Follow up after a client meeting

Finish a client meeting's follow-up from its meeting page: check the notes, look up what was said, draft the recap email, book the next meeting and record what happens next. Operator asks you before it creates anything.

What firms use it for

After an annual review. Read the notes, then have Operator draft the recap email and book next year's review while the meeting is fresh. See Draft the follow-up email and Book the next meeting.
After you give advice. Add a second set of notes from your firm's advice template, so the client's file records what you recommended. See Check the notes.
When a client asks what was agreed. Ask Operator, for example "What did Grace say about when she wants to retire?" See Ask about what was said.
After a first meeting with a prospect. Have Operator set up the prospect's household from the meeting, then send your follow-up. See Set up or update a household from notes and documents.
Keeping the client's file complete. Save the notes to your CRM, or file them in the household's folder. See Save the notes where your firm keeps them.

Before you start

The meeting needs a recording or your own notes, so that Operator can write meeting notes. See Have Operator take notes or Record or upload a meeting.
To draft emails and book meetings, connect your Google or Microsoft account. See Connect a calendar account.

Open the meeting

In the sidebar, select Meetings.
Find the meeting. A meeting from earlier today is under Today on Upcoming meetings. An older meeting is on Past meetings.
Select the meeting.

To ask Operator about the meeting, select Ask Operator at the bottom of the page. Alcova attaches the meeting to your request, so Operator knows which meeting you mean. See Ask about the page you are on.

The meeting's Conversations section lists each conversation about the meeting, so you can come back to one later.

Check the notes

Start here. The recap email and the record you keep are only as good as the notes.

After the meeting, Operator writes meeting notes from the transcript, using the template that best fits the conversation.

To correct the notes, select them and type. See Edit the notes.
To add a second set of notes, for example from your firm's advice template, select the + button at the top right of the notes, then select the template. See Write notes from another template.
If you added to My Notes after the notes were written, write the notes again to include your additions. See Include your personal notes.

You can also ask Operator to write notes from another template, for example "Write notes for this meeting from our advice template." Operator asks you before it writes them.

Video: Add notes from another template

Ask about what was said

Use this when you need a detail the notes do not cover, such as the exact words a client used.

On the meeting page, select Ask Operator.
Enter your question, for example "What did James say about his TPD cover?" or "Which documents did I promise to send them?"
Press Enter.

Operator answers from the meeting's transcript and notes. You can keep asking in the same conversation.

To use a ready-made request, select the suggestion button at the right of the prompt box, or type a slash (/). These requests are about the meeting:

Suggestion	What Operator does
List my todos	Lists your action items from the meeting.
Write follow up email	Writes an email to the attendees that recaps the main points and the next steps.
Summarize key decisions	Summarises the decisions made in the meeting.
Schedule follow-up meeting	Sets up a meeting with the same attendees to carry on with the open items.

A suggestion fills the prompt box, so you can change it before you send it.

Video: Ask Operator about a meeting

Draft the follow-up email

Use this to send the client a recap of what you agreed, for example after a review.

On the meeting page, select Ask Operator.
Ask for a draft in your mailbox, and add anything the notes do not cover. For example, "Draft a follow-up email to the Gallaghers in Outlook. Remind them to sign the insurance forms."
When the Confirmation required card shows, check To, Subject and Account, then select Approve.
Open the draft in Outlook or Gmail. Read it, change it if you need to, then send it from there.

Operator never sends the email. It saves a draft in your mailbox, written in your own style. It addresses the draft to the attendees from the client's household, and adds colleagues only if you ask.

Operator writes the draft from the meeting notes. It covers the decisions, the action items and the next steps, and leaves out your internal and compliance comments. Read the whole draft before you send it.

If a detail such as a date is missing from the notes, Operator leaves it out of the email and tells you.

If you ask for the email in the conversation instead, for example "Write the follow-up email here so I can copy it", Operator writes it in its reply and does not make a draft.

To attach files, change a draft or reply to an email, see Draft emails with Operator.

Book the next meeting

Use this to book the next review or a follow-up call before you move on to other work.

On the meeting page, select Ask Operator.
Say when, for example "Book a 45-minute call with the Gallaghers next Thursday afternoon, with a Teams link." You can also select the Schedule follow-up meeting suggestion.
When the Confirmation required card shows, check Action, Subject, Attendees and Account, then select Approve.

Operator adds the meeting to your Google or Microsoft calendar, with the attendees. The meeting then shows on your Meetings page.

If the time clashes with an event already in your calendar, Operator does not book it. It tells you about the clash, so you can choose another time or ask it to book anyway.

Record what happens next

Use these to make sure nothing from the meeting is forgotten.

Add a task to the meeting. In the meeting's Tasks section, select Add task. The task is linked to the meeting. See Manage your tasks.
Ask Operator to add a task. For example, "Add a task to send the Gallaghers their insurance forms by Friday." Operator asks first. The card shows the task's Title, Priority and Due date. Operator adds the task to your Tasks list, assigned to you. A task that Operator adds is not linked to the meeting or the household.
Have Operator remember a detail. For example, "Remember that Grace prefers phone calls to email." See Have Operator remember.

Save the notes where your firm keeps them

Use one or both of these, depending on where your firm keeps client records.

In your CRM. If your organisation uses Salesforce or Dynamics 365, select Approve & Sync to Salesforce below the notes. For Dynamics 365, the button names Dynamics 365. You can also ask Operator to sync the notes, and it asks you first. Syncing sends the notes out of Alcova to your CRM. See Sync meeting notes to your CRM.
In the household's folder. Ask Operator, for example "Add this meeting's notes to the household's folder." Operator copies the notes into the household's folder in Client Context, without the transcript or your personal notes. It asks you first, and the card shows From and To. See Find a household's files.

If something goes wrong

The meeting has no notes yet. Alcova may still be preparing the transcript or the notes. See Work with meeting notes.
Operator cannot draft the email. See Draft emails with Operator.
Operator cannot book the meeting. Check that your Google or Microsoft account is still connected. See Reconnect a calendar.
The draft or the meeting is not what you wanted. Before you approve, enter what to change in the box under the card's details, then select Do this instead. See Ask Operator to do something different.