One advisor I know has someone take dictation, then type up notes. Another records the meeting and has it transcribed. Both approaches take up a lot of time and manpower.
Although I am not an advisor, I coach advisors. Here are my suggestions, based on what we do:
- As part of our service, we offer a recording of the coaching call using Audio Acrobat. We also send our clients a coaching call summary by email. The coaching call summary is dictated into Audio Acrobat.
- Our virtual assistant typesets the coaching call summary, which is then proofed and emailed to our clients along with practice management articles, assignments and systems.
- Our practice management articles, assignments and systems are stored in DropBox.
- Some of our clients use the Audio Note app to transcribe their client meeting notes.
- Some of our clients use CopyTalk to transcribe their client meeting notes.
- We have also used Dragon Dictation to dictate client notes.
- When I want to delegate or give the process a personal approach, I prefer creating a quick mind-map summary of the coaching call notes, and I'll sometimes use the SimpleMind app. (The SimpleMind app, which I use with the iPad2, is the coolest piece of software to come along in years.) Then I use Audio Acrobat to dictate the summary of the coaching and then have our virtual assistant transcribe the notes. I'm looking at five to 10 minutes to complete the mind map/notes/Audio Acrobat. Our virtual assistant spends 12 to 15 minutes to typeset the notes.
These processes guarantee clear communications with our clients and everyone is on the same page for the next meeting.
