Why Your Memory is Costing You Money
I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners across Brisbane—from landscapers in Samford to law firms in the CBD—and they all have the same problem. They spend their day talking to customers, staff, and suppliers, and then spend their night trying to remember what was actually said.
You finish a site visit or a Zoom call, jump in the ute to get to the next job, and by the time you sit down at 7:00 PM with a beer, those important details are gone. You forget to add the extra outdoor power point to the quote. You forget the specific deadline the client mentioned.
This isn't just a headache; it’s a leak in your bucket. When you forget details, you look unprofessional. When you miss a follow-up, you lose the job.
AI meeting assistants are the solution. Think of them as a silent secretary that sits in on your calls or site visits, writes down every word, and gives you a perfect summary of the 'next steps' before you’ve even pulled out of the driveway.
What Exactly is an AI Meeting Assistant?
Forget the technical jargon about 'natural language processing.' Here is what it actually does for a Brisbane business owner:
1. It listens: Whether you use Zoom, Teams, or just your phone on a desk during a face-to-face chat. 2. It transcribes: It turns the speech into text. 3. It summarises: This is the magic part. It pulls out the 'to-do' list. It says: "John promised to send the quote by Thursday" or "The client wants the blue tiles, not the green ones."
If you're already looking at ways to save time with automation, this is the lowest-hanging fruit there is. It’s cheap, it works immediately, and it gives you back hours of your life every week.
The Big Three: Which One Should You Use?
There are dozens of these tools, but for a small business owner, only three are worth your time. Most of the others are either too expensive or too complicated.
1. Otter.ai: The All-Rounder
Otter is like the reliable Toyota Hilux of the AI world. It’s been around a long time and it just works.The Good: It has a great mobile app. If you’re a tradie doing a walk-through on a job site, you can just have Otter running on your phone in your pocket. It will record the whole conversation and give you a summary later. The Cost: There is a free version, but for a real business, you’re looking at about $20-$30 AUD per month. The Result: You stop losing track of what you promised clients during site visits.
2. Fireflies.ai: The Sales Machine
Fireflies is a bit more 'clever' than Otter. It’s designed specifically to help you close more deals.The Good: It integrates with almost everything. If you use a system to track your leads, Fireflies can automatically drop the meeting notes directly into that customer's file. No more manual data entry. The Cost: Similar to Otter, expect to pay around $30 AUD per month for the features that actually matter. The Result: Your sales follow-up becomes world-class because you never forget a single pain point the customer mentioned.
3. Fathom: The Simple (and Free) Choice
If you only do video calls (Zoom or Google Meet) and you want something that costs zero dollars to start, Fathom is the winner.The Good: It is incredibly easy to use. You click a button, it joins the call, and it sends you the summary the moment you hang up. The Cost: They have a very generous free version for individuals. The Result: You can focus 100% on the person you’re talking to, instead of scribbling notes on a scrap of paper that you’ll lose later.
Is it Worth the Investment?
Let’s talk brass tacks. Most of these tools cost less than a round of drinks at the local pub once a month.
If an AI assistant saves you just one hour of admin a week (and it will likely save you five), it has already paid for itself ten times over. But the real money isn't in the time saved; it's in the accuracy.
I worked with a cabinet maker in Morningside who was constantly getting into arguments with customers about what was agreed upon during the initial consult. He started using an AI recorder on his phone for every meeting. Now, if a customer says, "I thought the handles were included," he can check his notes in five seconds and say, "Actually, we discussed on the 12th that handles were an extra $400, and you agreed."
That one feature alone saved him thousands in 'misunderstandings' that he used to just bankroll to keep customers happy.
How to Get Started (Without the Headache)
Don't try to overcomplicate this. You don't need a 'digital transformation strategy.'
1. Pick one tool. I recommend Fathom if you do Zoom calls, or Otter if you do face-to-face meetings. 2. Run it on three calls. Don't judge it on the first one. See how it handles your accent and your typical way of speaking. 3. Read the summaries. See if the 'Action Items' it produces actually match what you need to do.
If you find yourself constantly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of info you have to track, you might also want to look at how you're tracking your profit. AI can help you organise your words, but you still need to know if those words are turning into dollars.
The Blunt Truth: Why Most People Fail with This
Most business owners sign up for these tools, use them once, and then stop. Why? Because they don't change their habit.
If you keep taking manual notes, you'll find the AI annoying. You have to trust the system. The goal is to stop writing so you can start listening. When you truly listen to a customer, they feel valued. When they feel valued, they buy from you.
Summary of Costs and Timelines
Setup Time: 15 minutes to create an account and link it to your calendar. Learning Curve: About 3 meetings until you feel comfortable. Monthly Cost: $0 to $40 AUD. Immediate Result: A clean list of 'next steps' in your inbox after every meeting. Long-term Result: No more missed details, faster quoting, and more free evenings.
Stop being the secretary of your own business. You're the boss. Start acting like it by delegating the boring stuff to a machine that doesn't get tired and doesn't forget.
Need help getting your local business noticed so you actually have more meetings to record? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s get your phone ringing.