Marta
Questions that save you a morning
The ones that return something actionable, with their exact shape.
The difference between a question that returns a list of names and one that returns a useless paragraph is three things: the subject, the timeframe, and what you intend to do with the answer.
The shape that works
**Specific subject + timeframe + purpose.** "Which suppliers on the Getafe site have something expired or expiring this quarter, and what are they missing?" returns a list you can phone from. "How are things going?" does not.
The highest-yield ones, by moment
| When | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Monday morning | "Which cases have had no movement for over two weeks, and who are they waiting on?" |
| Before a client meeting | "Show me everything for this client over the last year, by date" |
| Before an audit | "Which cases on this site are incomplete, and what exactly is missing?" |
| At month end | "What was signed this month and what was left unsigned?" |
| When a dispute arrives | "Reconstruct this case's sequence with its dates" |
Two tricks
- Chain it: ask, look at the answer, refine on top of it. That beats trying to phrase the perfect question first time.
- Ask for the format you need: "as a list with name and date" saves you reordering it yourself.
Watch out
Whatever it returns for a decision with consequences, check it at source. It got you to the fact in two seconds: checking is still far faster than having searched.
Worth knowing
If a question serves you every week, that is a filter worth saving. The assistant is for exploring; what repeats belongs one click away.
›Can I ask it to draft an email?
It can help with the wording, but you launch the send.
›Does it understand long questions?
Yes, and they usually work better than short vague ones.
›Can I ask in another language?
Yes.
A real case
The situation
A manager spends an hour every Monday reviewing cases one by one.
What you do
- Asks what has been stuck over two weeks and who it is waiting on
What you get
The hour becomes five minutes and a list of four calls.
The situation
A hundred files are walked to see what is missing.
What you do
- Asks what is outstanding and from whom
What you get
The morning is recovered.
The situation
A figure is hunted across twenty documents.
What you do
- Asks for the figure and its source
What you get
You get there in a minute.
The situation
A meeting is prepared by reading a whole file.
What you do
- Asks for a status summary
What you get
Preparation takes five minutes.
The situation
You want to know what expires this month.
What you do
- Asks for the period's expiries
What you get
The list comes out without building it.
The situation
Two periods are compared by hand.
What you do
- Asks for the difference between them
What you get
The comparison is immediate.
This article answers
- example questions for the assistant
- how to ask the ai better
- get reports by asking
- what can i ask marta