The AI Notetaker Checklist ✅

Hi Non-Techies,

A few newsletters ago, I mentioned that there are two things you need if you want to start using AI like a pretend techie: a chatbot and a notetaker.

These are the butter and flour of your AI cake. Ice it however you want, throw in some chocolate chips if you must, but make sure you’ve got the essentials down.

If you take nothing else from this newsletter, take this: not all AI notetakers are built equally. Choosing the right one won’t just improve your life, but it’ll make you look like a low-key genius to anyone you’re in a meeting with.

Today, I’ll talk about what to look out for when you’re picking your AI notetaker (and reveal my personal faves).

Oh, and just in case you’ve missed me banging on about my new Become an AI Trainer course (I’m proud of it, sue me), it launched last week. Go from total Non-Techie to AI Trainer in 12 weeks with my new, CPD-certified program:

Keep it SCRAPPY.

As you know, a framework isn’t a real framework unless you can make an anagram out of it. So say hello to the SCRAPS approach: Security, Capabilities, Reliability, Accuracy, Punctuality and Speed.

Security - At a minimum, I look for GDPR (Europe/UK), SOC 2, and HIPAA (I have healthcare clients). I’m also after end-to-end encryption, a strong data policy and strict access controls.

Capabilities - This one could be called “features”, but then the SCRAPS anagram falls apart, which would be catastrophic. Notetakers can do some cool stuff, from the basics (like summaries and recording) to the fancy stuff (like body language and sentiment analysis).

Reliability - Does it actually show up for the call? In my experiments, you'd be surprised how many just didn't show up. If nothing else, it’s just rude.

Accuracy - Transcript errors are occasionally hilarious, but most of the time they’re just annoying. What's the point in having this verbatim transcript if it isn't verbatim? Some AI notetakers are near perfection.

Punctuality - Does it show up on time? Some show up 2 mins early, I like that. Others are on time - that's OK. Late, though? Absolutely not.

Speed - A nail-biting action flick starring Keanu Reeves. Also, we want our meeting summaries to be sent really quickly, so we can follow up equally fast. Otherwise, we may as well have handwritten those notes.

My top 3 AI notetakers.

I’ve done a load of testing here. It’s getting a bit creepy. Sitting in a meeting with me is like joining a web conference, but instead of attendees, it’s loads of AI notetakers.

Here are my top three (obligatory “I’m not sponsored by any of these!”):

For sales teams

Sybill. Calls itself the most accurate AI notetaker. Very secure, punctual and innovative. Better for sales teams than individual users, as it’s full of nifty sales features.

Solid all-rounder

Circleback. Secure, punctual and accurate, Circleback has two problems: firstly, it has a cringey name. Secondly, the note search is frustratingly laggy.

The most accurate

Grain. Grain’s accuracy really impressed me. It even capitalised product names. Its summarised notes were also really prompt. The big issue with Grain is that sometimes it just wouldn’t show up.

It was like dealing with a petulant celebrity: brilliant when it was in the room, but unreliable.

Honourable mentions

Fireflies.ai would probably be my 4th pick, and I also want to pay homage to Granola, the AI notepad which fleshes out scribbled notes (however vague) and turns them into something usable without "sitting" in on the call, which makes it feel far less invasive.

Oh, and don’t forget your AI notetaker etiquette: ask if it’s okay to record, and be transparent about what you’ll be using the notes for.

Right, I promised shorter and snappier newsletters, so in that spirit, I’ll say ta-ra for now.

See you next week,

Heather