Listening and typing at the same time
The broker is on a call with a remortgage client. The client explains that they may move in three years, want to overpay when their bonus comes in, and prefer certainty on payments. The broker types as fast as they can while asking follow-up questions and thinking about which products might suit.
The notes end up in shorthand. Later, writing the recommendation letter, the broker cannot remember whether the client said three years or "three or four", and whether overpayments were a priority or just a mention.
Why notes are hard to get right
Advice calls cover a lot: circumstances, plans, preferences, attitudes to fees and early repayment charges, the reason for the mortgage. Capturing all of that while also advising is difficult, and after the call the next client is already waiting.
The notes matter beyond the broker. They underpin the recommendation letter, network file checks and any later question about why a product was chosen. Thin notes make all of those harder.
- Typing during calls divides the broker's attention.
- Notes written after the call rely on memory.
- Preferences such as term and flexibility recorded vaguely.
- Different brokers note different things.
- Recommendation letters written from partial notes.
Video calls add another twist. The broker may be sharing a screen of sourcing results while talking, which leaves even less attention for typing notes, and the most useful things the client says often come right at the end, when the broker is already thinking about the next call.
What thin notes cost
| Gap in the notes | Where it shows |
|---|---|
| Client preference not recorded | Recommendation letter reasons are weaker |
| Plans for moving or overpaying vague | Product features harder to justify |
| Details misremembered | Letter corrected later, or a file check query |
| Inconsistent format | Network checks and colleagues struggle to follow |
Time is the other cost. A broker who writes up a full set of notes after every call can spend a large part of the day on write-ups, which limits how many clients they can see.
The call notes tool we build
- We agree the process with your brokerage and network first: how consent is obtained and recorded, what is kept, for how long and where.
- Calls on your phone system, Teams or Zoom are recorded only after consent is captured, and transcribed.
- A language model, such as Anthropic Claude or OpenAI under data terms your brokerage approves, drafts notes in your brokerage's own format.
- Stated preferences are pulled into structured fields: term, repayment type, preference for fixed or variable, plans to move or overpay, attitude to fees, with each linked to the moment in the transcript.
- The broker edits and approves the notes. Nothing is saved to the case until they do.
- Approved notes and preferences are saved to your CRM and can feed the recommendation letter assembly.
Drafts can be wrong: a misheard figure, a comment taken out of context. That is why every draft is reviewed and every line links back to the transcript. The broker is the author of the notes.
What brokers notice
Brokers listen properly, because they are not typing. Notes are ready to check within minutes of the call. Preferences are captured in the client's words, which makes the reasons in the recommendation letter clearer. And notes follow the same structure across the brokerage, which helps checks and colleagues.
Clients who do not want to be recorded are handled as before, and their choice is recorded.
Is this your note taking?
- Brokers type notes while advising.
- Notes are written up later from memory.
- Client preferences are recorded vaguely.
- Letters are drafted from incomplete notes.
- Each broker's notes look different.