Maximising Productivity with Meeting Notes Apps: Benefits and Drawbacks

Keeping track of meeting details is vital for staying organised and ensuring things don’t slip through the cracks.

Whether collaborating with a team or working with clients, having a reliable system to capture key points, action items, and next steps can make all the difference. Meeting notes apps are becoming a go-to solution for this, offering a variety of features to make note-taking more straightforward and more efficient. But, like anything, they come with their pros and cons.

The Benefits of Meeting Notes Apps

1. Organisation and Searchability
   Meeting notes apps let you organise notes neatly, making everything easy to find when needed. You can tag your notes by project or topic, and searching becomes a breeze. No more flipping through endless pages or digging through cluttered folders — everything is at your fingertips.
2. Collaboration and Sharing
   One of the best features of meeting notes apps is the ability to work on the same notes in real-time. This means everyone can contribute, add comments, or make changes during the meeting. Sharing the notes afterwards is easy, ensuring everyone can access the essential details and action items.
3. Integration with Other Tools
   Most meeting notes apps integrate well with other tools, such as calendars or project management software. This can save time by linking your meeting notes to the corresponding calendar event or automatically turning notes into tasks within tools like Asana or Trello.
4. Voice-to-Text Features
   Some apps, like Otter.ai and Microsoft OneNote, let you record and automatically transcribe meetings. This is especially handy for long meetings where it isn’t easy to keep up with typing everything. Just hit record, and you’ll have a written transcript ready to go without lifting a finger.
5. Actionable Outcomes
   Meeting notes apps often allow you to highlight action items, assign tasks, and track follow-ups. This ensures that nothing gets forgotten and that everyone knows what to do after the meeting ends.

The Drawbacks of Meeting Notes Apps

1. Over-Reliance on Technology
   While these apps can be incredibly useful, it’s easy to become too reliant on them. Sometimes, focusing too much on taking notes can distract you from actively listening and engaging in the discussion. It’s important to stay present in the conversation rather than relying on the app to capture every detail.
2. Learning Curve
   Some apps have many features, which can make them feel overwhelming at first. If the whole team is not familiar with the tool, it can take time to get up to speed. You may need to invest time in training or learning the app’s ins and outs before it becomes second nature.
3. Technical Issues
   Like any software, meeting notes apps aren’t immune to glitches. There’s always a chance of syncing issues, crashes, or problems with internet connectivity, which could cause you to lose important information. A backup plan — like manually saving your notes or using offline mode — can help avoid problems.
4. Privacy Concerns
   Since most meeting notes apps store data in the cloud, it’s essential to consider security. If you’re dealing with sensitive or confidential information, you’ll want to ensure the app offers strong encryption and privacy features to prevent data breaches.

Final Thoughts

Meeting notes apps can really boost your productivity and help keep things organised. They’re a great way to ensure that key points and action items are captured and shared, and they can save you time when integrated with other tools. However, it’s important to balance the convenience of these apps with effective listening and engagement during meetings. Keep in mind the potential downsides, like over-reliance on tech or security concerns, and you’ll be able to use these apps to their full potential.