01 / 09
Tech & Systems Office Hours

Bring the brand
into Claude.

A walkthrough of the new TeamCentral connector, so you can chat with the BrandBot, pull our design system, and ship on-brand work without leaving Claude.

Friday, May 8, 2026
Recap from a live session, for those who couldn't make it.
02 / 09
Why this matters

One AI surface. Every brand asset.

Until now, working on-brand meant jumping between TeamCentral, Canva, our docs, and whatever model you preferred. With the new Claude connector, the brand context (voice and visual) comes with you wherever you work.

You no longer have to leave Claude to get something on-brand. That's the shift.

03 / 09
What's new

Three pieces working together.

BrandBot context

Every org's voice, audience, services, and writing guidelines, trained from TeamCentral and pulled into Claude on demand.

Design systems

Per-brand visual kit: colors, type, components, logos. Claude reads it and produces on-brand prototypes (slides, flyers, pages).

TeamCentral MCP connector

The custom integration that wires it all into Claude. ~12 tools including BrandBot, design systems, meetings, contacts, and send-email.

04 / 09
Setup, five minutes

Connect TeamCentral to your Claude.

01

Generate your token in TeamCentral

Click your avatar → Account SettingsIntegrationsMCP Connector. Name it (e.g. "Claude Desktop"), generate, copy.

02

Add a custom connector in Claude

In Claude (web or desktop): your name → SettingsConnectorsAdd custom connector. Name it "TeamCentral" and paste the token.

03

Approve tool access in your first chat

Start a new chat and try it (e.g. "What can my TeamCentral connector do?"). Claude will ask permission per tool the first time it uses each. Click Always allow.

05 / 09
What it can do

Ask in plain English.

The connector exposes about a dozen tools. You don't need to know which one Claude picks, just describe the outcome.

People & orgs

"Who are my contacts at Levantage?" · "Tell me about Joe." · "When was my last meeting with him?"

Scheduling

"When are Mia, Emily, and Beverly free next week for 15 min?" Finds the slot, books it, drops a Zoom link.

BrandBot writing

"Write a warm follow-up email in our voice." Claude pulls the brand context for the right org and drafts in-style.

On-brand visuals

"Get our design system and make a 3-slide follow-up for Tom." Output is rendered live, on-brand, in Claude.

Send email (not just draft)

Built-in Gmail connector only makes drafts. TeamCentral's connector can actually send. Great for emailing yourself templates and ideas.

Whole workflows

Find last meeting → draft a follow-up → pull design system → make a recap deck → send it. All in one chat.

06 / 09
Stack it with Claude's built-ins

Connectors that compound.

In Claude's Settings → Connectors → Browse you'll find a whole shelf. The ones I'd add today:

Google Workspace Google Calendar Gmail (drafts only) Google Drive Canva Fathom ClickUp

The Canva connector turns Claude's on-brand prototype into an editable Canva design. A real bridge from "AI draft" to "shippable asset."

07 / 09
Where work lives in Claude

Chat, Project, or Co-work?

Three places to put things. Quick orientation so you pick the right one.

Chat

Default. One-off questions, quick drafts, anything you don't need to come back to. Start here for most things.

Project

A folder with custom instructions and pinned files that don't change much. Good for ongoing roles (e.g. "financial advisor", "copy editor").

Co-work

Desktop-app only. Points Claude at a live folder on your computer (files in/out, always current). Better for research and document-heavy work.

08 / 09
Tips from the live demo

A few things worth knowing.

Ask Claude to think harder

For careful work, add "think deeply about this" or "double-check your work". Claude will actually reason more before answering.

Train it to drop the em-dash

In Settings → Profile set custom instructions like "never use em-dashes". That's a giveaway tell and easy to remove globally.

Be nice if it helps you

It doesn't change the output, but if "please" makes you write better prompts, do it.

For tight visual specs, go to Canva

When you have exact dimensions (e.g. a Google Forms banner), Claude's HTML drafts won't beat working directly in Canva. Use Claude for the words and the look, Canva for the pixel-perfect frame.

Quick image grab (Mac)

Shift + Cmd + 4 → drag a selection → saves to desktop. Faster than fighting cropping tools when something's almost the right size.

Gmail templates

Enable in Settings → Advanced → Templates. Then in any draft, the three-dots menu → Templates → Save as new template. Saves the body + subject. Huge for recurring sends.

09 / 09
Next

Try it this week.

Get the connector installed. Run one real task through it (a follow-up email, a quick mockup, a meeting recap). Notice where it shines, notice where it breaks. Bring questions to next Friday's office hours.

Stay curious and creative.

— Douglas