AI – Take the First Step

Most of us are aware that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have a marked and significant effect upon our society particularly in building business efficiencies.

Benefits for a Strata Manager includes saving time ‘automatically’ responding to emails and placing them in your ‘drafts’ folder.

…or it may be the end of our civilisation as we know it. This brief article is designed as a tool for Strata Managers to have an initial ‘play’ with AI in responding to any email they may receive.

The purpose of education is NOT purely the gaining of knowledge; but taking action.

Take 2 minutes NOW to complete the following two exercises.

Exercise A — Simple Prompt

Go to any AI word crafting website i.e. bard.google.com

Simple Prompt (Input) — enter the following words as a SIMPLE prompt.

“I am a strata manager in (use your State here). I want you to write a 5 paragraph response to the email set out below.”

“I am the owner of unit 8 in the above strata scheme. I am disappointed that the water leak in unit 7 next door has not been fixed yet. I have sent you three emails in the last week and to date the water still leaks across the driveway and under my car parked in my car space.

Can you tell me when you’re going to get the water leak fixed?”

AI Response — (Output) “Subject: Water leak in unit 7 Body: Dear Mr./Ms. [Owner’s name], I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing to you today in response to your email about the water leak in unit 7.

I understand that you are disappointed that the leak has not been fixed yet. I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused you.

I have investigated the matter and I have spoken to the owner of unit 7. They have agreed to have the leak fixed as soon as possible.

The plumber has been booked and they will be coming to fix the leak on [date]. I will let you know as soon as I have a more specific time for the repairs.

In the meantime, I would recommend that you avoid parking your car in your car space. You should also put a bucket under the leak to catch the water.

I understand that you are frustrated with the situation and I want to assure you that I am doing everything I can to get the leak fixed as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely, [Your name]”

Exercise B — Prompt Engineering

Train your AI to understand more about your business so that the AI responses are more accurate and customised. AI will build upon each of your Inputs or ‘Prompts’.

Perfecting your Prompt is known as “Prompt Engineering” and at this stage, is the most important and time saving feature of AI.

One of the least known Prompts is to simply ask the AI to generate 10 or more questions for the AI to ask you about your business.

Prompt Engineering request — (Input)

“I am a Strata Manager in NSW, what 10 questions do you need for me to answer so that you can understand my business and how to respond to emails from my clients.”

AI Response — (Output)

“Here are 10 questions I would need you to answer to understand your business and how to respond to emails from your clients:

1. What type of strata schemes do you manage? (Villas, townhouses, apartments, etc.)
2. What is the size of the strata schemes you manage? (Number of units/lots)
3. What are the common issues that you encounter in your strata schemes?
4. What are your communication policies for responding to emails from clients?
5. How do you prioritise emails from clients?
6. How do you handle emails from clients that are abusive, defamatory, derogatory, demeaning, intimidating, threatening or offensive?
7. How do you keep track of the progress of work orders?
8. How do you communicate with clients about the progress of work orders?
9. How do you handle emails from clients with questions about the strata scheme’s by-laws?
10. How do you handle emails from clients with complaints about other owners or tenants?

These questions will help me to understand the specific challenges that you face as a strata manager in NSW and how I can best help you to respond to emails from your clients.

In addition to these questions, I would also like to know more about your specific business needs. For example, do you need help with drafting emails, responding to difficult clients, or managing your workload? Once I have a better understanding of your needs, I can provide you with more specific advice and assistance.”

I would be interested in your thoughts on my Article, let me know Wal@biv.com.au.

Wal Dobrow is Microsoft Certified in Azure AI Fundamentals and has studied ‘Impacts of AI on Society’, and ‘Basics for Identity Management and Secure Authentication Techniques’.