Someone copies details from emailed customer enquiries into a spreadsheet. Before buying another tool, check whether the software you already use can help with that step.

You do not need to learn every feature in every program. A list of your licences, the vendor’s current documentation and one real task will give you enough to make an initial assessment.

Why check the software you already have?

Your software may now do something it could not do when you bought it. As at October 2026, major office suites offer AI assistants (An AI assistant is a chat program such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity: you write in plain language, and a language model answers.). Whether one is included depends on your plan. Check what your licence includes and where any data you enter is processed.

Configuration matters too. An email rule helps only if it matches your enquiries. A template (A template is a prepared structure, for a document, an email or a folder for example, which you only complete for each case.) helps only if the team knows when to use it.

Step 1: List your software

Use your software invoices and card statements. Make one row for each paid program, recording:

  • its name, subscription and licence tier,
  • how many people use it and what they use it for,
  • who in the business knows the program,
  • which other programs it connects to.

Then mark licences nobody currently uses and programs with overlapping jobs. Check the contracts before deciding whether to cancel anything.

Step 2: Check what your licence includes

Choose the three programs most relevant to the task you are examining. Compare your licence tier with the vendor’s current plan information, then check the settings in the program. Record the date you checked. Look for functions that can:

  • Rules and automations: sort emails, create tasks or send deadline reminders.
  • Templates: prepare quotes, recurring replies or reports.
  • Forms: collect details in defined fields rather than free-text emails.
  • Connections: move data between programs, if your licence supports a suitable connection.
  • AI functions: summarise text, prepare drafts or search documents, if available.

Step 3: Match a task to the functions

Pick one recurring task and list its steps. The worksheet in ‘Where does the time go?’ can help. Check which steps your existing software could handle. You’ll end up with one of three answers:

  1. Covered. An existing function might do the job. Set it up for a limited test before showing the team how to use it in daily work.
  2. Partly covered. A function helps with one step. Write down the template, setting or connection that is still missing.
  3. Not covered. The existing functions do not fit. Describe the gap before comparing new tools or a custom solution.

Step 4: Test it in daily work

Test the function on one task first. Show the people involved when to use the template or rule and who checks the output. Name someone to collect questions about the setup.

After a few weeks, check whether people use the function and whether its output needs checking or reworking. If something fails, ask which step does not fit. You can then change the configuration or stop using the function.

Worksheet

Worksheet: check your existing software

Bring one recurring task and your software bills to the table.

If your existing software cannot do the job, write down what a new tool must do. If it can, test your setup before buying anything.

When a new tool makes sense

A function can appear in a vendor’s feature list yet fail in daily work. It may lack the fields you need, a reliable connection or suitable settings for your data. Record the gap so you can compare new tools against it.

What to do next

If your existing software does not cover the task and you want to set up AI for it, look at the Basic Installation at CHF 490.–. It includes an installed AI harness (An AI harness is the workspace on your computer in which AI reads files and carries out agreed steps.), a vault template (The vault is a folder of your working files on your computer; we create it from the vault template.) for working files on your machine, one or two basic workflows (A workflow specifies what information goes in, what happens to it and who checks the result.) and a handover document (The handover document records what we set up, how you work with it and how you back it up and restore it.). You choose the AI harness, model and provider with us; Claude Code (Claude Code is an AI harness made by Anthropic: it runs on your computer, reads files and carries out steps you describe in plain language.) is one option. You pay once for the setup. Model usage (Model usage means accessing an AI provider’s language model. The cost is not included in the setup price.) and other licences may cost extra.

If you do not yet know which task to start with, begin with the interview. After level two, your report shows where it pays to start.