Category: Technology

Posted on

ChatGPT: Why Professionals Can’t Afford to Ignore It

As a business professional your time is precious, and the quality of your work matters.

Enter ChatGPT, an AI language model that can significantly impact your productivity, efficiency, and job security. Let’s explore why integrating ChatGPT into your workflow is a strategic move.

1. Productivity Boost

ChatGPT streamlines tasks that would otherwise consume valuable hours. Whether you’re drafting reports, composing emails, or brainstorming ideas, ChatGPT accelerates the process. Imagine having an AI-powered assistant that generates high-quality content swiftly.

Example: Writing Business Documents

In a recent study, professionals using ChatGPT to write business documents experienced a 37% increase in productivity. Task completion time decreased significantly,  allowing them to focus on more critical aspects of their work1.

ChatGPT for Professionals

2. Efficiency Gains

Time saved is money earned. ChatGPT’s ability to provide instant answers and assist with research is a game-changer. Instead of spending hours searching for information, you can leverage ChatGPT to kickstart your projects.

Example: Research Assistance

Imagine you’re a marketing manager preparing a campaign strategy. ChatGPT can quickly provide insights, competitor analysis, and creative ideas. The time saved allows you to execute campaigns faster and stay ahead of the competition.

 

ChatGPT for Professionals

3. Quality Improvement

ChatGPT doesn’t just save time; it enhances the quality of your work. Its language generation capabilities produce coherent, contextually relevant content. Whether you’re writing client proposals or internal memos, ChatGPT ensures professionalism.

Example: Content Creation

Blog posts, social media updates, and marketing collateral— you can use ChatGPT to produce all of them. By consistently generating high-quality content, whilst also keeping it “on brand”, you maintain a strong online presence and engage your audience effectively.

ChatGPT for Professionals

4. Job Security Considerations

Embracing AI tools like ChatGPT isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about future-proofing your career. As automation becomes commonplace, professionals who adapt thrive. Here’s why ChatGPT enhances job security:

Example: Staying Relevant

Businesses increasingly rely on AI-driven solutions. By mastering ChatGPT, you demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to embrace technological advancements. Employers value professionals who stay ahead of the curve.

Example: Protecting Against Job Displacement

Rather than fearing AI, leverage it. Use ChatGPT to augment your skills, not replace them. When you enhance your capabilities, you become indispensable to your organization.

Conclusion

ChatGPT isn’t just an AI tool; it’s your ally in the ever-evolving business landscape. Embrace it, explore its potential, and position yourself as a forward-thinking professional. Remember, in the digital age, agility and innovation are the keys to job security.

Disclaimer: Always verify critical information independently and use AI tools responsibly.

References:

  1. ChatGPT Lifts Business Professionals’ Productivity and Improves Work Quality
Posted on

Clean data in Power Query to improve efficiency (part 1)

Have you ever pulled in data from various places to restructure it in Excel? Have you found yourself repeating this long, manual process every month when new data is added? The solution is to use Power Query. This blog is the first in a series of four. We will show you what Power Query can do to save you lots of time and help you become more productive. Let’s see how we can clean data in Power Query to improve efficiency (part 1).

What is Power Query and why is it useful?

Power Query is an app which transforms data sourced from many different locations before it is loaded into Excel. It works by making a connection back to the original data source. This means that whenever changes are made, they are saved as ‘Applied Steps’. These are stored in memory. The benefit is that a simple refresh in Excel is all that is needed to update any changes to the original data.

How to use Power Query
  1. In Excel, open a dataset with a column structure that needs some cleaning. In the example below, the ‘Full Name’ field has text entries where unwanted spaces need to be removed e.g. ‘ Anna Brown’

  1. Ideally the data needs to be a table before launching Power Query. To create a table, select a cell within the dataset and go to HOME > FORMAT AS TABLE. Select a coloured thumbnail and click OK in the ‘Create Table’ box
  2. Connect to the source data: DATA > FROM TABLE/RANGE. (NB. For any data that is external to Excel, go to DATA > GET DATA and browse to the specific data source)
  3. The following window appears:

  1. Note the ‘Applied Steps’ section on the right that will expand to include further steps
  2. Now select the ‘Full Name’ field, right click, and go to TRANSFORM > TRIM.

Right click on the ‘Extract Numbers’ field and go to SPLIT COLUMN > BY NUMBER OF CHARACTERS:

  1. Enter ‘2’ for ‘Number of Characters’ and select the radio button to split: ‘Once, as far right as possible’. Click OK
  2. Double click on each of the split columns and enter ‘Region’ and ID_no.

Now apply the changes back to Excel:

  1. In the Home tab, go to CLOSE & LOAD > CLOSE & LOAD TO > TABLE. Click OK to load the table to a new sheet
  2. Now in a new row under ‘Full Name’ add ‘ Mike Orange’ – with 2 leading spaces and under ‘Extract Numbers add ‘North19’
  3. Finally in the new sheet, go to QUERY > REFRESH and check the new data has changed

Power Query in Excel can connect to a vast range of external sources as well as within Excel itself. These include other Excel workbooks, financial systems, databases, websites, SharePoint, and many others.

Conclusion

Power Query is a powerful and extremely useful tool. It allows you to repeat routine cleaning tasks on your datasets without having to do it all manually. This tool will therefore help you become more efficient in the way you manage data which ultimately increases profitability. This concludes ‘Clean data in Power Query to improve efficiency (part 1)’.

For course details on our Power Query course at STL, please click on the link below:

https://www.stl-training.co.uk/syl/300/excel-power-query.html

Check out this useful article on data trends:

https://www.inc.com/john-hall/5-trends-in-data-emerging-in-2020.html