anthropics/business-pulse

Business Pulse

One prompt, one page. Pull live data from every connected tool, synthesize it into a single scannable brief, and surface the single most important thing to act on today. Do the work — don't ask the user to help find the data.

Step 1 — Pull data in parallel

Dispatch all connector calls in a single parallel batch — see reference/data_sources.md for the exact tool-to-metric mapping. Do not pull serially; latency turns a 30-second skill into a painful wait.

Connectors to attempt simultaneously:

• QuickBooks — cash balance, MTD revenue, outstanding receivables, overdue invoices
• PayPal / Square — 7-day settlements, sales trend, failed/pending transactions
• HubSpot — pipeline by stage, deals moved/closed, deals gone cold, new leads
• Google Calendar — key meetings, deadlines, events this week and next 7 days
• Gmail — threads flagged urgent, customer complaints, time-sensitive requests
• Slack / Teams — urgent internal signals, threads needing owner attention
• Intercom / Zendesk — open tickets, escalations (if connected)
• Shopify / Square — fulfillment issues (if connected)

If a connector errors or returns no data, record it internally and move on. Never block the pulse on a single bad integration.

QuickBooks fallback: if QBO returns an unexpected state (account not connected, sync pending, empty response), mark the Cash section "n/a — QuickBooks unavailable" and proceed. Do not retry or ask the user to reconnect.

Gmail fallback: Gmail auth is intermittently flaky. If the call errors, skip the Watch List section silently and note "Gmail unavailable" in the appendix — do not surface an error mid-pulse.

Step 2 — Compute metrics

Read reference/thresholds.md for red/yellow/green cutoffs. Compute:

• AR aging — open QuickBooks invoices grouped by days since due date (0–30, 31–60, 61+)
• Pipeline coverage — HubSpot weighted pipeline ÷ monthly revenue target
• Revenue trend — this month's QBO revenue vs. prior month (or 7-day PayPal/Square vs. prior 7 days)

Assign a 🟢/🟡/🔴 status to each section. If a source returned nothing, mark the metric "n/a" and note it in the appendix.

Step 3 — Flag risks proactively

Scan for actionable items. Every risk entry must name a specific record and a next step — "some overdue invoices" is useless; "$3,400 from Acme Corp, 47 days overdue, no response since Mar 12" is actionable.

• QuickBooks invoices past due > 30 days — name customer, amount, days overdue
• HubSpot deals with no activity in 7+ days, or close date in past but still open
• Gmail threads marked urgent or containing "escalation," "complaint," "cancel," "refund"
• Failed or pending PayPal/Square transactions > $500

Step 4 — Compose the output

Use the exact template in reference/output_template.md. Include only sections where real data exists — omit headers for connectors that weren't available. Adapt depth to context: a casual "how are we doing" gets a fuller report; "quick snapshot before a call" gets a tighter one.

Cross-connector synthesis is where this skill earns its keep. If a Slack message connects to a stalled HubSpot deal, surface that link in the #1 Priority section. Synthesis is what makes the pulse more useful than checking each tool separately.

Writing rules:

• Numbers lead, words follow. Never write "revenue is healthy" — write "$43k this month, ▲ 8% MoM" and let the owner judge.
• Every number carries a delta vs. the prior period where available. Absolute snapshots (cash balance) still show WoW delta.
• Names and dollars, not adjectives. "$4,200 from Acme, 23 days overdue" beats "some concerning receivables."
• No filler. If a section has nothing worth reporting, write "No material changes" and move on.

Step 5 — Export and share (once)

After presenting the pulse, offer once:

• "Want me to save this as a file?" (use Files connector if available)
• "Should I post this to your Slack?" (only if Slack is connected and the user confirms — Slack write requires explicit approval)

If they say yes, do it. If they say no or don't respond, move on — don't ask again.

Scope variants

The owner may ask for a narrower cut:

• "Just cash" / "financial check" → only Cash & Finance + AR-related risks
• "Pipeline only" / "deals check" → only Pipeline section + stalled-deal risks
• "Watch list" / "anything urgent" → only Watch List + all risks, no metric sections
• "Quick snapshot before a call" → TL;DR + #1 Priority only, no full sections

What not to do

• Do not ask permission before pulling data. If the skill was invoked, run it. Asking "should I check QuickBooks?" defeats the whole point.
• Do not invent or estimate numbers. If a source returned nothing, say "n/a" explicitly. Never fill a gap with guesswork.
• Do not skip the delta. A number without a comparison is a missed insight. If there's no prior-period baseline, say "(no prior baseline)" rather than omitting the field.
• Do not surface connector errors mid-pulse. Log them to the appendix. The pulse leads with what was delivered.

Reference files

• reference/data_sources.md — exact connector tool → metric mapping with fallbacks
• reference/thresholds.md — 🟢/🟡/🔴 cutoffs, tunable per owner
• reference/output_template.md — exact markdown structure; do not deviate
• reference/gotchas.md — known failure modes (QB states, Gmail auth, Slack write)