Getting Started with Claude Code

Claude Code is an AI assistant made by Anthropic that helps people do work faster. Your technical team may already be using it to write software — but it can do much more than that. It can research, summarise, draft documents, analyse data, and handle repetitive tasks across your business.

This guide is for anyone in the business who wants to understand what Claude Code does and whether it's worth exploring. No programming knowledge needed.

What Claude Code actually does

Think of Claude Code as a very capable assistant that works inside your computer. When you give it a task, it:

• Reads the files and information you point it at
• Understands context — your company, your customers, your processes
• Does the work: writing drafts, researching, summarising, organising
• Checks its own work and fixes mistakes
• Gives you the finished result to review

It's not a chatbot. It doesn't just answer questions — it takes actions. It reads your files, writes new ones, and completes multi-step tasks on its own.

What can I use it for?

Here are some ways non-technical teams are using Claude Code today:

• Sales — Research prospects and build meeting briefs from CRM data, LinkedIn, and company news
• Customer support — Draft replies and find relevant help articles based on the customer's issue
• Proposals and reports — Generate first drafts from templates and existing data
• Administration — Organise files, summarise meeting notes, prepare agendas

What does it cost?

Claude Code has a subscription plan at $200/month per person for unlimited use. For occasional users, there's a pay-as-you-go option that typically costs $5–30 per day depending on how much you use it.

For a full breakdown of costs for teams of different sizes, see What It Costs.

What your first week looks like

Day 1: Your team sets it up

Your IT or development team installs Claude Code and sets up access for you. This takes about 30 minutes. They'll also configure what Claude Code can and can't access — keeping your sensitive data protected.

Days 2–3: Try it on a real task

Pick a task you do regularly that takes 30+ minutes. Meeting prep, a report, a customer email. Ask Claude Code to do it. Review the result. It won't be perfect the first time — you'll need to tell it what you liked and what to change.

Days 4–5: Build a routine

Once you find a task it handles well, your technical team can turn it into a "skill" — a saved workflow that runs the same way every time. Now instead of explaining what you need, you just run the skill and review the output.

Is it safe?

This is the most common question, and it's a good one. Claude Code has built-in safety controls: your technical team decides what it can access, what it can do, and what needs human approval. For a full explanation, see Is It Safe?

What makes this different from ChatGPT?

• It reads your actual files — Not just what you paste into a chat. It can access your documents, spreadsheets, and data directly (with permission).
• It takes actions — It doesn't just suggest what to do. It does the work: creates files, runs processes, generates outputs.
• It remembers your processes — Through skills and configuration, it learns how your business works and follows your standards consistently.
• It stays within boundaries — Your technical team sets guardrails. Claude Code respects them.

Next steps

Explore the specific use cases: Sales Meeting Prep, Customer Support, or Proposals & Reports. Or check What It Costs if budget is your first question.