From Training to Real-World Impact: How Girling Jones Turned AI into 8 Working Bots and 3 Useful Apps

For Simon, the value of the AI & Traction course has been taking what he learned and applying it directly to his business. Rather than stopping at the training itself, he has continued experimenting with different tools, identifying repetitive tasks and finding ways to automate them.

That approach has already resulted in eight AI chatbots, each designed to handle a specific task within Girling Jones. From writing bids and improving job adverts to researching vacancies and updating the company website, the bots are helping Simon tackle a range of tasks that would otherwise take up valuable time. 

Simon now has eight chatbots working for him, each with its own name and purpose.

1. Paulo the Prompt Agent: A TRN model designed to help Simon build new bots, giving him a starting point for developing additional AI tools.

2. Paddy the Vacancy Tweaker: Rewrites existing job adverts to keep them fresh and engaging, without having to start from scratch each time.

3. Adler the Vac Farmer: Searches online for new vacancies across the Southwest each week, helping Simon identify potential opportunities.

4. Matt the Synthesia: Creates scripts for Synthesia adverts, allowing Simon to use his avatar to promote opportunities online.

5. Pie the CV Writer: Takes an uploaded CV and formats it into a cleaner, more professional document that follows the Girling Jones format.

6. Clarky the LinkedIn Poster: Creates LinkedIn adverts based on a few prompts and inputs, making it easier to produce content for social media.

7. Dave the Website Builder: Guides Simon step by step through making changes and improvements to the company's WordPress website. This has already delivered a practical financial benefit by reducing the need to pay for external website support.

8. Boo the Bid Writer: Helps write bid responses and create policy documents tailored to Girling Jones and the specific client they are pitching to.

Together, these bots demonstrate how Simon has moved beyond general AI experimentation and developed tools that support real tasks across his business.

BUILDING BEYOND CHATBOTS

Simon hasn't stopped at chatbots. Using Replit, he has also built three custom applications to solve specific problems and provide useful tools for his business and its customers.

Southwest Salary Intelligence: A tool designed to provide salary intelligence for the Southwest recruitment market.

Worth the Drive?: Helps people compare their current role with a potential new role by looking at the commute involved.

PAYE Calculator: Allows contractors to calculate their estimated weekly take-home pay.

Simon has brought these tools together on a page on the Girling Jones website, creating a collection of practical resources that people can explore and use. You can see the tools here: girlingjones.com/cool-stuff

THE COMMERCIAL IMPACT

While Simon hasn't provided a single overall financial figure for the impact, the practical benefits are already clear.

His AI tools are helping automate repetitive tasks, speed up content creation, support vacancy research and streamline bid writing and CV formatting. The website builder has also helped him save money by guiding him through website improvements himself. Meanwhile, the three Replit applications give Girling Jones additional tools and resources that can support its work and provide value to its audience.

The wider benefit is that Simon is building the capability to identify problems and create solutions independently, rather than relying on existing processes or external support for every task.