AI Foundations · free starter
See which client needs you first.
Use the sample and guides to organise client priorities, starting with information you’re allowed to share. Prepare a brief you can check before connecting any accounts.
Free AI starter kit
The starter is free. Building your own dashboard and scheduled brief needs a paid Claude plan and the Claude desktop app; connections need setup.
I ran Studio Moku and founded Design Match before Switchboards. This starter comes from the AI setup I use to keep track of my own business.
Danielle Thompson, founder of Switchboards
Every client pays for the work they can see. The checking, sorting and reporting around it is what stops you saying yes to the next one.
Set up in the free starter
Now:
You open four inboxes and three calendars before 8am just to find out which client needs you first.
With AI:
Prepare a brief from the client updates you supply. Start with one client and check the details before considering supported inbox or calendar connections.
Set up in the free starter
Now:
Hours used, open tasks and unpaid invoices live in different places, so a retainer runs over before you notice.
With AI:
Use the guide to adapt the dashboard with retainer hours, tasks and invoice information you provide. Check and refresh those figures yourself.
Set up in the free starter
Now:
By Friday you can’t say where the week went, or which client quietly took twice the hours they pay for.
With AI:
Use current records to compare the week with your retainers, following an AI weekly business review. Pick one thing to improve.
Next, not included
Now:
Every client signs off differently, and routine replies and status emails eat hours you could bill to someone new.
With AI:
Supply a page of rules for each client when drafting replies and reports. Check the tone, facts and recipient before sending.
Start with the sample and guides. Your own dashboard and connected brief need additional setup.
Visualize
Start with one client’s permitted priorities and tasks, then adapt the sample dashboard. Keep the context and permissions clear before adding another client.
Automate
Prepare a brief from supplied updates. Scheduling needs paid Claude Desktop and compatible connections; access to one account does not establish support for all your clients’ accounts.
Optimize
Use the review guide with current records to spot work that exceeded its allowance. Choose one change before planning the following week.
After that, choose the next workflow to hand to AI. You start with AI Foundations, and it’s free.
No. It’s AI Foundations, a free 20-minute starter for anyone running a business. When clients want their posting handled too, The Social Machine is the live next step.
Check each client’s permission and whether the required connection is supported. Start with the sample or permitted updates you supply; the starter does not connect every client’s account for you.
Use it to organise the updates you currently gather by hand. Review the time and checking it still takes before deciding whether to add another client.
The sample needs no account. Your own dashboard and scheduled brief need a paid Claude plan and the Claude desktop app; each connection requires setup.
Use the guide to prepare a brief for one client from permitted information, then assess any connections you need.
The starter is free; your own setup needs paid Claude Desktop. Signup also includes Switchboards emails.