Executive Summary:

AI chatbots – ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity – bring unique strengths to business tasks, from data analysis to strategic communication. Why have just one star player on your team when you can have several? While many executives have found remarkable success with one platform, utilizing multiple chatbots can unlock even greater value. As you become familiar with more chatbots, you will naturally develop your preferences for example, you might choose:

• ChatGPT for versatile tasks and data visualization
• Claude for emotionally aware communication
• Gemini for technical troubleshooting
• Perplexity for research

The goal here is to inspire you to explore chatbots you might not have used.

Introduction:

When associations and organizations hire me to present about AI, audiences frequently ask me which chatbot is best. After presenting to thousands of executives across diverse industries, I’ve discovered something fascinating: each person develops their own preferences based on their unique needs and experiences.

There are many chatbots, each trying to earn your favor. If you only use one, you will benefit tremendously from trying others.

A great strategy is to give the same prompt to several chatbots and see which response you like best. Enter a prompt into one chatbot, copy it to your clipboard, and then paste it into other chatbots.

Capabilities change frequently with updates, so what works best might change tomorrow. As of today, here are some specific benefits you might appreciate as you multiply the number of chatbots on your team. Please adapt the example prompts to your specific industry or goals:

Expert Strategy:

For the best results, always give the chatbot context and detail. Describe yourself, the interests relevant to the project, your role, your audience, and what you want to accomplish. For example, instead of asking, “Review this email draft,” tell the chatbot your industry, what your organization does, your role, and the challenges you’re addressing. Then say something like, “I wrote this follow-up email after yesterday’s board meeting. Review it and suggest if there are clearer ways to explain our quarterly results. The board members reading this want both the wins and challenges clearly explained, and they prefer brief, to-the-point documents.” The difference in response quality will amaze you. You can attach examples of previous successful communications you’ve written and tell the chatbot to use a similar tone and style.

ChatGPT: Amplify Your Productivity:

Chatgpt dot com. Almost everyone has heard of this popular chatbot’s vast range of capabilities. In addition to what it has always done, I use ChatGPT when processing documents and generating or analyzing graphs.

• Manufacturing: “Generate a workflow to reduce downtime by analyzing machinery data and prioritizing maintenance schedules.”
• Healthcare: “Create a patient satisfaction survey based on current trends in healthcare delivery.”
• Finance: “Summarize key takeaways from a quarterly earnings report for a stakeholder presentation.”
• Distribution: “Using the attached spreadsheet, generate a graph of Lead Time (Days) vs. Monthly Usage (Units) with data points colored by criticality. Label the material names using a large font.”

For executives on the move, ChatGPT’s voice mode transforms travel time into productive strategy sessions. While driving, you can brainstorm solutions to business challenges, rehearse important presentations, or analyze competitor strategies – all hands-free. You have a knowledgeable thought partner ready to explore any topic. For safety, please only use voice mode while driving.

Claude: Transform Your Business Communications:

Claude dot ai. For written conversations and reviewing documents, Claude often causes me to pause and think, “Wow! That response is surprising in a good way!” Experienced business people know success comes through professional relationships. Claude seems the best at considering human attitudes, sentiments, and reactions. If you want to write a persuasive document, Claude might help you best refine the text you’ve already written.

• Manufacturing: “Refine a message to factory staff emphasizing the importance of new safety protocols while maintaining morale.”
• Healthcare: “Draft a memo to staff addressing a sensitive policy change with a positive and empathetic tone.”
• Finance: “Rewrite an investment pitch to highlight potential ROI while addressing client concerns about risk.”
• Consulting: “Analyze this email conversation and tell me how this person feels frustrated, and gently suggest benefits to them by sharing examples of how other professionals have benefited from our practices. Do not strive to convince them since they will push back harder.”

Think of Claude as a collaborator. Converse back and forth about how the recipient or audience will react to specific words and phrases and refine them accordingly. Ask Claude if there are parts that can be left out. This process can produce emotionally intelligent content that produces results.

I find that Claude often provides unsolicited suggestions that are very helpful. For example, while reviewing a business proposal, Claude will often point out valuable opportunities to strengthen the key benefits. Claude often thinks beyond the immediate request, offering insights and recommendations as a trusted strategic advisor would.

Gemini: Solve Technical Challenges:

Gemini dot google dot com offers another option for technical information and troubleshooting steps. Many users appreciate Google’s extensive data repository for technical questions.

• Manufacturing: “Provide troubleshooting steps for a PLC system showing error codes X, Y, and Z.”
• Healthcare: “Outline the process to integrate a new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system with existing software.”
• Finance: “Explain how to configure advanced security settings in a new financial analytics platform.”
• IT Director: “Identify potential pitfalls in the transition to cloud-based services.”
• Executive on the Weekend: “I am a non-technical executive, and my help desk is busy. Walk me through setting up a mail merge using a list of contacts and a form letter.”

Perplexity: Power Your Strategic Research:

Perplexity dot ai excels at providing stunningly useful results searching the web. Other chatbots can provide citations for where they obtained their information, but what attracts me the most to Perplexity is how quickly it allows you to access the sources and see summaries of the content if you click the “show all” citations button.

• Manufacturing: “Find and summarize case studies on how AI optimizes supply chain management.”
• Healthcare: “Research emerging telemedicine technologies and their potential ROI.”
• Finance: “Identify recent regulatory changes affecting the fintech industry and summarize key implications.”
• Expanding your AI Toolkit: “What are the best AI tools this year that will help me (fill in the rest, such as analyzing trends in my inventory turnover to identify ways I can improve my supply chain)?”
• Strategic Planning: “Research top competitors’ strategies for market expansion.”

Perplexity has almost replaced my use of search engines since I receive the answers I need and can drill down to sources when needed. The sources earned their place in the list based on their content rather than which sites use the best search engine optimization techniques.

Perplexity is excellent at crafting documents and generating lists of instructions, too.

Free vs. Paid:

All these chatbots have free and paid versions. Some chatbots have elected to provide advanced features to free accounts, limiting the number of times unpaid users can use those features per day. As you use chatbots, evaluate the time savings or added value to decide when to upgrade to a paid version. Many executives find the ROI on paid versions substantial.

Risks:

Chatbots can produce inaccurate results, known as hallucinations. For example, when generating financial projections or analyzing marketing insights, they might fabricate results. Always verify chatbot-generated information and avoid expensive mistakes.

Feel free to challenge the chatbot’s biases. Sometimes, a good argument can be constructive.

Always use privacy settings to help ensure sensitive data isn’t stored. Understand the chatbot’s privacy policies.

Customization:

Some chatbots allow you to preload information about yourself and your company in settings or attached files.  Sometimes, you can generate custom profiles or unique chatbots. This can be very productive, saving you time and achieving specific results.

AI Ethics and Integrity:

Excellence in AI requires the same principles that guide all business practices: honesty, integrity, and ethics. Just as we use presentation software to communicate clearly and CRM systems to build stronger customer relationships, AI tools help enhance our natural capabilities. They can analyze data more quickly, provide valuable insights, and help us communicate more effectively with our teams and customers.

Any powerful business tool, from email to social media, can be misused. However, responsible leaders use AI to enhance human judgment and creativity. Use AI tools to create value, improve efficiency, and drive success for your organization and the people you serve.

Conclusion: Using Multiple Chatbots is a Force Multiplier:

Issue your prompts to multiple chatbots to see which resonates best for specific tasks. Remember that chatbots are continuously improving. If you keep experimenting with all of them, you might update your preference for specific tasks. Other fabulous chatbots are available, too; don’t feel limited to the four I discussed here.

I’d love to hear about your journey with AI tools. Whether at a conference where I’m speaking or through email, share which chatbots have transformed how you work and how. Your insights help me bring fresh perspectives to organizations worldwide, and I might feature them in a future blog. As chatbots continue to evolve, I’m committed to helping executives and their teams unlock the full potential of these powerful tools!

Subscribe to maximize your executive potential with Foster Institute’s E-Savvy Newsletter, packed with practical IT security solutions and actionable strategies for success: https://fosterinstitute.com/e-savvy-newsletter/