1. Set the role (instead of asking a vague question)
Before: “How do I calculate VAT on this transaction?”
After: “You are a French accountant who specializes in intra-community VAT. How do I calculate VAT on this transaction?”
Setting the role immediately shapes tone, depth, and vocabulary. For an assistant that searches your documentation, it also helps target the right sources.
2. Give context (instead of letting the AI guess)
Before: “What’s the procedure?”
After: “For a public-sector employee on a fixed-term contract longer than 3 years who wants long-term sick leave, what’s the procedure?”
Context saves a dozen back-and-forths. The more relevant context you provide in one question, the less you need to reformulate.
3. Force the answer format
Before: “Summarize this contract.”
After: “Summarize this contract in five key points, each with the relevant clause and the associated risk. Three-column table.”
An imposed format almost always yields a better answer. It also makes outputs comparable from one run to the next.
4. Give an example (the most underrated lever)
Before: “Draft a follow-up message for this client.”
After: “Draft a follow-up message for this client. Here’s one I wrote last month that I liked: [example]. Match that tone.”
One example beats ten lines of instructions. For repetitive tasks (quotes, meeting notes, emails), build yourself a library of pastable examples.
5. Ask for verification and source citation
Before: “What’s the retention period for this document?”
After: “What’s the retention period for this document? Cite the exact source (article, document, page) you’re basing this on. If you’re not sure, say so.”
On high-stakes questions (legal, compliance, technical), asking for the source changes the nature of the answer. The assistant stops “sounding sure” and becomes verifiable.
Before / after in real business contexts
Accounting firm — Before: “How do I book this transaction?” After: “You are a French accountant specializing in construction. For a sale-and-leaseback transaction between SAS X and its majority shareholder, intra-group, what entries are required on both the buyer and seller side, and what are the tax risks? Cite the applicable French GAAP and tax code articles.”
Public sector — Before: “What does the agreement say about remote work?” After: “For a permanent full-time employee in our city government, what does our latest internal agreement say about remote work regarding allowed days and conditions? Cite the service note and the approval date.”
SMB — Before: “Draft a quote for this client.” After: “Based on the last three quotes I won (cite them), produce a draft quote for this client: 25 people, logistics industry, 3-month consulting engagement. Format: a table with line items, descriptions, net price, VAT, total.”
To go further on internal usage, see How to make your AI assistant project succeed and Measuring effectiveness.
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