Power of the Meeting Note

I have a habit I developed some years ago of sending a short note, usually email, after every meeting with a client (and many phone calls). It developed out of my time as a project manager when you needed to keep a history of decisions and to remove any ambiguity over actions agreed. As a relationship manager they serve a similar purpose put from a different perspective, here are some reasons to consider sending a note:

• Looks professional and that you take such meetings seriously, even when the tone is light hearted
• You have a record of what was discussed and any actions agreed.
• You can circulate your note to other interested parties e.g. Project Managers, Sales & Marketing, your boss, the rest of the team.
• Audit purposes (for all the ITIL Service Level Managers in the audience)
• Your own records especially when you are managing a large number of clients
• Personal marketing, so all concerned know the great job you are doing.

I would suggest you have a template ready as speed is import in writing up these notes. If it takes more than 10 minutes you simply won't do it. A text based template (e.g. Outlook Forms) or a draft email saved works very well. Avoid MS Word/PDF documents unless you have to be formal (e.g. Proposal or anything with a price in it). Typical headings would be:

• Subject,
  
• Date/Time and Place,
  
• Attendees, Agenda,
  
• Main Points (short, highlights only)
  
• Actions (who, what and for when).

An optional and very useful heading to have is Internal Only. This is usually at the top and contains information that you want the internal team to know but which you might not be of interest to the client and would not be sent on their copy.

Issue it as soon after the meeting/call as possible as it looks professional and they will very often be filed as meeting minutes by the client who hasn't the time (or interest) to write up their own.