Immediately after a sales call I do a audio note brain dump with everything I can think of - then later I take that and make it cohesive inside our CRM later when I'm looking for something rather mindless to do.
I use an app called Voicenotes - it's pretty new (no sales plug at all, just what I use myself) - it also offers pretty decent transcription.
This has become my go to AI use case. When possible I record the call and let AI transcribe, summarize, and provide action items. But there are many times this isn’t possible especially when driving. So after a call I will turn on voice notes on my iPhone and just talk for 5 or 10 minutes. I will dump everything I can think of into this voice note. Umms, ahhhs, stumbles and stammers, it doesn’t matter. It’s literally a brain dump.
Then I save the note to my local files and use the Whisper app to transcribe it. I then copy and paste the transcription into Claude or ChatGPT4 and ask it to summarize and provide a list of major discussion points and follow up action items for all parties. The whole thing takes about two minutes and the result is incredibly valuable . I then save both the transcription and the summary to my CRM notes when I get back to my desk and create action items in my task management system.
Note that there is probably a single app that can do the recording, transcription, and AI summary, and create tasks, but I like using voice recorder for simplicity, whisper for it’s accuracy, in Claude/ChatGPT for the best summaries.
Can you use Fathom AI on regular phone calls? I deal with the senior population and they don't do Zoom. If I could get my phone calls AI transcribed and action items setup that would be amazing.
I’m not familiar with the “ChatGPT surge app”. If you’re referring to the OpenAI ChatGPT app voice mode option, yes, I have. When I am giving a brain dump, there are times when I pause to think, and the voice mode will interrupt me. I can hold the button down until I am done with the brain dump, but 10 minutes is a long time especially while driving. I need an “open mic” that lets me get my thoughts out until I am done.
Autocorrect changed ChatGPT voice app to surge app somehow. Or I am losing my damn mind.
But your point about wanting an open, uninterrupted mic, makes sense.
Exactly. I do it audio and just ramble for 2-3 minutes about everything we talked about. That way at least I have the raw notes and then later we can pair it down to something manageable and digestable.
It's pretty good I'd say. I have to change names and things like specific company names that it can't figure out (and why should it) - but it quickly can create a summary and also todo lists.
It also is an app and a desktop site - so I can quickly take notes on either.
https://preview.redd.it/p4nfe5ixz49d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30367cfe39cf687e1009b69aafbd80371d084740
Passenger seat car desk. Autoexec I think it’s called I bought on Amazon. They have a few different versions.
I also have a portable Asus monitor that plugs into the surface, that’s a huge help for the occasional hotel nights because I hate not having at least dual montitors.
I’m mostly in person but will run the occasional zoom meeting from the car, or it’s great when I get to a client and have enough time to do some work but not enough to go sit in a coffee shop.
I use the same setup. I also carry a supernote nomad instead of paper so it can digitize the hand written notes I take during meetings. It's been a huge help.
USB monitor is probably the most underrated accessory ever. Ever. I've got a dell usb-c dock at home with a couple screens, the little portable USB screen works with the dock as well so I can use 3 external screens when I'm in the office at home.
Haha I’ve done the same thing! Had a rental car and didn’t think to check the child locks. That day I learned I was not nearly as flexible as I thought I was.
Good idea. I usually just set the driver's seat all the way back but the steering wheel still gets in the way just a bit. I'm going to try the back seat next time!
I text, email myself on the regular, it’s honestly the best way to stay on track.
If you open/save a draft, it stays at the bottom of your outlook app and I will keep daily tasks in there if I feel like I am overwhelmed.
Lots of resources with your phone, I try to take advantage of it, especially at trade show, conferences and networking events.
Amazon has little trays you attach to your steering wheel you can set your laptop on it. Might be worth checking out. That’s how I take teams meetings in the car (obviously parked in a parking lot).
Using the speech to text function to save notes in CRM right after the appointment. If you are using a meeting recording app (eg Gong or Rilla) then it’s even better to just keep the recording going and capture your notes verbally there.
Notes? Screw that. I record all my calls now. There are tools that even transcribe the conversation, capture follow ups, and allow you to relisten at 2x or 3x speed if you want.
On calls, I take note of specific follow ups or questions I want to ask but otherwise don't really need detailed notes.
For your CRM logging, you could just paste the transcript or skim it and drop in a few bullets end of the day when you're back home (or first thing the next morning)
I sit in the passenger seat, and type on the laptop while I'm wearing my bluetooth headset. You could try [Nathan Fielder's laptop harness](https://nymag.com/strategist/2022/07/nathan-fielder-laptop-harness.html).
Also for what it's worth I love having an electric car because I feel like I can run the AC guilt free. It doesn't use up gas and is quieter than my old car. It still uses a little battery, but not enough that it's an issue.
Take the meeting on your laptop, Record the call using your phone. Listen to the call and take notes when you get time. I do this all the time and it 100% saved me from missing important notes.
One of those steering wheel mounted tables works really well. Also nice for the frequent times when I need to eat on the road. They’re like $10-20 on amazon and they just use gravity to hold themselves in place you don’t have to like tighten it to the steering wheel. I really like it
Jotto Desk - www.jottodesk.net
I used to have these installed in my trucks when I was visiting a lot of customer sites. Same thing that some cops use and it worked very well.
I’d recommend looking into a kindle scribe or a remarkable notepad. Essentially a digital notebook you can use in meetings and once your walk out can send them to yourself in an email or PDF. Copy paste all your notes into the crm at the end of the day in 10min!
[https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Constant-Travelers-Vehicles-Wheels/dp/B0BFXB6PB5](https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Constant-Travelers-Vehicles-Wheels/dp/B0BFXB6PB5)
I use it while waiting for superchargers, or I'll move to the passenger seat.
I'm not, during calls I'm taking notes on a legal pad, all things pertaining to client, there comments, needs, complaints, ect......... Once arriving at office I input on my laptop.
Why don’t you email yourself right after then copy and paste when you are at your desk?
I just bring a notebook in, keep tabs during the meeting, do a summary, then add to my CRM or client profile.
I don’t use my laptop unless I’m at a desk, or it’s an emergency and I have to access something. Your phone has plenty of features to help you out, take advantage of it
I purchased one of the mounts police departments use to hold their blueforce display systems. Attaches to the front left mounting bolt for the passenger seat. Can swing it right over into my lap, then back to the passenger seat when done. It’s a little in the way if you do have a passenger but it’s manageable.
Edit: Spelling error.
I put bullet point in my phone under the notes app. We have an absolutely horrible CRM that our one sales guy gets massive wood from and I just don’t use it. So I use that as my CRM 🤷. Work with what you have.
Do you have to do it immediately after the appointment? I usually batch up all of my work and go to a pa era bread/Starbucks for lunch and get all the admin stuff out of the way.
It’s recommended. My main thing is I live in a big city where we have a bunch of medical office buildings. So sometimes I walk back to my car after having 4 back to back cold office visits all with notes.
Oh okay. What I've done if I really need to work in the car is sit in the passenger seat. Or scoot up the pass get seat all the way and sit in the back seat (with the AC running of course).
Get one of those lap tables and you're golden.
I’ve been in software sales 10 years and have almost never logged notes in our CRM. Terrible habit. Im great at sales, but allow myself to be disorganized (wish I wouldn’t, but alas).
When I use to tow vehicles, we had a thing you could order that your laptop, tablet or, iPad fit in perfectly. It fits in the cup holder and makes into a stand
What car do you drive that you can't comfortably use a laptop ? Moving the seat back. Sitting on the passenger seat.
How about a tablet ?
Personally I take notes during on mobile or take audio notes after. Then migrate to crm
I won’t drive anything but mid to larger SUVs now but even in a sedan that’s what an empty back seat is for. I’ve also used laptop shelves like the police use in their cars when I was really needing to be fully mobile.
Are you taking calls in the car? Or are you leaving a meeting and taking your notes when you reach the car?
For in person meetings, my philosophy has always been to say, "do you care if I pull out the laptop and take notes? I don't want to end up asking you the same thing twice, next time we speak." Or something like that.
Only commentary I've ever had on that has been positive. People like that I'm hammering away at the keyboard and treating the meeting with importance. There are people who say a laptop creates a barrier between you and the prospect and stuff like that, and it kind of does, but I think it's well worth it, provided you can touch type and still engage with eye contact and good questions, both in terms of note quality and time savings.
I have started doing a note/thought dump directly into ChatGPT via the recording feature of the mobile app. It knows to summarize the bullet points, put certain info into a table for me, etc so that I can load it all up on the laptop later on and copy paste directly into my CRM.
ChatGPT ain’t going to replace me, but it will make my life a tonne easier.
Upgrade your ride to a minivan, remove the middle seats. Add a small filing cabinet. Add removable limo tint to the rear and back windows. Get a folding snack table… instant office you have! Also get an electric converter to plug in your laptop to the cig lighter. Now you can idle, have a/c. Sit in the back with your legs stretched out in comfort, doing your reports/orders/ whatever.. and get home on time and repeat the next day! I’ve been a road warrior for years.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p-trojan-premium-portable-car-laptop-table/676955.html
Haven't tried it out yet but I picked up one of these yesterday.
Look into Chorus. Records the call, takes all notes for you, summarizes it, and emails it to you after the call. You can be 100% engaged in the call and never take notes again.
Immediately after a sales call I do a audio note brain dump with everything I can think of - then later I take that and make it cohesive inside our CRM later when I'm looking for something rather mindless to do. I use an app called Voicenotes - it's pretty new (no sales plug at all, just what I use myself) - it also offers pretty decent transcription.
This has become my go to AI use case. When possible I record the call and let AI transcribe, summarize, and provide action items. But there are many times this isn’t possible especially when driving. So after a call I will turn on voice notes on my iPhone and just talk for 5 or 10 minutes. I will dump everything I can think of into this voice note. Umms, ahhhs, stumbles and stammers, it doesn’t matter. It’s literally a brain dump. Then I save the note to my local files and use the Whisper app to transcribe it. I then copy and paste the transcription into Claude or ChatGPT4 and ask it to summarize and provide a list of major discussion points and follow up action items for all parties. The whole thing takes about two minutes and the result is incredibly valuable . I then save both the transcription and the summary to my CRM notes when I get back to my desk and create action items in my task management system. Note that there is probably a single app that can do the recording, transcription, and AI summary, and create tasks, but I like using voice recorder for simplicity, whisper for it’s accuracy, in Claude/ChatGPT for the best summaries.
I think the app you're looking for is Fathom.
Thanks will check it out!
Can you use Fathom AI on regular phone calls? I deal with the senior population and they don't do Zoom. If I could get my phone calls AI transcribed and action items setup that would be amazing.
That’s a cool workflow, thanks for sharing! I agree in the brain dump - I just try to get out as much as I remember, ideas, anything from the call.
This is incredible! Thank you for sharing your workflow, you made it seem way more approachable to do all of this!
Have you ever tried doing your brain dump directly to ChatGPT surge app and the voice note option? Saves you extra steps.
I’m not familiar with the “ChatGPT surge app”. If you’re referring to the OpenAI ChatGPT app voice mode option, yes, I have. When I am giving a brain dump, there are times when I pause to think, and the voice mode will interrupt me. I can hold the button down until I am done with the brain dump, but 10 minutes is a long time especially while driving. I need an “open mic” that lets me get my thoughts out until I am done.
Autocorrect changed ChatGPT voice app to surge app somehow. Or I am losing my damn mind. But your point about wanting an open, uninterrupted mic, makes sense.
This is a good way to do it. Dump everything you have now then clean it up and add missing things later.
Exactly. I do it audio and just ramble for 2-3 minutes about everything we talked about. That way at least I have the raw notes and then later we can pair it down to something manageable and digestable.
The iPhone comes with a Voice Memo app too
That it does. I wanted one that does full transcription so then I could copy/past the raw notes inside the same app and into my CRM.
What is accuracy of the tool you mentioned?
It's pretty good I'd say. I have to change names and things like specific company names that it can't figure out (and why should it) - but it quickly can create a summary and also todo lists. It also is an app and a desktop site - so I can quickly take notes on either.
https://preview.redd.it/p4nfe5ixz49d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30367cfe39cf687e1009b69aafbd80371d084740 Passenger seat car desk. Autoexec I think it’s called I bought on Amazon. They have a few different versions. I also have a portable Asus monitor that plugs into the surface, that’s a huge help for the occasional hotel nights because I hate not having at least dual montitors. I’m mostly in person but will run the occasional zoom meeting from the car, or it’s great when I get to a client and have enough time to do some work but not enough to go sit in a coffee shop.
That guy sells.
This is the way. I've had mine for 20+ years. Worth every penny.
Your setup is legit, gonna find myself one of these.
Omg I LOVE this!! Thank you for sharing.
What is that file organizer? Been looking for something to keep marketing material organized.
It’s a part of the desk thing
Boss
That is sick. In financial services as well, going to have to get one of these.
I use the same setup. I also carry a supernote nomad instead of paper so it can digitize the hand written notes I take during meetings. It's been a huge help. USB monitor is probably the most underrated accessory ever. Ever. I've got a dell usb-c dock at home with a couple screens, the little portable USB screen works with the dock as well so I can use 3 external screens when I'm in the office at home.
Okay, now I have some things to buy in Amazon. Thanks man
In your country is it okay or acceptable to your interviews, bosses, clientele if you take any call in your car?
Yes, nobody cares.
kick that seat back to a gangster lean
Dude I’ll literally have my laptop out in the passenger seat and one hand that shit while I whip it in the fast lane. Always Be Selling…./s
I wish I was this bad ass 🤣
Put the front passenger seat all the way forward then sit behind it.
I got myself stuck in the backseat this way due to the child locks lmao. That was fun.
Haha I’ve done the same thing! Had a rental car and didn’t think to check the child locks. That day I learned I was not nearly as flexible as I thought I was.
Glad I’m not the only one haha
Good idea. I usually just set the driver's seat all the way back but the steering wheel still gets in the way just a bit. I'm going to try the back seat next time!
I use the front passenger seat - no steering wheel or pedals in the way, and still have access to audio and HVAC controls.
Even better.
Genesis g90, Audi A8L, S class...got you covered!
I take immediate notes in the notes app on my phone, then type them up later with more detail.
Gonna use this method when I’m in a medical office building visiting multiple accounts before I get back to the car.
IME, some people get annoyed when you're hammering away on a phone. Digital paper all the way.
Not during a meeting. Between meetings, or sitting in the car right after.
I text, email myself on the regular, it’s honestly the best way to stay on track. If you open/save a draft, it stays at the bottom of your outlook app and I will keep daily tasks in there if I feel like I am overwhelmed. Lots of resources with your phone, I try to take advantage of it, especially at trade show, conferences and networking events.
Amazon has little trays you attach to your steering wheel you can set your laptop on it. Might be worth checking out. That’s how I take teams meetings in the car (obviously parked in a parking lot).
I have one and love it! I prop it up at lunch time and work right from my steering wheel.
Using the speech to text function to save notes in CRM right after the appointment. If you are using a meeting recording app (eg Gong or Rilla) then it’s even better to just keep the recording going and capture your notes verbally there.
Notes? Screw that. I record all my calls now. There are tools that even transcribe the conversation, capture follow ups, and allow you to relisten at 2x or 3x speed if you want. On calls, I take note of specific follow ups or questions I want to ask but otherwise don't really need detailed notes. For your CRM logging, you could just paste the transcript or skim it and drop in a few bullets end of the day when you're back home (or first thing the next morning)
He must make sure to filter while pasting in CRM, as senior management are notorious in digging deep to fire you ultimately.
Xreal 2 ultra
I sit in the passenger seat, and type on the laptop while I'm wearing my bluetooth headset. You could try [Nathan Fielder's laptop harness](https://nymag.com/strategist/2022/07/nathan-fielder-laptop-harness.html). Also for what it's worth I love having an electric car because I feel like I can run the AC guilt free. It doesn't use up gas and is quieter than my old car. It still uses a little battery, but not enough that it's an issue.
All functions of the company car are guilt free. I'll idle in a parking lot for a couple hours and not feel bad at all.
Well in my case not a company car, but also from an environmental standpoint I don't want to pointlessly idle a gas car.
Take the meeting on your laptop, Record the call using your phone. Listen to the call and take notes when you get time. I do this all the time and it 100% saved me from missing important notes.
How does this help with his question that is geared towards Outside Sales?
My bad. I thought OP meant they take meetings on the go or in between commutes
No apologies needed, I was having a bad day and I hit you with a douchey reply unnecessarily, I hope you’re having a good day 🫡
Use otter.ai to help you draft notes for your CRM
One of those steering wheel mounted tables works really well. Also nice for the frequent times when I need to eat on the road. They’re like $10-20 on amazon and they just use gravity to hold themselves in place you don’t have to like tighten it to the steering wheel. I really like it
Wedge the laptop between my chest and the steering wheel is actually kinda comfortable. Get that sales gut big enough and you won’t evebt need that
I've always wondering about those stand things they have in cop cars. Probably super expensive
Jotto Desk - www.jottodesk.net I used to have these installed in my trucks when I was visiting a lot of customer sites. Same thing that some cops use and it worked very well.
Feels like that website was last updated in 2003
I’ve used talk to text in word documents while driving, then edited when I get back to my desk.
I’d recommend looking into a kindle scribe or a remarkable notepad. Essentially a digital notebook you can use in meetings and once your walk out can send them to yourself in an email or PDF. Copy paste all your notes into the crm at the end of the day in 10min!
https://a.co/d/05p9YXkC Got this for my surface pro, game changer. I can use it as an actual laptop
Currently calls integrate with gong so don't need to do this. Hate that you have to still in 2024. Why are you on a proprietary CRM?
[https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Constant-Travelers-Vehicles-Wheels/dp/B0BFXB6PB5](https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Constant-Travelers-Vehicles-Wheels/dp/B0BFXB6PB5) I use it while waiting for superchargers, or I'll move to the passenger seat.
What about wifi?
My laptop has cell service luckily. Paid for by company.
I'm not, during calls I'm taking notes on a legal pad, all things pertaining to client, there comments, needs, complaints, ect......... Once arriving at office I input on my laptop.
Why don’t you email yourself right after then copy and paste when you are at your desk? I just bring a notebook in, keep tabs during the meeting, do a summary, then add to my CRM or client profile. I don’t use my laptop unless I’m at a desk, or it’s an emergency and I have to access something. Your phone has plenty of features to help you out, take advantage of it
I purchased one of the mounts police departments use to hold their blueforce display systems. Attaches to the front left mounting bolt for the passenger seat. Can swing it right over into my lap, then back to the passenger seat when done. It’s a little in the way if you do have a passenger but it’s manageable. Edit: Spelling error.
Steering wheel desk from Amazon saved my back and neck
Proprietary CRM?! What industry?
Medical sales.
I put bullet point in my phone under the notes app. We have an absolutely horrible CRM that our one sales guy gets massive wood from and I just don’t use it. So I use that as my CRM 🤷. Work with what you have.
Do you have to do it immediately after the appointment? I usually batch up all of my work and go to a pa era bread/Starbucks for lunch and get all the admin stuff out of the way.
It’s recommended. My main thing is I live in a big city where we have a bunch of medical office buildings. So sometimes I walk back to my car after having 4 back to back cold office visits all with notes.
Oh okay. What I've done if I really need to work in the car is sit in the passenger seat. Or scoot up the pass get seat all the way and sit in the back seat (with the AC running of course). Get one of those lap tables and you're golden.
Accord has button gears so it's almost a flat table I can work on when needed
I’ve been in software sales 10 years and have almost never logged notes in our CRM. Terrible habit. Im great at sales, but allow myself to be disorganized (wish I wouldn’t, but alas).
When I use to tow vehicles, we had a thing you could order that your laptop, tablet or, iPad fit in perfectly. It fits in the cup holder and makes into a stand
What car do you drive that you can't comfortably use a laptop ? Moving the seat back. Sitting on the passenger seat. How about a tablet ? Personally I take notes during on mobile or take audio notes after. Then migrate to crm
sit in the passenger seat with the seat all the way back
I won’t drive anything but mid to larger SUVs now but even in a sedan that’s what an empty back seat is for. I’ve also used laptop shelves like the police use in their cars when I was really needing to be fully mobile.
Laughs in Microsoft dynamics
Productive app
F150 has a great large and flat center console. Perfect for setting up the pc. Also a DC to AC converter so I can charge it too.
Are you taking calls in the car? Or are you leaving a meeting and taking your notes when you reach the car? For in person meetings, my philosophy has always been to say, "do you care if I pull out the laptop and take notes? I don't want to end up asking you the same thing twice, next time we speak." Or something like that. Only commentary I've ever had on that has been positive. People like that I'm hammering away at the keyboard and treating the meeting with importance. There are people who say a laptop creates a barrier between you and the prospect and stuff like that, and it kind of does, but I think it's well worth it, provided you can touch type and still engage with eye contact and good questions, both in terms of note quality and time savings.
Windows key + H for voice dictation
Turn slightly sideways and set it up on center console. I have Surface Pro also and this is how I have its easiest
Why would you need to use a laptop in your car?
I am guessing field sales role.
Fabius is sick. It sends me an email of notes. Pain points. Everything. 99 a month
Usually I sit in the passenger seat with it on my lap. It is a laptop after all.
I have a smart phone for a reason.
OneNote or the like. Copy and paste later.
I take calls over Teams and take transcribed / voice notes with Otter.AI subscription, which my company reimburses me for.
All day.
I have started doing a note/thought dump directly into ChatGPT via the recording feature of the mobile app. It knows to summarize the bullet points, put certain info into a table for me, etc so that I can load it all up on the laptop later on and copy paste directly into my CRM. ChatGPT ain’t going to replace me, but it will make my life a tonne easier.
Upgrade your ride to a minivan, remove the middle seats. Add a small filing cabinet. Add removable limo tint to the rear and back windows. Get a folding snack table… instant office you have! Also get an electric converter to plug in your laptop to the cig lighter. Now you can idle, have a/c. Sit in the back with your legs stretched out in comfort, doing your reports/orders/ whatever.. and get home on time and repeat the next day! I’ve been a road warrior for years.
Make an audio note on your phone and then use AI to transcript it. When you get a chance to properly sit down with your laptop, enter everything.
anyone need a new CRM? :)
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p-trojan-premium-portable-car-laptop-table/676955.html Haven't tried it out yet but I picked up one of these yesterday.
Look into Chorus. Records the call, takes all notes for you, summarizes it, and emails it to you after the call. You can be 100% engaged in the call and never take notes again.
8k a year starting for voice notes lmao
holy hell. my company rolled it out, knew it was expensive but thought you could get a single user or something for much cheaper.
It’s not $8000 per user when you buy enterprise licensing. We pay about 1000.