An AI draft looks finished, so it gets sent. Then the client notices the wrong name, or a number that is slightly off, or you realise you pasted something you were not allowed to paste. This page is the safety net: a three-pass check for every draft, a one-page client data rule you write once, and a script for the day a client says, can you try this new tool?
Pass 1: names and numbers
Check every name, date, amount and link against the source, not against your memory. Read numbers digit by digit. Open every link. Drafts most often fail here, and it is the failure clients notice first.
A prompt you can paste into any assistant to make the check easier: Draft this using only the facts below. If a fact is missing, write MISSING instead of guessing. At the end, list every name, number and date you used, so I can check each one. Then paste your source facts.
Pass 2: tone against the brief
Reread the client's instructions or your last three messages to them. Does the draft sound like you writing to them? Remove anything you would not say out loud: invented enthusiasm, long openers, promises.
Pass 3: log what you changed
Keep a running note: Draft date | What I changed | Why. After two weeks the pattern shows you what the tool gets wrong for your work, and what to tell it next time.
Worked example (illustrative). You asked a helper to draft a payment reminder. The draft says the invoice is for 1,250 dollars and 14 days overdue. The invoice says 1,205 and 12 days. Pass 1 catches it. Pass 2 notices the draft says we are very concerned, which you never say to this client, so you cut it. Pass 3 log: wrong amount, wrong tone. Next time you add: use only the amount and date I give you.
Write your client data rule once
Before you use any AI tool with client work, write this on one page and keep it where you can see it.
- May go in: public information, text the client wrote for publishing, sample data with names removed.
- Ask first: anything with a customer's name, email or payment detail; anything the client calls internal.
- Never goes in: passwords, banking details, health or legal records, anything under a signed confidentiality term.
- Where the tool stores it: [read the tool's privacy and data terms, write one line].
- Who decided: [the client, and the date].
If you are unsure which row something belongs in, it is not in the first row. Ask the client. Our guide on how to write an SOP shows how to keep a rule like this as a reusable document.
When a client asks you to try a new tool
Reply with three questions before you open it: What data may I put in? Who will see the output? Who decides if we keep using it? Then test on sample data for a week, using the three-pass check, and write down the result. The decision stays with the client, and you have a record.
How to judge any tool recommendation, including ours
Recommendations online look alike. Check three things: does it show the pricing and terms, does it say whether the writer tested the tool, and does it list free options before paid ones? We aim to do all three, and we say when we have not tested something. When a page earns money from a link, it should say so in plain words beside the link. Ours does.
Where a tool fits
If you want a place to run the check on drafts, one option is Creao, an AI agent platform. Its public pages say agents can be set to full auto or to approval gates, where write actions pause for your sign-off, and that it connects with OAuth or an API key. Its pricing page lists a free plan with no credit card and 30 one-time credits. Check the current details on its site. We have not tested Creao ourselves.
If you want to try it with sample data only, here is the Creao link. We may earn a commission if you sign up.
Opened this page from Instagram or another app? Creao's sign-up page says Google and Apple sign-in are not available inside an in-app browser. Tap the three dots in the corner and choose Open in browser first, or sign up with an email address.
Link blocked or not opening? Some ad blockers block partner tracking links. You do not need the link: search for Creao AI (creao.ai) in your browser and sign up from there.
Keep going
See AI tools for virtual assistants, how to roll out AI tools without breaking your workflow and the AI Tools Mastery guide.
We may earn a commission if you sign up. It does not change what you pay.