Stop manually digging through meeting recordings. Here's how to build a simple automation that extracts action items and delivers them instantly to your inbox.
Client meetings generate action items. It's inevitable. But extracting those action items from recordings and formatting them for follow-up? That's just busy work eating into time you could spend on actual client work.
Here's how to build a simple four-step automation that handles action item extraction automatically, saving 5-8 minutes per meeting and freeing up mental bandwidth for strategic work.
Most teams already record meetings through tools like Fathom or Zoom. The problem isn't capturing the information - it's what happens next.
After each client call, someone needs to:
That's 5-8 minutes of repetitive work per meeting. For teams managing multiple client relationships, those minutes add up to hours each week.
More importantly, it's mental overhead. Every meeting creates another administrative task that pulls focus from proactive client management.
The solution connects four tools most teams already have access to: Fathom for recording, Zapier for automation, ChatGPT for processing, and Gmail for delivery.
Fathom handles meeting recording and generates initial transcripts and AI summaries. This is probably already part of your workflow if you're recording client calls.
When Fathom processes a new meeting, Zapier automatically detects it and triggers the next step. This is the connective tissue that makes automation possible without manual intervention.
Instead of working with full transcripts (which contain too much noise), the automation sends Fathom's AI summary to OpenAI's API. A custom prompt extracts high-level action items while filtering out low-value tasks.
Processed action items arrive in your email within minutes of the meeting ending, organized by participant with clear ownership.
The prompt is everything. A poorly crafted prompt produces cluttered, repetitive output that's less useful than manual notes. A well-designed prompt delivers clean, actionable results.
Here's what works:
Use summaries, not full transcripts. Full meeting recordings contain too much conversational noise. AI-generated summaries provide cleaner input for action extraction.
Be specific about filtering. Tell the AI to focus on major responsibilities and commitments. Exclude small talk, minor clarifications, and routine check-ins.
Organize by participant. Structure output so it's clear who owns each action item. This makes follow-up communication much easier.
Emphasize clarity and priority. Ask for concise action items that focus on what actually needs to happen next.
The difference between useful output and digital clutter comes down to prompt design. Spend time getting this right.
Tool Requirements:
API Configuration: Use GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct rather than standard ChatGPT models. It handles this type of extraction task more effectively and provides better consistency for structured output.
Zapier Workflow:
Cost Considerations: OpenAI API credits are affordable but not free. Zapier may require a paid plan for higher volumes. For most teams, the cost is easily justified by time savings.
The automation delivers formatted action items like this:
John (Client):
Sarah (Project Manager):
Next Steps:
Clean, organized, and ready for immediate action.
Don't use full transcripts as input. They're too noisy and produce cluttered output. Stick with AI-generated summaries.
Don't make the prompt too broad. Overly general prompts turn every sentence into an action item. Be specific about what qualifies as meaningful next steps.
Don't skip the filtering step. Not every mentioned task is worth tracking. Focus on major responsibilities and clear commitments.
Don't ignore formatting. Structure output for easy copy-pasting and follow-up communication.
Once the basic automation works, there are several ways to expand it:
Project Management Integration: Connect action items directly to tools like Wrike, Asana, or Monday.com to automatically create tasks.
Client Knowledge Base: Store processed meeting summaries in a searchable database for long-term institutional knowledge.
Custom Formatting: Adjust output format for specific workflows or client communication styles.
Advanced Filtering: Refine prompts to handle different meeting types or client categories.
This automation represents a broader shift toward using AI for administrative tasks. The goal isn't replacing human judgment - it's eliminating repetitive work so teams can focus on strategy, relationship building, and complex problem-solving.
The best automations handle the predictable, structured work while leaving the nuanced, relationship-driven tasks to humans. Action item extraction fits perfectly into this category.
Week 1: Set up basic Zapier workflow and test with a few meetings Week 2: Refine prompt based on initial results
Week 3: Add formatting and organizational improvements Week 4: Scale to full meeting volume
Most teams can have a working version running within a week. The key is starting simple and iterating based on real results.
The tools needed for this automation are accessible to most businesses. Start with the basic workflow, test it with a few meetings, and refine based on what you learn.
The goal isn't building the perfect system from day one. It's eliminating repetitive work so you can spend time on activities that actually drive business results.
Stop manually extracting action items from meeting recordings. Build the automation, save the time, and focus on the work that matters.