6 Claude Features to Be a Pro
Only 10% of people who use Claude know what it can really do. Here you will learn the 6 features that separate those who "chat" from those who build a real work system with artificial intelligence.
What is this workshop about?
Most people use Claude like a search engine with manners: they write a question, get an answer, and close the tab. That is real, but it is barely the surface. Behind that chat is a complete ecosystem of tools that think, execute, build software, and automate repetitive tasks — without you having to know how to program.
In this workshop you will go through the 6 key features of the Claude ecosystem — organized into 4 "action engines" and 2 "accelerators" — and you will leave with a clear criterion on which one to use depending on what you need to solve. No loose theory: each module includes an exercise to apply it to your own work.
No technical jargon
Explained in clear English, without programmer jargon or empty promises.
Immediately applicable
Each module ends with an exercise connected to your actual work or business.
With a roadmap
You finish with a 4-step plan to start using it this week.
When you are ready, click on "Start the workshop" or navigate freely from the side menu. Your progress is automatically saved in this browser.
The 90% of Claude that no one uses
Why writing in the chat is just the tip of the iceberg — and what you are missing if you never leave there.
We call it the 10% syndrome: most users go to Claude, type a question, get an answer, and close the tab. It is useful for thinking, writing, and researching — but it is only a fraction of what the tool can do for you.
Beneath that "chat trap" is a complete operating system: tools that work in the background, that interact with your computer's files, that build functional software, and that run even if you close your laptop. That is where businesses that truly scale are built — not in the text box.
The complete architecture: 4 engines + 2 accelerators
Claude is not just one tool, it is an interconnected ecosystem with 6 pieces. Four are action engines — each one solves a different stage of the work — and two are accelerators that multiply what those engines can do.
Engine 1 · Claude Chat
The thinking space. Strategy, writing, research.
Engine 2 · Claude Cowork
The resident assistant. Lives on your computer, not in the browser.
Engine 3 · Dispatch
The asynchronous bridge. You delegate from your phone, it executes on your computer.
Engine 4 · Claude Code
The software factory. Build real applications without coding.
Accelerator 1 · Plugins
Claude's "App Store". Connect Slack, Canva, and more.
Accelerator 2 · Skills
Saved instructions that automate repetitive tasks.
The vehicle is not the same as the pilot
Knowing these 6 functions puts you ahead of 99% of users. But artificial intelligence is just the vehicle. To build something real—a business, a product, a work system—you still need judgment: knowing what problem to solve, for whom, and with what goal. You will see this module by module.
Before continuing, be honest: of the 6 functions above, how many do you use in your work today? Write down which ones you know and which ones are completely new to you. You will return to this note at the end of the workshop.
Test what you just read
5 questions to confirm you understood the general architecture before going into detail.
Claude Chat: the thinking space
The universal entry point — and the foundation upon which the other 5 functions are built.
Claude Chat is the interface everyone knows: browser, mobile app, or desktop. Its main function is to be the entry point to the entire ecosystem. Do not underestimate this — even if it seems like "just a text box", it is where you define the strategy, think out loud, and give context to everything else.
What is it ideal for?
- Quick conversations — resolving doubts, clarifying concepts, deciding between options.
- Writing — emails, posts, proposals, workshop scripts.
- Deep research — comparing alternatives, understanding a new topic before acting.
- Strategy — thinking out loud about a plan before executing it in another tool.
The real value: continuous shared memory
The advantage that almost no one exploits is that Claude Chat maintains shared memory between conversations. You don't have to re-explain who you are, what you do, or how you speak every time you open the chat. That memory is the foundation upon which Cowork, Dispatch, and Code rely — they all inherit that context.
Sergio uses Claude Chat to think through the general strategy of a new workshop before building anything: "what topic serves my audience best this week? what angle haven't I touched on in Finance?" That 10-minute conversation defines the rest of the process — and he picks it up later in Cowork or Code without having to repeat the context.
- Give it real context: who you are, who the result is for, what tone you want.
- Ask for depth explicitly: "give me 3 options with pros and cons", not just "help me with this".
- Use projects or folders so that the context is maintained between related conversations.
Open a new conversation with Claude Chat and ask for something you would normally solve only with Google: a comparison, a decision, a first draft. Note how different the result was from what you expected.
Was Claude Chat clear?
4 questions about the ecosystem's base engine.
Claude Cowork: the resident assistant
A standalone desktop application. Cowork lives on your computer, not in the browser.
The fundamental difference from chat: Cowork interacts directly with real files on your computer. It opens, edits, organizes, and saves documents on its own. It is not a text box that replies to you — it is an assistant that executes.
Direct comparison
| Feature | Claude Chat | Claude Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Browser / mobile app | Your computer (desktop app) |
| File access | No | Yes — reads, edits, and saves directly |
| Keeps working if you close the app | N/A | Yes — runs on Anthropic servers |
| Best for | Thinking, drafting, deciding | Organizing, auditing, executing on files |
Three things that make it different
Direct access
Opens, reads, edits, and saves new files autonomously on your machine.
Background work
Sessions run on Anthropic servers — it keeps working even if you close your laptop.
Active organization
Ideal for consolidating scattered tutorials, auditing code, or asking yourself retention questions.
Think of it this way: if you have a folder with 40 disorganized documents from an old project, you don't have to open each one yourself. You ask Cowork to review them, organize them by topic, and give you a summary — while you do something else.
Think of a folder on your computer that you haven't organized in months. Describe exactly what you would ask Cowork to do to get it ready in a single command.
Chat or Cowork?
4 questions to confirm when to use each one.
Dispatch: the asynchronous bridge
Send complex tasks from anywhere in the world — Claude uses your computer's power while you are on the move.
Dispatch connects your phone to your desktop computer. You give it an instruction from your mobile, Claude processes it using your home or office computer, and delivers the result back to your phone — within the same conversation thread, without losing context.
The workflow
On the move
You send the instruction from your phone, no matter where you are — on the way to the gym, in the car, in a meeting.
Execution on your home computer
Claude uses your computer's power to process the task asynchronously, while you continue with your day.
Result on your mobile
The final result arrives on your phone, ready to review — all within the same continuous thread.
The advantage no one uses: shared memory
Since everything happens within a continuous conversation with memory, you don't have to start from scratch or re-explain the context. What you progressed from your phone remains visible and editable later from your laptop — it's the same thread, not two separate conversations.
Real-world example
You're on your way to the gym and you ask Claude to build your personalized routine using your workout history saved on your computer. You arrive and it's already ready on your phone.
For business
You're in a meeting out of the office and you delegate: "review the 3 new contracts on my desk and tell me if there are any risk clauses". You arrive and you already have the summary.
What task of your week do you normally wait to get to your desk to do, when in reality you could delegate it from your phone with Dispatch?
Did you understand how Dispatch works?
4 questions about the mobile-computer bridge.
Claude Code: the software factory
Create real applications by explaining an idea in English — without writing a single line of code.
Claude Code is designed to build functional software: it writes the code, tests it, fixes bugs, and delivers the result. It is used from a command terminal (for those who want more control) or from a desktop app with a visual interface (for those who prefer point-and-click).
The average user vs. you with Claude Code
The average user
Searches for a generic third-party app for their problem. Ends up dealing with ads, subscriptions, and features they don't need.
You with Claude Code
You build exactly what you need — a custom registry, without ads or extra features — just by explaining the idea in natural language.
Change your professional identity
This is the most important part of the module: thanks to Claude Code, anyone becomes a software builder. You no longer need to rely on a programmer to have a custom tool — you go from "using what others built" to "building what you need".
This is how CMA+F HTML workshops are built: Claude Code is explained the exact design to follow (colors, fonts, components), and it builds the complete file, reviews it, and fixes errors until it works in the browser — without Sergio having to touch a single line of CSS.
- Describe the final result, not the technique: "I want an app that records my expenses by category," not "make me a CRUD in React."
- Give concrete examples of what the expected result looks like.
- Ask it to test what it built before considering it finished.
Think of a generic tool you use today (a notes app, a tracker, a calculator) that doesn't do exactly what you need. Describe what the custom version you could ask Claude Code for would look like.
Do you master Claude Code?
5 questions about the software factory.
Plugins: the "App Store" inside Claude
Pre-built capability sets that give Claude access to external tools — without any programming.
Imagine an App Store inside Claude. Plugins are not standalone tools: they are pre-built capabilities that you connect to the engines you already know (Chat, Cowork, Code) so they can do more than they do by default.
Slack
Autonomous communication with your team.
Canva
Visual design without leaving the ecosystem.
Google Drive
Reading and organizing cloud files.
Notion
Management of work pages and databases.
The core idea: each plugin adds a third-party capability directly to Claude's workflow. You connect Cowork with Slack so it can communicate autonomously with your team, or integrate Canva to generate visual assets without opening another tab.
Of the tools you already use in your day-to-day (WhatsApp Business, email, CRM, calendar), which one would you connect to Claude first if you could? What repetitive task would you take off your plate?
What are Plugins for?
4 questions about capacity multipliers.
Skills: automation of repetition
The most underutilized resource in the ecosystem — and the one that gives you back the most time.
A Skill is, literally, a folder with exact instructions on how to perfectly execute a specific task. Instead of explaining the same process to Claude every time, you set it up once and it remains available forever — in Chat, in Cowork, and in Code.
Three direct benefits
Zero friction
You never have to explain a process from scratch again. Claude already knows exactly how you want it.
Omnipresence
They are configured once and work across Chat, Cowork, and Code equally.
Community
You can create your own or import skills designed by experts in your field.
The "Master Briefing" that defines the visual design and structure of all CMA+F workshops works like a Skill: instead of re-explaining the color system, the 272px sidebar, or the quiz mechanics every time a new workshop is created, those rules are saved — and applied automatically, workshop after workshop.
- When you repeat the same type of task 3 or more times with the same rules.
- When the process has specific steps that you always forget to mention.
- When you want the result to be consistent regardless of who asks for it.
What process do you repeat exactly as is in your work (a proposal template, a report format, a type of post) that you could turn into a Skill to stop explaining it from scratch every time?
How much did you understand about Skills?
4 questions about the repetition accelerator.
The vehicle is useless without the pilot
Knowing the 6 functions puts you ahead of 99%. But AI is just the vehicle — you are still the one who decides where to go.
Decision matrix: which engine to use?
| Tool | Environment | Autonomy | Ideal use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💬 Claude Chat | Cloud (multi-device) | Low — requires constant prompting | Strategy, ideation, and research |
| 🖥️ Claude Cowork | Local computer | High — reads/writes your own files | Automatic tasks, local organization |
| 📲 Dispatch | Cloud → local → cloud | High — asynchronous remote execution | Delegating tasks while you are on the move |
| 👨💻 Claude Code | Terminal / local app | Total — programs and self-corrects | Creating custom software, apps, and assistants |
| 🔌 Plugins | Inside any engine | Depends on the connected service | Adding third-party capabilities (Slack, Canva...) |
| 🗂️ Skills | Inside any engine | Total once configured | Automating processes you repeat constantly |
The ecosystem in motion
This is what the 6 functions look like working together in a real workflow:
What you bring: the pilot
The 6 functions give you execution power. But the criteria for using them well remains yours: emotional intelligence to know what your client needs, financial intelligence to know if a project is worth it, and the discipline to apply all this to a concrete skill that generates income. Don't limit yourself to learning how to use the tool — master the strategy behind it.
Your roadmap for this week
Choose just one new engine
From those you marked as "new" in Exercise 1, choose only one to master this week. Don't try to use all 6 at once.
Apply it to a real task
Don't do a toy test. Use it on something you actually have to solve this week in your business or work.
Identify a repetitive process
Look for a task you repeat the same way every week and turn it into your first Skill.
Review your 8 exercises
Go back to the notes you wrote in each module — you already have your own application plan there, written by yourself.
Questions or want to go deeper?
Write to me at sergio@cmaf.com.mx or via WhatsApp at 55 3323 2744.
More CMA+F workshops
Find the rest of the catalog — Body, Mind, Soul and Finances — at cmaf.com.mx.
Sergio Varela · Founder of CMA+F · Partner at MiEmpresa Digital · Partner at VARSE Consulting