ChatGPT has been the talk of the internet since its launch in November 2022, but is it a safe tool to use for your content marketing? What about when you’re working with a virtual assistant? (We’ll get to these questions in a bit!)
The cutting-edge chatbot created by OpenAI sparked discussions about Artificial Intelligence and its potential role in the digital workplace. But many are still in the dark about this new technology.
At Outsourcing Angel, we’ve also heard many claims about what the chatbot can do to help our Virtual Assistants. Some say it can generate a catchy social media caption or a content calendar for free. Others believe it can come up with entire email marketing campaigns—and so much more.
So, we tried it out for ourselves and discovered some useful tricks virtual assistants can do with ChatGPT 😉 Keep reading to find out what we learned!
If you want to know more about what virtual assistants can do for your business, kindly book a FREE Discovery Call with our Outsourcing Specialist Heidi. She’ll be happy to answer all your questions!
Note: Developers are still fine-tuning ChatGPT’s current model. They even released a Free Research Preview version so users can provide useful feedback to help with its limitations (you can try it here.)
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a conversational, prompt-based chatbot. This means you just have to type in your instructions and hit send to receive a detailed response within seconds. It’s as easy as Google!
ChatGPT’s wide database and ability to mimic natural dialogue make it stand out from its predecessors. In addition, ChatGPT can admit its mistakes, challenge false premises, fix codes, summarise difficult concepts into simple terms, and even reject inappropriate requests. The New York Times even said it “could reinvent or even replace the traditional internet search engine.” 🤯
So, let’s say you want to know how to hire a Social Media Virtual Assistant. If you put in the query, “How do I hire a Social Media Virtual Assistant?”, ChatGPT may respond like this:
You can also click the “Regenerate response” button to get alternate answers. Pretty neat, right?
However, manufacturer OpenAI warned users about the chatbot’s limitations. After all, it’s only been a few months since its release. Developers are still working out some kinks to make ChatGPT more reliable, especially for virtual assistants.
Limitations of ChatGPT
How are companies using ChatGPT?
Despite receiving mixed reviews, many companies see the potential of ChatGPT. It has already been used to generate web content, act as a customer support tool, and help with other tasks usually delegated to virtual assistants. Some high-profile businesses across different industries are even testing out the chatbot in the workplace!
Unfortunately, things didn’t exactly go as planned for some who used ChatGPT this early. This is because of the limitations we have outlined above
Real examples of ChatGPT in the workplace
- CNET
The tech reviews site published around 75 AI-generated articles starting in November 2022. Sadly, they had to correct some of these write-ups after another tech site (Futurism) called out and explained the articles’ errors.
The articles were supposed to serve as financial guides to readers. But Futurism writers and finance professors spotted false statements about loan payments, compound interest, and certificates of deposit.
So, ChatGPT doesn’t seem to know much about finances yet. We think it’s safe to say there’s still no substitute for a reliable Finance Virtual Assistant!
- BuzzFeed
According to CEO Jonah Peretti, the company will use OpenAI’s technology to help create quizzes and other forms of content. BuzzFeed is one of the first digital publishers to experiment with ChatGPT. But this move reportedly disappointed some of their writers. Still, the company hopes that ChatGPT will improve and personalise some content for their audiences.
- DoNotPay
Founder Joshua Browder described the app as “The World’s First Robot Lawyer.” 🤖 Sounds futuristic, doesn’t it? It aims to help users challenge financial fees like parking tickets and bank statements using AI.
Browder recently tweeted his plans to use ChatGPT technology in the United States courtroom—as an actual lawyer for a user’s speeding ticket case. However, Browder reportedly received threats of a 6-month imprisonment if he proceeded with the idea. The app has since postponed its court case.
- Microsoft
According to an internal source, the big tech company doesn’t mind their employees using ChatGPT. But they still warned against sharing confidential data with the chatbot.
Another interesting note? Microsoft is one of the biggest investors in OpenAI. The company is still cautious about sharing information with ChatGPT, so you should be too! (Keep reading to discover our ChatGPT Dos and Don’ts 😉)
- Koko
The nonprofit mental health service offers 24/7 peer support to millions of users. According to co-founder Rob Morris, they experimented with OpenAI technology to craft about 30,000 messages, which they sent to approximately 4,000 people.
This decision caused controversy in social media. Once the public learned that Koko was using chatbots, the developers quickly removed the AI from their platform. Morris’ Twitter thread, where he disclosed the use of OpenAI technology, got over 8 million views.
“Simulated empathy feels weird, empty,” he tweeted. “Machines don’t have lived, human experience so when they say ‘that sounds hard’ or ‘I understand’, it sounds inauthentic.”
How to use ChatGPT with virtual assistants
Like other companies, Outsourcing Angel is always looking for innovative ways to improve its performance. The best way of doing this is to enhance the productivity of our virtual assistants 💪
Want to learn more about the tools our virtual assistants are using? Outsourcing Specialist Heidi can answer your questions in a quick one-on-one.
As of now, our virtual assistants are NOT using ChatGPT to create content from scratch, but it can be a helpful tool to generate cool ideas. Here’s how we use OpenAI’s technology to assist virtual assistants with their workload, especially in content marketing.
Here are 10 risk-free tips on using ChatGPT with virtual assistants. Read on to discover some handy tricks!
DISCLAIMER: ChatGPT is a shiny new technology. Therefore, it still has a limited capacity for virtual assistants. Before using it, please refer to the limitations we have outlined above. You can also scroll to the end of this article for our ChatGPT Dos and Don’ts or read OpenAI’s release statement.
Tip #1: Generate topic suggestions
A social media virtual assistant could use ChatGPT to suggest topics for your next YouTube video or Instagram post. If you rely heavily on email marketing, a virtual assistant could also use it to generate email topic suggestions.
Need help to wade through rising trends across the internet? No problem! ChatGPT could also help predict hot topics using past data so you can write articles about them.
Tip #2: Draft social media captions and email subject headlines
ChatGPT could also assist with tasks usually assigned to a content creation virtual assistant. These tasks could range from writing captions on Facebook and Instagram to creating Twitter threads, SEO articles, and email marketing content.
Once the chatbot has generated a draft, it will be better to personalise and edit its suggestions. This way, you can tailor the content to fit your business.
Tip #3: Create Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers
If you’re having trouble thinking in the shoes of your clients and/or customers, you can try experimenting with ChatGPT. The chatbot may come up with questions and answers you may not have thought of before.
You could use the prompt “FAQs for a [insert nature of business]” or any other variations. ChatGPT will then generate a numbered list of questions, complete with answers. As always, it’s best practice to review and edit the results for yourself afterwards.
Want to cover all your bases in customer service? Hiring a customer support virtual assistant is your best option—here’s a free guide on how to do it.
Tip #4: Provide recommendations
In need of recommendations for a lunch appointment? An admin virtual assistant with ChatGPT could provide a venue, route, and food recommendations while scheduling your appointment. They could also ask the chatbot for quick product comparisons, gift ideas for a client, and more.
Important Note: Use Google to verify ChatGPT’s recommendations with solid research!
Tip #5: Proofread your work
OpenAI’s chatbot also corrects grammar. Virtual assistants could use it to proofread their articles, emails, YouTube scripts, and other written content.
ChatGPT can’t “see” images because it is a text-based AI technology. So, it can’t provide corrections or suggest improvements for a specific image or video content.
If you need visuals to support your business goals, you should hire a graphic design virtual assistant.
Tip #6: Bouncing board for ideas
ChatGPT doesn’t “think” as humans do. This could be an advantage for virtual assistants.
For example, a social media virtual assistant might ask the chatbot for marketing strategy suggestions. The generated results may differ from the outcome of good, old brainstorming.
We tried the prompt, “Can you recommend some Instagram marketing strategies?” Here is an excerpt of ChatGPT’s response:
Although this is a pretty generic answer, ChatGPT could at least help virtual assistants “talk about” their ideas as if to a colleague. They could try further specifying what they’re after to get more detailed information.
Tip #7: Generate questions
It’s important to ask all the right questions before a client meet-up or an interview. ChatGPT could help virtual assistants double-check each question to avoid blind spots in your process.
If you’re looking for a virtual assistant, here’s a free list of recommended interview questions to ask your candidates.
Tip #8: Outline spreadsheets
Lead generation virtual assistants could also use OpenAI’s chatbot to outline spreadsheets for lead tracking and company databases, among others. This is especially useful if you don’t want to start spreadsheets from scratch.
Tip #9: Summarise complex information
Virtual assistants conduct lots of research. ChatGPT could give them an initial crash course on unfamiliar topics or even brush up on best practices in certain fields. This narrows down what they’ll have to research deeper on other platforms.
For example, a social media virtual assistant might look for Instagram reels best practices. ChatGPT could present concise data about this topic, which they can further verify through more focused research.
Tip #10: Break down processes
You could list step-by-step procedures on any topic with ChatGPT technology. This helps virtual assistants to create basic outlines of frameworks and processes.
For instance, you could ask the chatbot to break down the procedures of how to write a vlog, construct an eCommerce website, and more. This could be a jumping-off point for a more comprehensive workflow that fits your niche.
Do’s and Don’ts of ChatGPT
ChatGPT is like an assistant for your virtual assistant. But even with its handy capabilities, it’s important to remember that it’s just one tool out of many.
Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to keep in mind while using ChatGPT:
Do you need help with boosting your business?
If you want to know how a virtual assistant can boost your business, feel free to book a FREE discovery call with our Outsourcing Specialist Heidi. Let us know your business goals and challenges so we can fill in the gaps with our Virtual Assistant Services!
