The Power Move That Transformed My Business
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
By Rishi Raj
When I look back at the journey of building PaperTrue, one decision stands out as the single biggest move that transformed not just our workflows, but the very identity of our company: integrating artificial intelligence into our editing and proofreading process.
When I first founded PaperTrue, my mission was simple: to make high-quality language services affordable and accessible to everyone. We began as a traditional editing company with human editors. The work was excellent, but the challenges were clear: high operational costs, long turnaround times, and limitations on how fast we could scale.
The turning point came a few years ago when I started experimenting with large language models. Out of sheer curiosity, I tested them with rough drafts filled with awkward phrasing and grammatical errors. To my surprise, the AI produced clean, polished text in seconds. It wasn’t perfect, the tone sometimes drifted, or meaning shifted slightly—but it was obvious to me that AI could play a significant role as a “first pass” editor, cleaning up the basics before a human stepped in.
That realization sparked an idea: what if we combined the efficiency of AI with the nuance and judgment of professional editors? Instead of replacing humans, AI would work alongside them!
The execution of this vision was anything but easy. Our goal was to have AI edits appear directly in Microsoft Word with tracked changes. But Word’s proprietary structure made this incredibly challenging. For nearly a year, our IT team wrestled with file compatibility, painstakingly testing different approaches. There were times when it felt like we might never solve it.
Eventually, we cracked it. We built a two-tier workflow:
AI First Pass – The AI cleaned up grammar, punctuation, syntax and made basic stylistic improvements.
Human Second Pass – A professional editor reviewed every AI suggestion, polished the language, and ensured accuracy, tone, and style were preserved.
This hybrid approach reduced our turnaround times by over 60%. A job that once took three days could now be completed in just over one.
The impact was immediate and measurable:
Faster Delivery: Clients received their work in record time.
Higher Capacity: We processed more documents without overwhelming our editors.
Cost Efficiency: By reducing man-hours per project, we could offer more competitive pricing.
Client Satisfaction: Feedback remained as positive as ever, confirming that the integration was seamless from the client’s perspective.
What struck me most was that clients often didn’t notice a difference, which was exactly the point.
Quality remained uncompromised, but behind the scenes, our operations had been revolutionized.
Lessons Learned
This transformation taught me three important lessons.
First, technology should be seen as a partner, not a threat. We never positioned AI as a replacement for human editors. Instead, we treated it as a collaborator that could elevate our work.
Second, persistence pays off. The technical challenge of making AI edits compatible with Word’s tracked changes nearly broke us, but solving it became our “moon landing” moment.
Finally, the human touch is irreplaceable. By ensuring every document still passed through a skilled editor, we preserved the style and authenticity that clients rely on us for.
Looking Forward
Today, this power move has reshaped PaperTrue’s identity. We are no longer just a professional services company; we are evolving into a SaaS provider. Our vision is to deliver end-to-end language solutions, from drafting to publishing, powered by the synergy of AI and human expertise.
In hindsight, integrating AI wasn’t just a tech upgrade. It was a philosophical shift that redefined how I think about the future of work. It’s not man versus machine—it’s man with machine.
For PaperTrue, that collaboration has been the ultimate power move.
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