Everyone has an opinion on AI tools. Most of those opinions come from people who tried something for a day and either loved it or dismissed it. I’ve been using these tools in my actual IT business - billing, client communication, documentation, scheduling - long enough to have real opinions. Here’s what I actually reach for.

1. Claude (Anthropic)

What I use it for: Writing. Specifically, client-facing documentation, proposal drafts, and anything where the quality of the writing matters.

Claude produces the most natural-sounding text of any AI I’ve used. For something like an IT assessment report or a client onboarding guide, the output needs human review but it’s much closer to done than what I get from other tools.

Where it falls short: It’s not great at real-time information (knowledge cutoff), and it can be overly cautious about recommending specific vendors without caveats. For research on current security threats or pricing, I go elsewhere.

2. Microsoft Copilot (in Teams and Outlook)

What I use it for: Meeting summaries, email drafts, pulling key points out of long threads.

The Outlook integration alone has probably saved me 20–30 minutes a day. When I open a long email chain from a client, I can ask Copilot to summarize the key decisions and open items. Takes 10 seconds instead of three minutes of reading.

Where it falls short: It sometimes misses context from attachments and older threads that aren’t in its window. Also, it’s tied to Microsoft 365, so if you’re a Google shop, it doesn’t help you.

3. Otter.ai

What I use it for: Transcribing and summarizing client calls and meetings.

I join a call, Otter records and transcribes in real time. After the call, I have a searchable transcript and a summary with action items. Beats trying to take notes while paying attention to the conversation.

Where it falls short: Accuracy drops significantly with strong accents, crosstalk, or low audio quality. It also occasionally mangles technical terms (it does not know what “DMARC” or “VLAN” is). Always review before using the transcript for anything important.

4. Perplexity

What I use it for: Quick research with sources. “What’s the current pricing structure for Microsoft 365 Business Premium?” “What are the recent changes to HIPAA requirements for small practices?”

Unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity cites its sources in the answer, which makes it much easier to verify whether the information is actually current and reliable.

Where it falls short: It can still hallucinate, especially on niche topics. The citations aren’t always to primary sources. I use it as a starting point, not an endpoint.

5. Calendly (AI scheduling features)

What I use it for: Eliminating the back-and-forth of scheduling. Clients book time directly into my calendar based on real availability.

Not AI in the exciting sense, but the newer scheduling tools use AI to optimize meeting times, handle time zones, and manage buffers between appointments. It’s saved me probably two hours a week of email scheduling overhead.

Where it falls short: Some clients are resistant to clicking a scheduling link - they want to call. For those relationships, it doesn’t replace direct communication.

The honest bottom line

None of these tools does everything. Each has a specific job it does well and a place where it breaks down. The mistake I see most often is people trying to use one AI tool for everything, getting disappointed when it’s mediocre at half the tasks, and concluding that “AI doesn’t work.”

Use the right tool for the right task. Start with one. If you’re curious how any of these might fit into your business, I’m happy to talk through it - reach out to DarkHorse IT.