AI adoption in German SMBs is still lagging behind. But with tools like Claude Code, the entry barrier is lower than ever — and it’s not just for developers.
Claude Code is a powerful AI development assistant from Anthropic. It’s been trained to write, refactor, analyze, and understand code — but its capabilities go far beyond software development. Inspired by Anthropic’s internal workflows[1], this post highlights how small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) can use Claude Code across departments: from customer support and marketing to HR and leadership.
This isn’t about “experimenting with AI” — it’s about concrete productivity gains for online merchants, agencies, and digital SMBs starting to build their AI playbook.
Engineering: Accelerate Development with a Context-Aware Assistant
Engineering teams are typically the first to benefit. Claude Code shines when it understands the project context — making it a great fit for Magento, Laravel, or Shopware teams.
Real-world use cases:
- Refactor old codebases to modern standards (e.g., PHP 8.2, Tailwind)
- Generate service layers, interfaces, and repositories for Magento 2
- Write unit tests with high test coverage and explicit naming
- Review GitLab issues and suggest clean implementation plans
Pro tip: Index your repository using Serena or Cloud Code to give Claude full context.
Customer Support: Faster Replies with Less Repetition
Support teams can use Claude to write personalized, context-aware replies — especially for technical or repeat issues.
Real-world use cases:
- Summarize multi-message email threads in one sentence
- Draft replies using documentation and ticket history
- Build smart troubleshooting scripts from past solutions
Claude can even turn messy ticket data into a structured knowledge base.
Marketing: Turn Content into a Scalable Asset
For marketing teams, Claude isn’t just a copywriter — it’s an ideation and optimization tool.
Real-world use cases:
- Write SEO-optimized landing pages based on product data
- Draft variations of headlines, CTAs, and product descriptions
- Repurpose blog posts for LinkedIn, newsletter, and Instagram
- Extract keywords from HTML or Screaming Frog exports
Give Claude examples of your past content to get tone and language right.
Leadership & Strategy: Better Decisions with Less Overhead
Claude can serve as a second brain for decision-makers — especially when information is spread across PDFs, chats, and tools.
Real-world use cases:
- Summarize 40-page reports or board memos into 3 bullet points
- Compare vendors or tools based on structured criteria
- Draft strategic emails, partner updates, or press releases
- Build presentation outlines in seconds
Use Claude to prepare the groundwork — then refine the output.
HR & Recruiting: Save Time While Improving Candidate Experience
Claude can automate repetitive HR work without losing quality.
Real-world use cases:
- Draft personalized job postings tailored to the channel
- Summarize CVs and create shortlists based on skill criteria
- Prepare onboarding documents or culture decks
- Generate structured interview notes after candidate calls
HR teams can stay human — and still move faster.
Why This Matters for SMBs
In many companies, AI is still seen as a technical project. But Claude Code shows that AI can be useful for every employee — if you give it the right context and a clear task.
You don’t need a large data team or a “Head of AI.” What you need is:
- ✅ Clear use cases per department
- ✅ Tools like Cloud Code to manage project context
- ✅ A culture that encourages experimentation
Start small. Start now. The ROI will come faster than expected.
References
- Anthropic. How Anthropic teams use Claude Code. https://www.anthropic.com/news/how-anthropic-teams-use-claude-code ↩︎