Maximising Operational Efficiency with ChatGPT: A COO's Guide

19 September 2023 · 3 min read

The role of a Chief Operating Officer means juggling the operational aspects that keep work flowing: a smooth workflow, satisfied employees and effective communication across departments. As technology becomes central to how a business runs, part of that role is making sure the tools are used well. A conversational tool like ChatGPT is one that has changed the landscape, and it is worth looking at where it earns its place from a COO's perspective.

Where it earns its place

The common thread across the uses below is the same: the tool takes on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks so people can focus on higher-value work.

• Customer support. Handling routine queries frees human agents for the more complex issues, reducing the cost per contact and giving customers instant answers to common questions.
• Staff onboarding. Configured as an onboarding assistant, it answers the common questions new hires have about policies or benefits, saving time and getting people the information they need without delay.
• Business intelligence queries. Integrated with the reporting tools, it can interpret and answer questions in plain language, making it easier for managers to pull vital data without navigating complex dashboards.
• Internal FAQs. An internal assistant for questions about policies, leave and expenses cuts down the repetitive load on HR and admin, freeing them for more strategic work.
• Scheduling and reminders. Connected to calendar software, it helps set up meetings, send reminders and reschedule, saving administrative time and reducing conflicts and missed meetings.
• Drafting and editing. Reports, emails and proposals take time to produce; it can generate first drafts quickly, leaving the human judgement for the final version.
• Training and skill development. As an interactive medium for training modules, it helps scale learning across departments and locations while keeping it engaging.

None of this replaces human interaction. What it offers is a set of applications that help a COO streamline operations, reduce cost and improve efficiency, freeing people for the value-added work that machines cannot do. In an era of digital transformation, staying ahead on the tools worth adopting is part of the operating job, and a tool this flexible and scalable is a genuinely useful asset for a forward-thinking operation.