Connect with us

Business

Aussie boss’s $2,000 mistake after using AI to write a work email

Published

on

A cleaning company director lost out on over $2,000 after an AI tool to write emails (stock)
  • A cleaning company director introduced an AI tool to help write work emails
  • Employees used the tool to try and shorten customer response time 

A Melbourne cleaning company director has lost out on thousands of dollars after using artificial intelligence to help write a series of emails.

The business boss had hoped to improve his firm’s productivity, but one mistake alone cost it more than $2000 when he failed to pick up on the blunder.

End of Lease Cleaning Melbourne director Michael had introduced a generative AI tool to speed up the time it would take for his team to respond to customer emails.

Rather than have employees type out individual lists of cleaning services, they would input information such as the type of service required and let the tool do the rest.

The AI-powered tool would then generate an email that included the services, their costs and a job quote for each customer.

But the tool produced several emails with mistakes which were not picked up by the cleaning company’s employees.

‘We lost quite a lot of money,’ Michael told 9news.au.

The AI tool mistakenly listed different services to the ones required without changing the quotes to reflect the higher prices.

A cleaning company director lost out on over $2,000 after an AI tool to write emails (stock)

 

Michael and his team were forced to provide full wall cleans, priced between $500 to $700 for the price of a spot wall clean which is significantly lower.

The company’s most-costly mistake involved the director using the AI tool to generate a quote for property that required a deep clean worth around $2,000.

Michael read over the generated email but failed to spot several mistakes within the correspondence.

He didn’t spot the errors until a week later, by which time it was too late to correct them as the customer had signed up to a different company.

After the $2,000 mistake, End of Lease Cleaning Melbourne’s employees no longer use AI for business correspondence.

The response time for returning customers’ emails has now returned to five hours, the time it had previously taken prior to introducing the AI tool.

‘If you are using AI, you definitely need to read everything two to three times before you send that email,’ he added.

Almost half of all Australians use generative AI, according to a survey Google conducted with IPSOS in January.

According to a survey, around 65 percent of Australian workers said their employer had introduced AI in the workplace (stock)

 

Out of that 50 percent, almost 75 percent of those report using it for work.

In a separate survey carried out by HR platform Workday, around 65 percent of Australian workers stated their employer had introduced AI in the workplace.

Read more

Business

CAC reviews service fees

Published

on

The Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, has announced a review of its service fees, scheduled to take effect from August 1, 2025.

Ekwutosblog learnt that the review followed a thorough evaluation of current economic conditions, rising operational costs, and consultations with key stakeholders across relevant sectors by the Commission.

The adjustments affect services provided to companies, business names, limited partnerships, and incorporated trustees, including post-incorporation filings and other regulatory services.

 

A comprehensive list of the new fees is available on the CAC website.

The adjustment is reportedly aimed at improving service delivery through enhanced digital operations.

Continue Reading

Business

Lagos loses N4trn yearly to traffic congestion, moves to regulate tanker operations

Published

on

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that the state suffers economic losses amounting to approximately N4 trillion each year due to persistent traffic congestion

This was revealed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Sola Giwa, during a recent interview on TVC News.

He identified unregulated parking and the chaotic activities of tankers and articulated vehicles along key logistics corridors as major contributors to the problem.

In response, the government has announced the enforcement of an Electronic Call-Up (E-Call-Up) system, scheduled to take effect from Monday, June 16, 2025.

The initiative targets tankers and articulated vehicles operating along the Lekki-Epe corridor

Giwa explained that all truck operators entering Lagos to load or offload goods will now be required to register and book their movements through the E-Call-Up platform.

The system is designed to coordinate truck activities, eliminate indiscriminate roadside parking, and reduce traffic disruptions.

“Under the new system, tanker operators will be required to upload their Authority to Load, ATL, and pre-book assigned parking slots before arriving in Lagos.

The platform will also collect relevant cargo and travel data, supporting better logistical planning and enforcement.

Seven dedicated truck parks have been approved along the Lekki-Epe axis. These facilities will be equipped with restrooms, kitchens, electricity, and other basic amenities to support driver welfare and operational efficiency.

Giwa stated that the policy is the outcome of more than two years of stakeholder engagement and is a key part of the state’s broader efforts to reform its transportation system and build a more efficient and resilient urban environment.

Continue Reading

Business

Arnold Ekpe: Nine things you need to know about new Chairman of Dangote Sugar

Published

on

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc recently appointed Mr Arnold Ekpe as the new Chairman of its Board, effective 16th June 2025.

Ekpe’s appointment comes after the retirement of Alhaji Aliko Dangote as Chairman of the company on Wednesday.

Dangote’s retirement brought an end to a 20-year leadership of the company.

His retirement will take effect starting from June 16, this year, according to a statement issued yesterday by Company Secretary Temitope Hassan.

However, Ekwutosblog brings you seven things you need to know about Dangote’s replacement, Arnold Ekpe:

1. Ekpe is a seasoned finance professional with more than thirty years of experience in the corporate sectors and banking.

2. He was born in Aug. 1953 in Nigeria, and went to King’s College, Lagos, where he graduated in 1972 and later traveled to abroad for his tertiary education.

3. Ekpe attended the University of Manchester and earned a First Class Honours degree in Engineering as a Shell Scholar (1973–1976).

4. He later obtained an MBA from Manchester Business School (1977–1979).

5. Ekpe started his career in 1977 with Schlumberger SA as a Wireline Logging Engineer.

6. He joined Alcan Aluminium Nigeria as Executive Assistant to the CEO in 1979.

7. Ekpe then entered the banking industry in the early 1980s, starting at International Merchant Bank (an affiliate of First Chicago) as Head of Strategy.

8. He later became Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, a role he held until his retirement in 2012.

9. He has served as an Independent Non‑Executive Director at Dangote Sugar Refinery since 2024.

Continue Reading

Trending