The Ultimate AI Notetaking Fight: Circleback vs. Fireflies

Sara Loretta
21 Mar 202406:33

TLDRIn this video, the host compares two AI note-taking tools, Circleback and Fireflies, and shares their personal experience with both. Initially skeptical about AI tools, the host highlights the limitations of handwriting notes and explains how Fireflies helped streamline their workflow. However, they found Fireflies lacking in follow-up actions and task management. Circleback, a newer tool, impressed the host with its focus on actionable items and seamless integration with various platforms. Ultimately, Circleback emerges as the preferred tool due to its smart features and ability to enhance productivity.

Takeaways

  • 📝 The video covers a comparison between two AI note-taking tools: Circleback and Fireflies.
  • 🤖 The creator shares their journey from manual note-taking to using AI tools, highlighting the challenges of handwriting notes, such as missing important details during client meetings.
  • 🚀 Fireflies was the first AI tool they tried, which significantly improved their note-taking process, but still had some limitations, especially in generating actionable items from meeting notes.
  • 🔍 While Fireflies offers useful features like searchable keywords and trend analysis, it struggles with delivering precise action items, requiring the creator to manually review transcripts.
  • 🆕 Circleback, a newer tool supported by Y Combinator, caught their attention with a focus on creating actionable to-dos directly from calls.
  • ✅ Circleback's unique feature is its micro to-do list, which encourages immediate action on items discussed in meetings, making it stand out among other AI note-takers.
  • 🔒 Data security is a priority for Circleback, offering encryption, which is particularly valued in the context of AI handling sensitive data.
  • 📲 Circleback also integrates with a variety of tools like Slack and allows for in-person recordings, making it versatile for different meeting types.
  • ⚙️ The creator customized their workflow by integrating Circleback with Notion using Zapier, allowing seamless task management from meeting notes.
  • 🏆 Ultimately, the creator finds Circleback to be the superior tool for their business needs, though they acknowledge that different tools might suit other users better.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the video?

    -The video aims to compare two AI note-taking tools, Circleback and Fireflies, and help viewers decide which one is the best for their business needs.

  • Why did the creator initially handwrite notes for client meetings?

    -The creator initially chose to handwrite notes because they weren't convinced that AI tools like Otter AI or others were reliable enough to handle such an important part of their client work.

  • What were the issues the creator faced with handwritten notes?

    -The creator struggled with illegible handwriting, which made it hard to review notes. This also caused them to miss important details during meetings because they were too focused on jotting everything down.

  • What features do AI note-takers like Circleback and Fireflies offer?

    -AI note-takers can automatically transcribe spoken words, record audio and video, summarize notes, and generate action items for meeting participants. They also integrate with calendars and other tools to streamline workflows.

  • Why did the creator switch from Fireflies to Circleback?

    -The creator switched because while Fireflies offered useful features, its action items were not very effective, and they still had to review full transcripts. Circleback, on the other hand, excelled in generating actionable tasks and integrated well with other tools.

  • What are some unique features of Circleback?

    -Circleback focuses on generating actionable items after meetings and has a built-in to-do list feature that prompts users to act on them. It also offers secure data encryption and integrates with tools like Slack Huddles. Additionally, it allows in-person recording.

  • How did Circleback improve the creator's workflow?

    -Circleback allowed the creator to integrate meeting action items directly into their Notion task database via Zapier. This streamlined their task management process and made it easier to follow up on meetings.

  • What challenge does the creator mention about Circleback's action items?

    -The creator notes that sometimes Circleback generates unnecessary action items, but they prefer this over missing important tasks. They can delete irrelevant tasks as needed.

  • What is the creator's final opinion on Circleback?

    -The creator believes that Circleback is the best AI note-taker for their workflow, especially due to its focus on actionable items and overall integration with their systems. However, they acknowledge that other users might prefer different tools based on their specific needs.

  • What advice does the creator give to viewers regarding AI note-taking tools?

    -The creator suggests that viewers assess their own business needs. If all they require is a way to record notes for future reference, simpler tools might suffice. However, if they want automated follow-up tasks, a more advanced tool like Circleback might be better.

Outlines

00:00

📝 My Note-Taking Journey: From Handwriting to AI

The author introduces their personal note-taking journey, discussing how they initially relied on handwritten notes for business but found the process inefficient. Handwriting often became illegible, and they missed crucial client information, leading to rewatching videos to capture details. The author felt frustrated and doubted the value of advanced tools, believing any method of note-taking was sufficient as long as the notes were accessible. However, they eventually realized that their approach was flawed.

05:01

🤖 The Shift to AI Note Takers

The author describes how, despite their skepticism, they began experimenting with AI note-taking tools like Otter AI, Fellow, and Friday. These tools had appealing features but also triggered fears about relying on robots for client work. The turning point came with the rise of AI technology, particularly after discovering Fireflies. After a two-week adjustment period, the author fully transitioned to using AI note-takers, which improved their workflow. They explain how AI note-taking tools record, transcribe, and summarize meetings, automatically generating action items for attendees.

🔥 Fireflies: A Game-Changer but with Limitations

The author elaborates on their experience with Fireflies, highlighting its core features such as transcription, note organization, and action item creation. However, they express frustration with Fireflies' action item feature, finding it subpar and often returning to manually reviewing full transcripts and recordings. Despite using Fireflies extensively, the author felt it didn’t fully meet their needs, leaving them to consider hiring a virtual assistant (VA) to manage tasks from client meetings.

🌟 Circleback: The Ultimate AI Note-Taking Tool

The author introduces Circleback, a newer AI note-taking tool backed by Y Combinator, which they discovered on Product Hunt. They praise its focus on creating actionable items, secure data encryption, and its seamless integration with tools like Slack Huddles. Circleback impressed the author by providing a micro to-do list feature, encouraging immediate action, making it the smartest AI note-taker they have used so far. Circleback’s versatility, including in-person recording capabilities, earned it high marks in the author’s workflow.

💻 Circleback in Action: Integrating with Notion

The author explains how they incorporated Circleback into their workflow using Zapier loops to connect tasks generated from meetings directly into their Notion task database. They acknowledge that while the workflow isn't flawless—some action items don’t require attention—they prefer having the ability to delete irrelevant tasks over potentially missing something important. The section ends with the author inviting the audience to share their experiences with AI note-takers and encouraging engagement with their channel.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI Note Taker

An AI Note Taker refers to tools that use artificial intelligence to automatically transcribe spoken words, record meetings, summarize notes, and generate action items. The video compares AI note-taking tools like Circleback and Fireflies, showcasing their effectiveness in business settings.

💡Fireflies

Fireflies is an AI note-taking tool mentioned in the video. It allows users to transcribe conversations, organize notes, and extract action items. However, the speaker notes that Fireflies falls short in creating reliable action items, making it less efficient for follow-ups.

💡Circleback

Circleback is another AI note-taking tool featured in the video. It is praised for its focus on generating actionable items from meetings and providing a seamless follow-up process. The tool's integration with platforms like Slack and its secure data encryption make it a standout for the speaker.

💡Action Items

Action items refer to tasks or steps that need to be taken following a meeting or conversation. In the context of AI note-takers, they are automatically generated from the transcribed notes. The speaker criticizes Fireflies for producing poor-quality action items, while Circleback excels in this area.

💡Transcription

Transcription is the process of converting spoken words into written text. Both Fireflies and Circleback offer automatic transcription of meetings and conversations, which is a key feature for businesses to efficiently document discussions.

💡Workflow

A workflow is a sequence of tasks or processes followed to complete a project. The speaker explains how Circleback helped streamline their workflow by integrating tasks directly into their project management system, Notion, through tools like Zapier.

💡Product Hunt

Product Hunt is a platform where new technology products are launched and discovered. The speaker mentions finding Circleback on Product Hunt, which led them to test and eventually adopt it as their primary AI note-taking tool.

💡Data Encryption

Data encryption refers to the process of encoding data to protect it from unauthorized access. Circleback is highlighted for its secure data encryption, which is a critical feature for businesses concerned about the safety of their meeting recordings and notes.

💡In-Person Recordings

In-person recordings refer to the ability to capture audio from face-to-face meetings, not just virtual ones. Circleback allows users to record and transcribe in-person discussions, making it versatile for various business environments.

💡Notion

Notion is a productivity tool that combines notes, tasks, and project management features. The speaker explains how they integrated Circleback's action items into their Notion task database to improve their workflow and keep track of meeting outcomes.

Highlights

The video explores the speaker's personal note-taking journey and why every business should use an AI note-taker.

Handwriting notes led to illegible chicken scratch, making the speaker rewatch videos multiple times.

In 2022, AI note-takers like Otter AI were not widely adopted.

The speaker eventually tried Fireflies, an AI note-taking tool, and shifted away from handwriting notes.

AI notetakers can transcribe spoken words, record audio, summarize notes, and create action items.

The speaker used both Fireflies and Circleback, but found Fireflies lacking in its action item creation.

Fireflies produces subpar action items, requiring the speaker to manually review transcripts and recordings.

Circleback, a new AI note-taking tool, is praised for its focus on action items and secure data encryption.

Circleback integrates with tools like Slack and Huddles, and can record in-person meetings.

The speaker's partner, Jesse, also started using Circleback for meetings with builders.

Circleback allows the speaker to add tasks from a call directly into their Notion task database via Zapier loops.

Circleback's UI facilitates workflow and helps manage tasks, even if some action items require deletion.

The speaker believes Circleback is the best AI note-taker, though it may not suit every business.

Circleback has micro to-do list features that prompt immediate action from users.

The speaker encourages viewers to share their favorite AI note-takers and engage in the comments.