Getting AI to help replace office employees?

[Gobears81]

Morning everyone,

Our company lost one of our primary office employees, and having trouble filling that position - at least with someone that we are comfortable hiring.

Something that has been thrown around is using an AI assistant to replace some of the tasks that were previously done. The previous worker wrote up new orders, edited commercial appraisals, and sketched out properties on Apex.

The order writeups revolve around ACI, and as a commercial guy, it seems a bit cumbersome/ unnecessary, but I'm not the head of the company. Sketching is something that we've been able to train high schoolers/ college kids to do in the past, though we haven't even gotten much interest in PT/ summer jobs this year. Proofing commercial appraisals is an area that I think is best suited for AI, but I don't know much about potential options. Received a sales call about Auger from Mountainseed - not sure if that is a suitable option for this type of work.

Thoughts?

 

[J Grant]

My impression is that a generic AI assistant is more single-task oriented - such as it could be programmed to write up an order.

Some residential license appraisers are retired or part time/looking for extra income. They already know how to sketch in Apex. They proof read their own appraisals and would be easy to train to proof read to your specs for commercial. You could pay them on a $ per-report basis rather than hire them as an employee. Set it up with remote software, so they work from home.

 

[Digger88]

I really like gpt's newest model and didn't even know they had a business model that doesn't use private data for training. My typist (recently hired her back) used to be an appraiser may be interested lmk how much it pays and what is required and I'll ask if she's interested

Yes—but AI would replace pieces of that employee’s job, not the entire position.

Task	Best solution
Proof commercial appraisals	Augur or ChatGPT Business
Extract new-order information	ChatGPT/OpenAI plus ACI automation
Enter orders directly into ACI	ACI API or Power Automate Desktop
Create Apex sketches	Human sketcher using Apex tools

[th]

Can AI do it?​

[/th]​

[td]

Yes, very well​

[/td]​

[td]

Yes​

[/td]​

[td]

Possible, but requires integration​

[/td]​

[td]

Only partially​

[/td]​

My straight recommendation​

For technical commercial-appraisal review, Augur is probably the strongest purpose-built option. It checks for missing components, inconsistent assumptions, unsupported conclusions, USPAP-related issues and creates a review audit trail. MountainSeed says it was developed using tens of thousands of commercial appraisal reviews. However, it primarily identifies problems—it may not actually rewrite and finish the Word report for you. Augur’s published capabilities
For actually editing the report, checking calculations and producing corrected language, ChatGPT Business is more versatile. Give me the appraisal, engagement letter, Excel files and your company checklist, and I can:

• Find conflicting values, dates, property rights, acreage and ownership information.
• Reconcile capitalization rates, NOI, expenses, adjustments and valuation conclusions.
• Flag unsupported assumptions and missing explanations.
• Proof grammar and rewrite awkward sections.
• Produce a page-by-page correction list or edit the Word document itself.

I cannot independently certify that the appraisal is credible or USPAP-compliant. The signing appraiser must verify everything. The Appraisal Foundation specifically says AI cannot substitute for an appraiser’s professional judgment. Appraisal Foundation AI guidance
If the work is mostly grammatical editing inside Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the easiest, because it works directly in Word and can rewrite and refine selected content. It is not as appraisal-specific as Augur. Copilot in Word

ACI order entry​

AI can read an engagement letter or order email and extract every required field into a standardized order sheet. Direct entry into ACI requires another layer.
ACI advertises an Order Management API for its enterprise Sky platform, but whether it is available depends on the company’s exact ACI product and licensing. ACI Sky Report
If their ACI version has no usable API, Microsoft Power Automate Desktop can operate older Windows programs through their buttons and fields. That would let an AI extract the order information and then have automation populate ACI, with an employee approving it before submission. Power Automate Desktop

Apex sketching​

I would not trust current AI to autonomously produce final appraisal sketches. One misread dimension can affect the entire area calculation. Apex already offers better assistance: Photometrics imports hand drawings, PDFs and floor plans as a scaled background for tracing, while ApexPortal allows sketches to be shared among staff. Apex Photometrics
Keep this task with a trained part-time person and have a qualified appraiser verify the finished sketch.

Important confidentiality issue​

Do not upload live appraisal reports into ordinary consumer AI accounts without addressing client confidentiality. Use a business product and obtain appropriate contractual protections. ChatGPT Business does not use business data for model training by default; Microsoft gives similar protection to commercial Copilot data. OpenAI business privacy
Augur’s public privacy page appears primarily written for its website and says it does not apply to certain analytics products. Before signing, demand written answers covering report retention, model training, deletion, subcontractors, security and whether uploaded reports remain completely segregated. Augur privacy policy
Bottom line: Augur is the best specialized technical reviewer; ChatGPT Business is the best all-around report proofing and editing assistant; Power Automate is what would make ACI entry possible; Apex sketching should remain human-controlled. The smartest test would be running Augur and ChatGPT against five previously proofed reports and comparing missed errors, false alarms, editing time and total cost.

 

[gorillakimchi]

I really like gpt's newest model and didn't even know they had a business model that doesn't use private data for training. My typist (recently hired her back) used to be an appraiser may be interested lmk how much it pays and what is required and I'll ask if she's interested

Yes—but AI would replace pieces of that employee’s job, not the entire position.

Task	Best solution
Proof commercial appraisals	Augur or ChatGPT Business
Extract new-order information	ChatGPT/OpenAI plus ACI automation
Enter orders directly into ACI	ACI API or Power Automate Desktop
Create Apex sketches	Human sketcher using Apex tools

[th]
Can AI do it?

[/th]
[td]
Yes, very well

[/td]
[td]
Yes

[/td]
[td]
Possible, but requires integration

[/td]
[td]
Only partially

[/td]​

My straight recommendation​

For technical commercial-appraisal review, Augur is probably the strongest purpose-built option. It checks for missing components, inconsistent assumptions, unsupported conclusions, USPAP-related issues and creates a review audit trail. MountainSeed says it was developed using tens of thousands of commercial appraisal reviews. However, it primarily identifies problems—it may not actually rewrite and finish the Word report for you. Augur’s published capabilities
For actually editing the report, checking calculations and producing corrected language, ChatGPT Business is more versatile. Give me the appraisal, engagement letter, Excel files and your company checklist, and I can:

• Find conflicting values, dates, property rights, acreage and ownership information.
• Reconcile capitalization rates, NOI, expenses, adjustments and valuation conclusions.
• Flag unsupported assumptions and missing explanations.
• Proof grammar and rewrite awkward sections.
• Produce a page-by-page correction list or edit the Word document itself.

I cannot independently certify that the appraisal is credible or USPAP-compliant. The signing appraiser must verify everything. The Appraisal Foundation specifically says AI cannot substitute for an appraiser’s professional judgment. Appraisal Foundation AI guidance
If the work is mostly grammatical editing inside Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the easiest, because it works directly in Word and can rewrite and refine selected content. It is not as appraisal-specific as Augur. Copilot in Word

ACI order entry​

AI can read an engagement letter or order email and extract every required field into a standardized order sheet. Direct entry into ACI requires another layer.
ACI advertises an Order Management API for its enterprise Sky platform, but whether it is available depends on the company’s exact ACI product and licensing. ACI Sky Report
If their ACI version has no usable API, Microsoft Power Automate Desktop can operate older Windows programs through their buttons and fields. That would let an AI extract the order information and then have automation populate ACI, with an employee approving it before submission. Power Automate Desktop

Apex sketching​

I would not trust current AI to autonomously produce final appraisal sketches. One misread dimension can affect the entire area calculation. Apex already offers better assistance: Photometrics imports hand drawings, PDFs and floor plans as a scaled background for tracing, while ApexPortal allows sketches to be shared among staff. Apex Photometrics
Keep this task with a trained part-time person and have a qualified appraiser verify the finished sketch.

Important confidentiality issue​

Do not upload live appraisal reports into ordinary consumer AI accounts without addressing client confidentiality. Use a business product and obtain appropriate contractual protections. ChatGPT Business does not use business data for model training by default; Microsoft gives similar protection to commercial Copilot data. OpenAI business privacy
Augur’s public privacy page appears primarily written for its website and says it does not apply to certain analytics products. Before signing, demand written answers covering report retention, model training, deletion, subcontractors, security and whether uploaded reports remain completely segregated. Augur privacy policy
Bottom line: Augur is the best specialized technical reviewer; ChatGPT Business is the best all-around report proofing and editing assistant; Power Automate is what would make ACI entry possible; Apex sketching should remain human-controlled. The smartest test would be running Augur and ChatGPT against five previously proofed reports and comparing missed errors, false alarms, editing time and total cost.

Thanks for helpful info!

 

[Gobears81]

I really like gpt's newest model and didn't even know they had a business model that doesn't use private data for training. My typist (recently hired her back) used to be an appraiser may be interested lmk how much it pays and what is required and I'll ask if she's interested

Yes—but AI would replace pieces of that employee’s job, not the entire position.

Task	Best solution
Proof commercial appraisals	Augur or ChatGPT Business
Extract new-order information	ChatGPT/OpenAI plus ACI automation
Enter orders directly into ACI	ACI API or Power Automate Desktop
Create Apex sketches	Human sketcher using Apex tools

[th]
Can AI do it?

[/th]
[td]
Yes, very well

[/td]
[td]
Yes

[/td]
[td]
Possible, but requires integration

[/td]
[td]
Only partially

[/td]​

My straight recommendation​

For technical commercial-appraisal review, Augur is probably the strongest purpose-built option. It checks for missing components, inconsistent assumptions, unsupported conclusions, USPAP-related issues and creates a review audit trail. MountainSeed says it was developed using tens of thousands of commercial appraisal reviews. However, it primarily identifies problems—it may not actually rewrite and finish the Word report for you. Augur’s published capabilities
For actually editing the report, checking calculations and producing corrected language, ChatGPT Business is more versatile. Give me the appraisal, engagement letter, Excel files and your company checklist, and I can:

• Find conflicting values, dates, property rights, acreage and ownership information.
• Reconcile capitalization rates, NOI, expenses, adjustments and valuation conclusions.
• Flag unsupported assumptions and missing explanations.
• Proof grammar and rewrite awkward sections.
• Produce a page-by-page correction list or edit the Word document itself.

I cannot independently certify that the appraisal is credible or USPAP-compliant. The signing appraiser must verify everything. The Appraisal Foundation specifically says AI cannot substitute for an appraiser’s professional judgment. Appraisal Foundation AI guidance
If the work is mostly grammatical editing inside Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot is the easiest, because it works directly in Word and can rewrite and refine selected content. It is not as appraisal-specific as Augur. Copilot in Word

ACI order entry​

AI can read an engagement letter or order email and extract every required field into a standardized order sheet. Direct entry into ACI requires another layer.
ACI advertises an Order Management API for its enterprise Sky platform, but whether it is available depends on the company’s exact ACI product and licensing. ACI Sky Report
If their ACI version has no usable API, Microsoft Power Automate Desktop can operate older Windows programs through their buttons and fields. That would let an AI extract the order information and then have automation populate ACI, with an employee approving it before submission. Power Automate Desktop

Apex sketching​

I would not trust current AI to autonomously produce final appraisal sketches. One misread dimension can affect the entire area calculation. Apex already offers better assistance: Photometrics imports hand drawings, PDFs and floor plans as a scaled background for tracing, while ApexPortal allows sketches to be shared among staff. Apex Photometrics
Keep this task with a trained part-time person and have a qualified appraiser verify the finished sketch.

Important confidentiality issue​

Do not upload live appraisal reports into ordinary consumer AI accounts without addressing client confidentiality. Use a business product and obtain appropriate contractual protections. ChatGPT Business does not use business data for model training by default; Microsoft gives similar protection to commercial Copilot data. OpenAI business privacy
Augur’s public privacy page appears primarily written for its website and says it does not apply to certain analytics products. Before signing, demand written answers covering report retention, model training, deletion, subcontractors, security and whether uploaded reports remain completely segregated. Augur privacy policy
Bottom line: Augur is the best specialized technical reviewer; ChatGPT Business is the best all-around report proofing and editing assistant; Power Automate is what would make ACI entry possible; Apex sketching should remain human-controlled. The smartest test would be running Augur and ChatGPT against five previously proofed reports and comparing missed errors, false alarms, editing time and total cost.

Thanks!

 

[cashcatz]

Since Gobears81 asked me in another chat, Appraisal Inbox helps automate and streamline much of the back office work. We are about to release our booking feature (basically like calendly.com built in) so that you can just kick off an email to the inspection contact with your availability and all they need to do is tap to select a time, saving a bunch of time on typical phone-tag for inspection setting that office staff traditionally handled.