Training course · Claude · SMEs & Mid-Sized Businesses

Claude for SMEs

Claude as an AI assistant for knowledge work: projects, Artifacts, long documents, analysis and precise writing for teams.

Duration
1 day (7 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

This course connects Claude with the everyday processes of SMEs & Mid-Sized Businesses. Participants work on realistic scenarios and leave with prompts, workflows and checklists they can use straight away.

Anthropic's Claude has become a go-to AI assistant for demanding knowledge work: it handles very long documents, reasons transparently and writes in a measured, easily steerable style. In this practical day you learn to exploit these strengths systematically. You analyse lengthy reports, contracts or policies, compare several sources and extract key findings with references to the exact passages. With Projects you store background knowledge and working instructions permanently, so Claude knows your terminology, templates and quality standards and you no longer start from scratch with every request.

We also show how to use Artifacts to produce standalone deliverables – structured documents, tables, charts or small interactive tools – and share them with your team. You analyse files with the built-in analysis capability, use research and connectors to company data, and put Claude to work as a critical reviewer of your own writing. A dedicated session covers Team and Enterprise plans, access management and data protection. By the end you have tested project set-ups and prompt patterns that you can apply straight away in your own function.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the economy – and are hit especially hard by skills shortages and growing administrative burdens. Generative AI offers mid-sized businesses big opportunities precisely because it can be used without an IT department or major investment. Owners and staff use AI assistants to write quotes and customer correspondence, review tenders and contracts, draft job adverts, capture the know-how of experienced employees and create marketing content. Simple automations and AI agents connect email, spreadsheets and industry software. The key is a pragmatic start with clear rules that delivers noticeable benefits quickly and brings the whole team along.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Owners and managing directors of SMEs
  • Sales, purchasing and administration staff
  • HR managers in small and mid-sized companies
  • Digitalisation and operations leads
  • Trades businesses and family-owned companies

Typical challenges we address

  • Skills shortages and heavy workloads in small teams
  • Growing administrative and documentation requirements
  • No dedicated IT or digital transformation department
  • Uncertainty about data protection, costs and the right way to start with AI

What you will be able to do

  • You write precise, structured instructions that let Claude handle complex tasks reliably.
  • You analyse long and multiple documents and obtain referenced, verifiable summaries.
  • You set up Projects with a knowledge base and style rules and share them with your team.
  • You use Artifacts and the analysis capability to produce usable documents, tables and evaluations.
  • Apply AI pragmatically in sales, administration, HR and marketing in your company.
  • Define clear, privacy-compliant rules for AI use in your team.
  • Identify processes that can be improved with AI and automation without an in-house IT department.

Course outline

Module 1 Understanding and directing Claude
  • Model family, strengths and limitations compared with other assistants
  • Clear instructions with context, examples and the desired output format
  • Structured input using sections and tags for complex tasks
  • Extended thinking and step-by-step approaches for demanding questions
Module 2 Analysing long documents
  • Uploading and querying large PDFs, reports and contract sets
  • Comparing multiple documents and surfacing contradictions
  • Summaries with references to specific passages
  • Deriving checklists and review grids from policies and guidelines
Module 3 Projects and knowledge base
  • Creating Projects with knowledge documents and persistent instructions
  • Storing style and terminology rules for consistent results
  • Sharing Projects with the team and developing them together
  • Making good use of connectors to drives and business applications
Module 4 Artifacts, analysis and writing
  • Creating Artifacts for documents, tables, charts and interactive tools
  • Analysing files and spreadsheets with the built-in analysis capability
  • Drafting, shortening, rewording and tailoring text to audiences
  • Using Claude as a critical reviewer of arguments and gaps
Module 5 Team use, data protection and quality
  • Team and Enterprise plans: administration, roles and sharing
  • Handling confidential and personal data in line with GDPR
  • Checking output: verifying facts, figures and quotations
  • Defining internal guidelines and reusable prompt patterns
Module 6 Practice lab: SMEs & Mid-Sized Businesses
  • Quotes and customer correspondence
  • Reviewing tenders and contracts
  • Recruitment
  • Preserving know-how
  • Marketing without an agency
  • Automating workflows
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • SMEs must also comply with the GDPR when using AI, for example through data processing agreements and clear rules on which customer and employee data may be entered. The EU AI Act requires businesses to ensure adequate AI literacy among staff, and trade secrets and customer data belong only in approved tools.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Quotes and customer correspondence

AI drafts quote text, service descriptions, follow-up emails and replies to customer enquiries based on your templates and price lists – you review and send.

Reviewing tenders and contracts

Tender documents, suppliers' terms and framework agreements are summarised for requirements, deadlines, liability and special conditions so you can decide faster. Key exclusion criteria are highlighted clearly.

Recruitment

Job adverts, careers page copy, interview guides and onboarding plans are written for the target audience to stand out in the competition for skilled staff.

Preserving know-how

The experience of long-serving employees is captured in interviews and structured with AI into work instructions, FAQs and onboarding material before it is lost to retirement.

Marketing without an agency

Website copy, newsletters, social posts, case studies and trade fair materials are created with AI and adapted to the language of your customers. Your company gains visibility without a marketing department.

Automating workflows

Recurring processes such as sorting incoming invoices, routing enquiries or producing reports from spreadsheets are connected using no-code tools and AI agents. This noticeably relieves small teams and reduces errors.

Prerequisites

Confident use of office applications and a web browser; prior AI experience is helpful but not required. Your own non-confidential documents are welcome as practice material. Working in a small or medium-sized business; no technical background required.

Technical requirements

A laptop with an up-to-date browser or the Claude desktop app and a Claude account; we recommend Pro, Team or Enterprise access for Projects and larger files.

Data protection & compliance

SMEs must also comply with the GDPR when using AI, for example through data processing agreements and clear rules on which customer and employee data may be entered. The EU AI Act requires businesses to ensure adequate AI literacy among staff, and trade secrets and customer data belong only in approved tools.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Thu, 26 November 2026 Online Request
  • Thu, 10 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Mon, 11 January 2027 Online Request
  • Mon, 18 January 2027 Berlin Request
  • Thu, 28 January 2027 Online Request
  • Mon, 1 February 2027 Munich Request

Frequently asked questions

How does Claude differ from ChatGPT in everyday work?

Both are capable general-purpose assistants. Claude particularly stands out with very long documents, careful reasoning and an easily steerable writing style, while Projects and Artifacts support structured work. Which tool fits better depends on your tasks, integrations and company policies – the course gives you criteria for an informed assessment.

What are Artifacts and why would I use them?

Artifacts are standalone deliverables that Claude creates in a separate panel next to the chat – a document, a table, a chart or a small interactive tool, for example. They can be revised in a targeted way, downloaded and shared. A conversation therefore produces ready-to-use results rather than scattered fragments of text.

Is my data used to train Claude?

On Team and Enterprise plans, business content is not used for model training as a matter of principle. For individual accounts this depends on settings you should review yourself. Regardless of the plan, GDPR and internal confidentiality rules apply. In the course we walk through the relevant settings and the questions to ask.

How should a small business get started with AI?

Start with two or three concrete, time-consuming tasks such as quotes, correspondence or job adverts. Choose a privacy-compliant tool, set simple rules and let the team practise together. In the course you develop exactly this kind of starter plan for your company.

Do we need our own IT department?

No. Common AI assistants and no-code automations can be used without programming skills. What matters is deliberate tool selection, data processing agreements and clear responsibilities. For integrations with industry software, occasional external support may help, but getting started is something you can do yourselves.

How much does “Claude for SMEs” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 1 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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