Consulting is a tough gig. The sheer volume of information our consultants need to master makes onboarding and training a massive, ongoing challenge. At GNW, we support a diverse range of platforms, each with its own quirks and technical nuances. Add to that the need for project management expertise, trusted advisor skills, client relationship management, and the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues, and it’s no exaggeration to say that training our team is a colossal undertaking.
But AI—specifically ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs)—is changing the game.
Custom GPTs in This Article:
Custom GPT #1: Empowering Consultants with the GNW Guru
One of the reasons I took the job at GNW was the chance to build a Custom GPT specifically for consultants. I’d been experimenting with GPT for personal use and saw the potential to transform how consultancies operate. I thought back to my time at LeadMD, where I’d spent four years building a knowledge base to answer everything from, “Why didn’t this campaign fire?” to “What are our lead lifecycle best practices?” to “The client is furious; what do I do?”
It was a Herculean effort, and even after countless hours (and many, many tears), the knowledge base was never quite “there.” It had gaps, it was hard to organize, and updating it felt like an impossible game of whack-a-mole. But ChatGPT changed the rules.
AI gave me the tools to create something exponentially more useful in a fraction of the time. Enter The GNW Guru: a Custom GPT that combines multiple sources of information into one central AI assistant.
Here’s what powers the Guru:
- Documentation for every tool we support (Marketo Engage, HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketing Cloud, CaliberMind, HockeyStack, and more).
- Consulting best practices pulled from a 50+ page guide I developed.
- Real-world examples distilled from a year’s worth of client calls to provide context and actionable insights.
The Guru isn’t just a repository of knowledge—it’s a coach, a time-saver, and a training tool rolled into one.
The Benefits of the GNW Guru
1. Massive Time Savings
Consultants can:
- Quickly find answers to platform-specific questions.
- Access best practices without sifting through files or waiting for a colleague to respond on Slack.
- Avoid redundant back-and-forth in shared channels, saving time across the team.
For example: Before the Guru, solving a technical issue might take 60 minutes and involve three people. Now, a single consultant can resolve it in under five minutes with the Guru. At an average rate of $100 per hour, that reduces the cost of a task from $300 to $25. And just imagine how much happier the client will be at the speed and efficiency of the solution!
2. Improved Skills
The Guru doesn’t just answer questions—it trains consultants. For instance, it can analyze call transcripts and provide feedback, helping consultants refine their communication and problem-solving skills. This has a ripple effect: happier clients, stronger consultants, and better outcomes. This one is harder to quantify, but we expect the improvement will grow existing client retainers by 2x.
3. Positive Business Impact
- Consistency of Delivery: In many consultancies, quality varies by who’s assigned to the account. With the Guru, every consultant has access to the same high-quality resources, so every client gets “seasoned” expertise.
- Scalability: Training no longer feels like an endless, uphill battle. The Guru keeps up with constant updates in product data and makes it all searchable in real-time. We estimate the scale improvement alone to add $250,000 to our EBITDA in 2025.
Custom GPT #2: Revolutionizing Onboarding
The second Custom GPT I built addresses another critical challenge: onboarding.
At GNW, onboarding used to be a daunting process. New hires had to absorb a massive amount of information—technical knowledge, consulting methodologies, project workflows—quickly. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
The Onboarding GPT transforms this experience into something faster, easier, and more engaging.
What Makes the Onboarding GPT Unique
1. Adaptive Learning
The GPT quizzes employees to assess their proficiency and tailors the depth of content accordingly. If someone’s already familiar with Salesforce basics, they can focus on advanced topics instead of sitting through unnecessary lessons.
2. Flexible Navigation
Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all. Employees can skip ahead to explore topics they’re curious about or revisit sections as needed, putting them in control of their learning journey.
3. On-Demand Context
At any point, new hires can ask the GPT clarifying questions, gaining a better understanding of the material without feeling stuck or intimidated.
The Biggest Win of All
Beyond its immediate benefits, the Onboarding GPT has sparked a cultural shift. New employees are already brainstorming ways to use AI in other areas of the business. This ripple effect—getting more people to think critically and creatively about AI—is the kind of impact that creates lasting competitive advantage.
And of course, we aren’t just considering AI for internal needs. We’re now launching AI projects for clients. And no, they aren’t content projects. We’re experimenting with creating “Gurus” for specific clients and leveraging AI’s data analysis and modeling capabilities to bring next level innovation to lifecycle management and scoring.
Lessons Learned
Of course, these tools aren’t perfect. ChatGPT, like any AI, can be overconfident in its responses. To mitigate this, we’ve implemented a logging system to track questions where the GPT isn’t 100% certain, allowing me to correct mistakes and improve accuracy over time. We also encourage the team to flag any odd or incorrect answers for review.
The Road Ahead
The GNW Guru and Onboarding GPT are just the beginning. These tools have already made a measurable impact, from saving time to improving consistency and inspiring innovation. But more than that, they represent the future of how consultancies like GNW can operate: faster, smarter, and more scalable than ever before.
If you’re curious about building similar tools for your business or want to steal my structure doc, connect with me on LinkedIn where I talk about the latest and greatest. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI.
