A good conversation that left no trace
A handler spends twenty minutes on the phone with a client going through their renewal. The client mentions they have started doing some work at height, that they sold one of their vans, and that they do not want legal expenses this year. The handler makes a mental note, then the next call comes in. By the end of the day the file note says 'spoke to client re renewal'.
Months later, a claim arrives on work at height. Did the client tell you? The call recording may exist somewhere, but finding it, and knowing that is where the answer is, relies on someone remembering.
Why notes are always thin
File notes are written after the call, from memory, while the phone rings again. They compete with every other task, and nobody sees a missing note until it matters. Call recording systems store the audio, but a recording is not a note: nobody can search it for 'work at height' and it is not attached to the client file.
- Notes are written after the call, from memory.
- Handlers have back-to-back calls in busy periods.
- Recordings are stored in the phone system, not with the client file.
- Important disclosures and declined covers are not recorded consistently.
The cost of a thin note
The file is the brokerage's record of what was said and advised. When a note is missing, a later dispute about what a client disclosed or declined becomes one person's recollection against another's. Day to day, colleagues who pick up a call from the same client have no idea what was discussed last time, so the client repeats themselves.
Draft notes from recordings, checked by the handler
- Recordings are collected from your phone system, such as a cloud telephony platform with an API, once each call ends.
- Each call is transcribed and matched to the client by phone number, with the handler able to correct the match.
- A draft file note is produced in your format: purpose of the call, facts given by the client, changes in circumstances, covers discussed or declined, actions agreed and who owns them.
- Statements that look like disclosures, such as new activities or claims, are highlighted in the draft so the handler can check them.
- The handler reviews and edits the note, then files it to the client in your broking system with one click, with a link to the recording.
- Actions in the note become tasks with due dates.
- Unfiled drafts are listed for each handler, so nothing sits unreviewed.
Call recording, retention and transcription raise data protection questions your firm needs to settle, such as what you tell callers and how long recordings are kept. We build to your policy. Nothing becomes a file note until a person approves it.
A note that takes a minute to check
| Part of the note | From memory | From the call |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Usually recorded | Recorded |
| Client's facts and changes | Partial | Captured, highlighted for checking |
| Covers declined | Often missing | Captured where discussed |
| Actions | In the handler's head | Tasks with owners |
| Link to recording | None | On the note |
Is this your file notes problem?
- File notes often say little more than 'spoke to client'.
- Recordings exist but are not linked to the client file.
- Colleagues cannot see what was said on the last call.
- Declined covers discussed on the phone are rarely noted.