The basics work everywhere. But each department has its own words, its own risks and its own documents. A request that suits a marketer can cause real harm in an accounts office. This lesson gives you one workflow for each of seven departments, and says who checks the result.
The mistake most people make
Using one general request for specialist work, without saying what that department must check.
“A finance manager asked the AI to look over a supplier agreement. (An invented example.)”
“The AI commented on grammar and clarity. It never mentioned that the liability clause capped the supplier's damages at ₹50,000, though the contract covered ₹40 lakh of client stock.”
How it works: the department rule binder
Walk into a well-run office and you'll find a shelf of binders: marketing rules, legal review steps, the accounts reconciliation manual. Each department works to its own rules. This lesson is that binder for AI, one tab per department.
Seven department workflows
1. Marketing: one recording, many pieces
Take one long podcast or talk transcript. Ask for three LinkedIn posts, one newsletter, five short hooks and one short video script, all in your brand's voice.
2. Sales: the one-page account brief
Paste a prospect's annual report and recent news. Ask for a one-page brief before a sales call, using only what you pasted.
3. Customer service: sorting tickets
Sort incoming tickets by urgency (high, medium, low) and by how upset the customer is. Draft replies for the simple ones, for a person to read before sending.
4. Finance: budget against actual, and bank lines
Paste this month's budget and actual spend. The AI lists each line and the difference, and flags lines over a limit you set. Check every sum in a spreadsheet before it goes to anyone.
5. Legal: what each clause says
List each clause's party, obligation, amount, date, notice period, termination terms and liability cap, as written. No opinion, no new wording. Your lawyer reads the list.
6. Healthcare: the care sheet
Rewrite a doctor's notes as a plain medicine schedule and food instructions, adding nothing. The doctor or nurse checks it before the patient gets it.
7. Teaching: marking against a rubric
Mark student essays against your four-part rubric. Give two specific strengths and two things to improve. The teacher sets the final mark.
Habits for every department
Here is a contract, or part of one: """ [Paste the contract clauses here] """ List what each clause says. Don't give a legal opinion. Don't say whether a term is fair or risky. Don't suggest new wording. Don't name any law, section or case. Make a table with these columns: | Clause (number and heading) | Party | What they must do | Amount | Date or deadline | Notice period | Termination | Liability cap | Rules: - Use only the words and figures in the contract. Quote them where you can. - If a column doesn't apply to a clause, write "not stated". - If the whole contract states no liability cap, no notice period or no termination terms, add a line under the table: [CHECK: ask a lawyer, the contract states no ...]. - If a clause is unclear, or two clauses seem to say different things, add a line: [CHECK: ask a lawyer about clause ...]. - Check every amount and date against the text a second time. End with this line: "Take this list and the full contract to your lawyer before anyone signs."
It lays out what the contract says in one table and marks the questions to raise. The legal judgement stays with your lawyer.
Why should each department have its own saved prompt, rather than one general prompt for the whole company?
Show the answer
Each department has different risks and a different person who checks the work. A department prompt asks for the right details and ends by sending the result to that person.