Using ChatGPT at Work: 10 Practical Prompts for Accounting & Back Office
Generative AI can be a big help with daily office work — it all depends on how you prompt it (the instruction you give). Here are ten practical prompts for accounting, general affairs and other back-office tasks, in ready-to-use form. We'll also cover tips to raise accuracy and the rules for using it safely.
- The three elements of a good prompt
- 10 ready-to-use prompts by task
- The knack of "follow-up questions" to raise accuracy
- Safety rules you must never break
01The three elements of a good prompt
The trick to drawing good answers out of generative AI is making your instruction specific. Just keeping these three points in mind changes the quality of what comes back.
| Element | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Role | Give the AI a standpoint | "You are an experienced bookkeeper." |
| 2. Context & conditions | State purpose, reader, length, tone | "For new hires, avoid jargon, in 300 characters." |
| 3. Output format | Specify the shape | "As a table", "as bullet points", "as an email". |
0210 practical prompts by task
Emails & documents (examples 1–3)
- "You are a polite office administrator. Write a business email asking a client to re-send an invoice, phrased so as not to cause offense."
- "Turn the meeting notes below into minutes for internal sharing. Separate decisions from action items (with owner and deadline), as bullet points."
- "Write a clear notice to all employees about a revision to the work rules. Avoid difficult words."
Accounting & organizing figures (examples 4–6)
- "Explain the meaning of the account below, and what transactions it's used for, gently, for someone who doesn't know bookkeeping."
- "Summarize our expense-claim rules into a one-page manual for new hires. Include NG examples."
- "Look at the monthly sales data below, and give the month-on-month change plus three things you notice. (Use fictional figures, not real data.)"
Research, summaries, first drafts (examples 7–10)
- "Organize how to manage petty cash, step by step, for someone doing it for the first time."
- "List, as a checklist, the items a business outsourcing contract should generally include."
- "Summarize the long document below into three key points. One sentence each."
- "For internal explanation, summarize the ◯◯ scheme — background, key points, and cautions — in 300 characters."
03The knack of "follow-up questions"
You don't need perfection in one shot. The skilled way to use it is to refine through dialogue with the answer that comes back.
- "Make it more polite" / "more casual" — adjusting tone.
- "Use less jargon" / "so a child could understand" — adjusting difficulty.
- "Shorter (200 characters)" / "add a bit more concrete examples" — adjusting length.
- "Make it a table" / "make it bullet points" — converting format.
04Safety rules you must never break
Also, for anything touching contracts, tax or law, don't use AI's answer as-is — the premise is that an expert always checks it. AI is a partner for building first drafts, not the final decision-maker.
Summary
A good prompt specifies "1. role, 2. context & conditions, 3. output format" concretely. Learn the template and apply it anywhere.
From email drafting to organizing accounts, research and summaries — start with familiar work (use the 10 examples).
Don't seek perfection in one shot; refine with follow-ups. Produce a 70-point draft fast, then finish it — the quickest route.
Never input confidential data; have a person check anything specialized — always follow the safety rules.
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This article is based on information available at the time of publication. Rules and systems may change. Please consult a professional before making any individual decisions.
