you own a design company. You could prompt an AI tool by asking, “What do customers most want to know when choosing between several design firms?” or “What are customers’ biggest concerns when hiring someone to do design work?”
The next step is to incorporate the tool’s answer into a FAQ page, self-service search tool or a similar resource. The point is not to let artificial intelligence do all the work but instead to let it suggest things you had not considered before.
Although you may need to tweak your prompts, the goal is to use AI to envision what it is like to be in a user or potential customer’s situation. This approach can help people perceive your company as in tune with users’ needs, supporting its growth and overall success.
Generate Balanced Responses
Business communication can be challenging. You might need to smooth things over after a customer has an upsetting experience or remain assertive about the validity of one of your ideas during a company meeting when people bring up many opposing views. However, research shows AI could assist in those complicated situations.
Scientists built a browser extension called ConvoWizard that detects tense conversations and guides people toward language that steers the dialogue into constructive debates. User feedback indicated 68% felt the tool was better than just their intuition while writing messages.
The team built their tool with text found on the social network Reddit. More specifically, it was on a forum where people stated their views and invited others to respond in ways that may change them.
Rather than instructing users to respond in specific ways, ConvoWizard analyzes if a potential response would elevate or decrease a conversation’s estimated tension. Consider using an AI writing tool in a roleplaying style to suggest how you could respond to scenarios such as emails from grumpy colleagues or unreasonable requests from some of your highest-paying clients.
Combine AI With Your Unique Voice
Everyone has a unique voice when they write content for their businesses or elsewhere. However, one of the downsides of how some people use AI is they may become too dependent on it. When that happens, they accept any content artificial intelligence generates instead of tweaking the material to make it personal.
However, learning to use AI wisely can significantly reduce the time spent on business communication tasks with some repetitive elements. Then, you will have more time to spend on the duties that need more attention. If your first efforts do not get the desired results, adjust future prompts and keep trying until the responses fit your needs.
Maybe you need to create several job ads but want to keep the parts about your company and its benefits consistent across each one. Consider using AI for the unchanging details of the description, then add your writing talent to the other content. It may take some time to balance using your voice and letting AI supplement it, but the more you increase your familiarity with the tool, the easier it will become.
Create Content to Support Videos
Videos are instrumental to business communication because they let you connect with new and larger audience segments. Text-based content does not resonate with everyone, so clips sometimes work better for helping people comprehend the messaging.
Excelling in communication often requires a wide range of methods to reach customers and doing everything you can to maximize engagement. Video content can keep them wanting to know more about your company or brand.
The descriptions that go with each video on a platform such as YouTube provide more opportunities to add content viewers would appreciate. For example, you can include hashtags, your company’s website and a summary of what people will see in the video. Put yourself in the audience’s place and think about what would inform them while promoting your business.
YouTube allows people to use 5,000 words per video description, giving you plenty of room for creativity. Consider writing some of them yourself, then letting AI assist with others. Compare the performance of each one and use the results to inform how you will utilize artificial intelligence for this kind of business communication in the future.
Use AI to Increase Relevance
One of the challenging things about communicating with people through your business is they will all have different backgrounds and levels of previous knowledge about you. Think about using an AI writing tool to help you appreciate the perspective of people who will potentially read your content. It could suggest what to include or leave out to make the content maximally relevant, understandable, and enjoyable.
Prompt the tool by describing the kind of person you hope or expect to read the content. That might look like, “I am a person in my 40s who has taught kindergarten for a decade. What games should I have my class play on a trip to the science museum?”
This exercise is similar to the user personas marketing professionals make while envisioning the people who will likely buy a company’s products. If the software understands your prompt correctly, it should only give you suggestions appropriate for the described person.
In one example, researchers taught AI to write chart captions aligned with user needs. The type and complexity of the content varied based on the people reading it. The more relevant your content is, the more likely people are to read it, love it and return for more once you publish it.
How Will You Improve Business Communication With AI?
Getting the best results from an AI writing tool requires ongoing effort and willingness to try different approaches. Another thing to keep in mind is the companies behind AI tools frequently release new algorithms and features. When that happens, you may notice short-term performance changes and different user interface experiences.
Using AI for writing needs is a relatively new option, but it offers plenty of potential. Once you learn the tricks and techniques, it is easy to anticipate how the technology will save you time, improve your messages and help you cater to various audiences.
Eleanor is editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.
