Calendly Throws Its Hat into Meeting Note-Taker Circus

Calendly, a leading scheduling platform, now steps into the busy AI meeting note-taking field. Its new tool records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings. It focuses on automating follow-up tasks such as creating action items and drafting emails. The company aims this product at its core users in client-facing positions, like sales and marketing. These professionals often feel swamped by their meeting load.

Key takeaways

• Calendly is launching an AI meeting note-taker that records, transcribes, and generates summaries and action items.
• The product specifically targets sales and marketing professionals to automate their post-meeting workflows.
• It emphasizes privacy by notifying all participants when recording starts and allowing anyone to ask the app to leave.
• Calendly plans to release an AI assistant named ‘Callie’ to further automate scheduling and provide meeting context.
• The company enters a crowded market but sees opportunity in automating work after the meeting ends.

Calendly’s Entry into the AI Note-Taking Arena

Known for its scheduling software, Calendly is introducing a new note-taking product. This launch places it in a hotly contested market where many firms use AI to automate tasks from meeting transcripts.

How the Note-Taker Works

Calendly’s note-taker joins meetings to record audio and video, then provides a transcription. From that text, it can produce a summary, find action items, and write draft emails. The firm is also testing a feature, comparable to one from Granola, which uses system audio for transcription.

Targeting Outward-Facing Roles

CEO Tope Awotona says the tool automates workflows for its primary users. These are people in client-facing jobs like sales and marketing, whose days are usually full of meetings. He believes the main chance lies not in recording alone, but in automating the tasks that come after a meeting finishes.

The company tackles privacy issues directly. Its recording assistant sends a chat message to tell everyone it’s present. Any participant can request the app to exit. Because it integrates with the scheduler, it can also alert people before a meeting begins that the call will be recorded.

Product Features and Differentiators

This new note-taker joins meetings to record, transcribe, and create summaries, action items, and email drafts. Calendly is testing a feature, similar to a competitor’s, that employs system audio for transcription.

AI Assistant and Automation Focus

Calendly also plans to launch an AI assistant called ‘Callie.’ This assistant will use the firm’s scheduling tools to arrange meetings, check calendars, and show context from past calls. CEO Tope Awotona stressed that while many note-takers capture meetings well, Calendly spots a major chance to automate the work that follows, especially for busy sales and marketing teams.

Privacy and Integration

To address common privacy worries, Calendly’s tool alerts users when recording starts via a chat message. Anyone in the meeting can tell the app to exit. Plus, its link to the core scheduler means it can warn participants ahead of time that a call will be recorded.

Intense Competition and Market Context

The AI meeting note-taker market is packed. Specialized apps like Granola, Fireflies, Read AI, Otter, and Fathom all compete. Broader productivity platforms from Notion, ClickUp, and Wispr have also added note-taking assistants.

This rivalry leads to similar feature development. For example, startup Read AI launched an email-based assistant this year, matching part of Calendly’s plan. CEO Tope Awotona recognizes the many existing note-takers but contends the larger opportunity is in automating the steps that come after transcription.

Privacy as a Differentiator

Several competitors face serious scrutiny. Apps like Otter and Granola deal with claims of breaching user privacy. Calendly hopes to stand apart by stressing clarity. Its note-taker tells all participants about recording with a chat message. Any user can ask it to leave, and its scheduler link can give advance notice that a call will be recorded.