Why You Should Never Take Meeting Notes Again
If you’re running a small business in Brisbane—whether you’re a builder in Coorparoo or a lawyer in the CBD—you know that meetings are where the money is made. But they’re also where the time is wasted.
How many times have you sat down with a potential client, had a great chat, and then walked away only to realise you forgot to write down their specific budget or that one detail they mentioned about their backyard? Or worse, you spend the whole meeting staring at a notepad instead of looking the customer in the eye, and you miss the subtle cues that tell you they’re ready to buy.
Most business owners I talk to are drowning in admin. They spend all day on site or in consultations, then spend their evenings trying to remember what was said so they can send out quotes. It’s a recipe for burnout and, frankly, it’s a waste of your talent.
This is where AI meeting assistants come in. They aren't just "cool tech"—they are a way to stop taking meeting notes so you can focus entirely on the person sitting across from you.
What is an AI Meeting Assistant (and why should you care?)
Think of an AI meeting assistant as a silent, invisible secretary that sits in on your Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet calls. It listens to everything, writes down a word-for-word transcript, and then—this is the magic part—summarises the key points into a neat list of action items.
It tells you: Exactly what the customer asked for. Any concerns or objections they raised. What you promised to do next (and by when). A summary you can copy and paste straight into a quote or an email.
For a small business owner, this means you never have to worry about "forgetting" a detail again. It makes you look more professional, more organised, and more attentive. In short, it helps you get more local customers because you actually follow through on what you say you'll do.
The Big Three: Which One Should You Use?
I’ve tested dozens of these tools with Brisbane businesses. Most of them are rubbish or too complicated. For a busy owner who just wants results, there are really only three worth looking at.
1. Otter.ai: The Best All-Rounder
Otter is probably the most famous one, and for good reason. It’s very easy to set up. You connect it to your calendar, and it just shows up to your meetings.The Pro: It’s incredibly accurate at picking up Australian accents (which some US-built tools struggle with). If you do a lot of in-person meetings, you can also run the app on your phone, put it on the table, and it will record the whole conversation. The Con: The free version has become quite limited lately. To get the real value, you’ll need the paid plan. Cost: About $15–$25 AUD per month. Result: You get a searchable record of every conversation you’ve ever had with a client.
2. Fireflies.ai: The Best for Following Up
Fireflies is built for people who need to take action. It doesn't just transcribe; it categorises the conversation. It can flag "pricing," "deadlines," or "next steps" automatically.The Pro: It integrates with almost everything. If you use a system to track your leads, Fireflies can automatically send the meeting summary into that system so you don't have to double-handle data. The Con: It can feel a bit "techy" at first. There are a lot of buttons and settings you’ll likely never use. Cost: Around $15–$30 AUD per month. Result: You spend zero minutes typing up notes after a call. You just read the summary and send the invoice.
3. Fathom: The Best "Free" Option
Fathom is the newcomer that has upset the market. Currently, they offer a very generous free version for individuals that does almost everything the paid competitors do.The Pro: It’s free (for now) and very simple. It allows you to "highlight" parts of a live call by clicking a button, so the AI knows exactly which bit was the most important. The Con: It only works on video calls (Zoom/Teams/Google Meet). If you do a lot of phone calls or face-to-face meetings, this isn't the one for you. Cost: Free for the basic version; paid plans for teams. Result: Instant summaries for $0. Hard to argue with that.
Is it Weird? (Privacy and Etiquette)
I get asked this a lot: "Won't my customers think it's creepy?"
In my experience with dozens of local businesses, the answer is no—if you handle it right. Most people are used to Zoom calls being recorded these days. When the AI bot joins the meeting, just say:
"Hey, I’ve got my AI assistant here to take notes so I can focus 100% on our conversation instead of looking down at my notepad. Is that alright with you?"
99% of people will say "That’s brilliant, I wish I had that." It actually makes you look like a tech-savvy, modern business. If they say no, you just kick the bot out of the meeting. No harm done.
How Long Until You See Results?
You will see the benefit of this immediately. The very first time you finish a 30-minute discovery call and realize you don't have to spend the next 20 minutes typing up what happened, you've won.
If you value your time at $100/hour (and you should probably value it higher), saving just two hours of admin a week pays for the software ten times over. This is a core part of using AI and automation to actually buy back your time.
What Should You Do First?
Don't overthink this. You don't need a "strategy" or a three-month plan.
1. Pick one. If you do mostly video calls, try Fathom. If you do a mix of video and in-person, try Otter. 2. Run it on your next three meetings. Don't judge it on the first one. See how it feels to not take notes. 3. Review the summary. Look at how much detail it caught that you would have missed.
The Trap: What’s a Waste of Money?
Don't pay for the "Enterprise" or "Team" versions of these tools right away. Most small businesses with 1-5 people only need the basic pro plan. Also, stay away from the cheap, knock-off AI recorders you see advertised on Facebook for $5. They usually have terrible security and won't understand a Brisbane accent to save their lives.
Stick to the big names I mentioned above. They are secure, they work, and they are worth the few dollars a month.
Ready to Get Your Evenings Back?
At Local Marketing Group, we’re obsessed with helping Brisbane business owners stop doing the grunt work so they can focus on growing their profit. AI meeting assistants are the lowest-hanging fruit in the business world right now. They are cheap, easy to use, and they give you back hours of your life every single week.
If you’re tired of chasing leads and want to start closing more jobs with less effort, we can help you set up the right systems.
Want to see how else AI can grow your business? Contact us today at lmgroup.au/contact and let’s chat about making your business run itself.