Training course · Prompt Engineering · SMEs & Mid-Sized Businesses

Prompt Engineering for SMEs

Vendor-neutral prompt engineering: roles, context, few-shot examples, prompt chains, prompt libraries and systematic quality checks.

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

“Prompt Engineering for SMEs” is designed for roles such as Owners and managing directors of SMEs, Sales, purchasing and administration staff and HR managers in small and mid-sized companies and shows step by step how to use Prompt Engineering productively, safely and transparently in SMEs & Mid-Sized Businesses – from the fundamentals to advanced workflows.

Whether you use ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini or Le Chat, the quality of the output depends largely on how the task is framed. Prompt engineering is the skill of conveying goal, context, constraints and desired format to a language model so that it reliably produces usable results. In this vendor-neutral practical day you learn proven techniques that work across all mainstream AI assistants: defining roles and audiences, selecting relevant context, working with examples and breaking complex tasks down into traceable steps. You try out every technique directly on tasks from your own working day.

The second part focuses on repeatability and quality across the team. You develop prompt templates with placeholders, build multi-step prompt chains for analysis, writing and review processes, and set up a shared prompt library. You learn to evaluate output systematically – with review criteria, test cases and targeted self-checks by the model – and to avoid typical pitfalls such as hallucinations, ambiguity and missing context. By the end you have a structured approach that works regardless of the tool you use and continues to pay off as new models arrive.

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 understand how language models process prompts and derive effective wording from this.
  • You structure prompts with role, context, task, constraints and output format.
  • You use few-shot examples and prompt chains for complex, multi-step tasks.
  • You create reusable templates and build a shared prompt library.
  • 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 How language models process prompts
  • Core principles of language models: probabilities, context window, limitations
  • Why wording, order and examples change the result
  • What causes hallucinations and how prompts reduce them
  • Differences and common ground between mainstream AI assistants
Module 2 Building blocks of an effective prompt
  • Defining role, audience, task, context and output format
  • Stating constraints, exclusions and quality criteria
  • Structured input with sections, delimiters and tags
  • Asking the model to raise questions instead of making assumptions
Module 3 Advanced techniques
  • Zero-shot, one-shot and few-shot: setting style and structure with examples
  • Requesting step-by-step reasoning for complex tasks
  • Prompt chains: separating research, drafting, review and revision
  • Using change of perspective, counter-arguments and model self-critique
Module 4 Templates and prompt libraries
  • Creating reusable templates with placeholders and variables
  • Storing persistent instructions in projects, custom assistants and agents
  • Building, naming, maintaining and sharing a team prompt library
  • Documenting templates: purpose, inputs, expected output, owner
Module 5 Quality assurance and responsible use
  • Defining review criteria and scoring rubrics for AI output
  • Setting up test cases and systematically comparing and improving prompts
  • Verifying facts, figures and sources; establishing the four-eyes principle
  • Data protection, confidential content and transparency under GDPR and the EU AI Act
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

Some initial experience with at least one AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini is helpful; no technical background is required. Working in a small or medium-sized business; no technical background required.

Technical requirements

A laptop with an up-to-date browser and access to at least one AI assistant, ideally the tool approved within your organisation.

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.

  • Wed, 25 November 2026 Online Request
  • Tue, 8 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Thu, 14 January 2027 Online Request
  • Thu, 21 January 2027 Berlin Request
  • Mon, 25 January 2027 Online Request
  • Wed, 10 February 2027 Munich Request

Frequently asked questions

Do these techniques work with every AI assistant?

Yes, the course is deliberately vendor-neutral. The principles – a clear task, relevant context, examples, structured output and review steps – work equally well in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Le Chat and other tools. Where assistants differ in detail, for example with projects or custom assistants, we show the corresponding features in each.

Won't better models soon make prompt engineering obsolete?

Models are getting better at interpreting vague requests, but they still cannot know what you do not tell them: audience, quality standards, internal requirements or relevant background. Good prompts are therefore mainly good task descriptions. Templates, prompt chains and quality checks also keep their value for teams as new models arrive.

What is a prompt library and how do we maintain it as a team?

A prompt library is an organised collection of proven templates for recurring tasks, each with its purpose, required inputs, a sample result and an owner. It can live in a shared document, a wiki or directly in the AI tool's projects. In the course you set up a first library and agree simple rules for maintenance and approval.

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 “Prompt Engineering 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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