AI tools like Claude can save a small business hours every week. But before you start pasting things in, every office needs one simple house rule: what never goes in.
Keep these out
- Account and card numbers — bank accounts, credit cards, routing numbers.
- Social Security numbers and ID numbers.
- Passwords and login details of any kind.
- Health information about patients, customers, or employees.
- Anything your contracts or industry rules say must stay private.
When you need Claude’s help with a document that contains private details, remove or replace them first — “Customer A” works just as well as a real name for drafting a letter.
The three quick checks
AI writes with total confidence, even when it’s wrong. Before anything goes out the door, check:
- Numbers: every price, quantity, date, and total against your own records.
- Names and facts: people, places, and anything Claude “remembered” that you didn’t give it.
- Promises: make sure the draft doesn’t commit you to something you wouldn’t say yourself.
Write it down
Put your never-goes-in list and the three checks on one page and post it by every computer. It takes ten minutes and prevents the most common — and most expensive — AI mistakes.
Want help setting house rules for your office? Book a free 30-minute fit call.
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