What Dialpad Ai gives you after a call
Dialpad's help centre describes AI Recaps as available to all Dialpad users on every plan, provided AI is switched on at the company level and in your own AI settings. Seconds after a call ends, the recap appears in the conversation, your inbox and Conversation History. It combines four parts:
- AI Call Summary. A short summary of the conversation. You can make it shorter or longer, or turn it into a bulleted list.
- AI Outcomes. Whether the issue was resolved or needs a follow-up.
- AI Call Purpose. The reason for the call, sorted into categories so you can spot patterns.
- AI Action Items. Follow-up tasks detected in the call, such as sending a document or booking a meeting. Some can go straight into Google Calendar, Office 365 or Apple Calendar.
Dialpad notes that outcomes and call purposes are only filled in for external calls by users on a Sales or Support licence. You can edit the summary and action items, copy everything with Copy All, or share a link. Dialpad also offers a Deep Summary on demand, organised into Q&A, Topics, Action items and Participants, which you can download as a PDF along with the transcript as a CSV. Dialpad notes that a recap is not produced for very short calls (under 100 words spoken) or calls that went to voicemail.
Dialpad also pushes this data into other systems. Its HubSpot integration can post the AI summary, transcript, recap and action items to the HubSpot call activity. For Clio, Dialpad connects through a third-party app, the ion8 Call Connector, which logs calls and their duration in Clio Manage. According to its listing on the Dialpad app marketplace, AI summaries and transcripts are part of ion8's paid tier.
When Dialpad's recap is enough
Be honest about your use case before you add another tool. If the recap does the job, keep using it. It is included in Dialpad, it appears where you already work, and it takes no setup beyond switching AI on.
| Situation | Dialpad's AI Recap | A structured file note |
|---|---|---|
| Sales or support calls where you need a quick reminder of what happened | Usually enough | Probably more than you need |
| Internal calls and team check-ins | Usually enough | Not needed |
| Logging calls to HubSpot for a sales pipeline | Dialpad's HubSpot integration may cover it | Only if the call involved advice or instructions |
| Credit assistance calls under the NCCP Act | Too thin on its own | Needed: inquiries, requirements and objectives, reasons |
| Personal advice calls under the Corporations Act | Too thin on its own | Needed: circumstances, advice, reasons, what was not recommended |
| Solicitor and client calls | Too thin on its own | Needed: instructions, advice, costs, next steps |
Where a recap falls short for regulated work
A recap is designed to tell a busy person what a call was about. A file note is designed to prove what was said, asked, advised and agreed. The difference shows up in four places.
1. Structure
Dialpad decides the shape of the recap: summary, outcome, purpose, action items. Your firm probably has its own headings, such as 'Client's requirements and objectives', 'Inquiries made', 'Advice given' and 'Next steps', in a set order. An auditor reading fifty files expects to find the same thing in the same place every time. Rewriting a recap into your format after every call is the job most people were trying to avoid.
2. The detail the rules actually ask for
The legal duties behind a file note are specific:
- Mortgage brokers. The National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth) requires an assessment that the credit is not unsuitable, based on reasonable inquiries about the consumer's requirements and objectives and their financial situation, and reasonable steps to verify it (ss 128 to 131). The best interests duty in s 158LA sits on top. ASIC RG 209 expects you to keep records of those inquiries and that verification. See how to write a compliant NCCP file note.
- Financial advisers. The best interests duty in s 961B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and ASIC RG 175 mean your file has to show how you identified the client's objectives, financial situation and needs, and why the advice suits them. See what to record in a financial advice file note.
- Solicitors. The Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules require clear and timely advice (r 7) and following the client's lawful, proper and competent instructions (r 8). Costs disclosure under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (s 174, and equivalent state Acts elsewhere) often happens on the phone. See how to write a legal attendance note.
A four-sentence summary tends to keep the conclusion and lose the reasons. It will say the client wants to refinance. It will rarely say that you asked about upcoming changes to their income, that they said none were expected, and that you explained the fixed-rate break cost before they chose a variable loan.
3. Editing and integrity
Dialpad lets you edit the summary and action items in place, which is useful for fixing a misspelt name. For a compliance record you also want to show what the note said when it was finalised, and what changed afterwards and when. Dialpad's own help page notes that changes to Deep Summary sections are irreversible, so an edit replaces the earlier text.
4. Where the note ends up
A recap lives in Dialpad, or in HubSpot as a call activity. Your file might be in Clio, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or a HubSpot contact record, and your compliance team wants the finished note on the client's record, not a link to a phone system.
How CallNote turns Dialpad transcripts into file notes
CallNote is Australian software that turns a transcript that already exists into a file note in your firm's own format. With Dialpad, the transcript arrives automatically. CallNote never records the call, never joins it and never receives the audio. The recording, if you keep one, stays in Dialpad.
- Connect once. A Dialpad company admin creates an API key in Dialpad and pastes it into CallNote's Integrations page. CallNote sets up the webhook on your Dialpad account. API access needs Dialpad Pro or Enterprise. Step-by-step instructions are in how to connect Dialpad to CallNote.
- Keep Dialpad Ai transcription on. CallNote works from the transcript, so Dialpad Ai has to be on and set to start automatically for calls.
- Take calls as normal. When a call ends and Dialpad has the transcript ready, CallNote writes the note. It is waiting in your library after the call, linked to the matching client where CallNote can find one.
- The note uses your template. Paste one of your own past notes and CallNote builds a template with your headings, order and shorthand in about 20 seconds, without keeping anything about the client. There are also system templates for general calls, mortgage broking (NCCP), financial advice and legal attendance notes.
- Review, then Publish to CRM. You read the note and fix anything the call did not make clear. When you publish, the note is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum and locked. Later changes are added as amendments, with the original kept, and every step is in the audit log.
- It goes to your CRM. Published notes go to the one CRM your firm has connected: HubSpot, Clio (to the linked Clio contact) or Microsoft Dynamics 365 (written as the person who connected, on the client's contact or account). You can also export a PDF or copy the text. Slack, Notion and Zapier can receive notes on publish.
What the finished note looks like
Fictional client, fictional facts. This is the kind of note a broker would want on file after a refinance call on Dialpad, written in a firm's own headings. The recap for the same call might have said: "Client wants to refinance to a lower rate. Broker to send options."
- Client's requirements and objectives
Priya wants to reduce her monthly repayments on her home loan. She has about 22 years left on the loan and wants to keep the same term. She wants an offset account because she keeps around $15,000 in savings. She does not want a fixed rate, because she may sell within three years.
- Financial situation
- Full-time employee, salary about $118,000 a year. No expected change to her income.
- Current loan balance about $540,000. Estimated property value $760,000, which is a loan-to-value ratio (LVR) of about 71%.
- One credit card with a $6,000 limit. No other debts.
- Inquiries and verification
Asked about upcoming expenses, planned leave and any changes to her household. She said none. Requested her last two payslips, three months of bank statements and her current loan statement to verify what she told us.
- Information given
- Explained that her current lender may charge a discharge fee and that the new lender may charge setup fees. Said we would include both in the comparison.
- Explained that a lower rate over the same term reduces repayments, and that extending the term would reduce them further but cost more interest overall. She chose to keep the term.
- Gave her our credit guide by email during the call.
- Next steps
- Priya: send documents by 26 September.
- Broker: prepare a comparison of three variable loans with offset accounts, including all fees, by 30 September.
- Follow-up call booked for 1 October.
The requirements and objectives are in her words, the inquiries are recorded along with her answers, the option she ruled out (a fixed rate) is on the file with her reason, and the fee discussion is written down. That is what makes a note useful in a file review.
Dialpad's recap and a CallNote file note side by side
| Dialpad's AI Recap | CallNote file note | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | The Dialpad call, if AI is on | The Dialpad transcript, sent automatically once connected |
| Cost | Included in Dialpad, every plan | Solo $149 a month, Team $99 per seat a month (AUD), 14-day free trial |
| Dialpad plan needed | Any | Pro or Enterprise (API access) |
| Format | Dialpad's format: summary, outcome, purpose, action items | Your firm's own headings, order and shorthand |
| Editing | Editable in place | Editable until published, then sealed and locked; later changes are amendments |
| Integrity record | Not designed as a compliance record | SHA-256 checksum on publish, full audit log |
| Where it goes | Dialpad, HubSpot (via Dialpad), Clio call logs (via ion8) | HubSpot, Clio contact or Dynamics 365, plus PDF, copy, Zapier |
| Records audio | Dialpad transcribes the call on its side | Never. CallNote only receives the transcript |
Many firms will use both. The recap is handy in the moment. The file note is what goes on the client's record.
Transcription, consent and your obligations
CallNote does not record calls, but Dialpad has to process the call to transcribe it, so your usual recording and consent practice still applies. State laws differ. NSW, WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT generally require the consent of all parties. Victoria, Queensland and the NT allow a party to the call to record it. The federal Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 deals separately with intercepting calls as they pass over the network. The simplest practice is to tell the client at the start of the call. This is general information, not legal advice. See is it legal to record phone calls in Australia for the detail by state.
Setup checklist
- Dialpad Pro or Enterprise plan, and a Dialpad company admin to create the API key.
- Dialpad Ai switched on at the company level and set to start automatically for calls.
- A CallNote account (the 14-day trial needs no credit card).
- Your template: paste a past note you are happy with, or start from a system template. Our file note template library has starting points.
- Your CRM connected in CallNote: HubSpot, Clio or Dynamics 365, if you want notes sent on publish.
- A consent line your team says at the start of client calls.
- A habit: review each note the same day, while the call is fresh, then publish.
Industry pages with more detail: mortgage brokers, financial advisers and law firms.
Common questions
Does Dialpad write call notes automatically?
Yes. Dialpad's AI Recap produces a short summary and action items after AI-enabled calls, on every Dialpad plan. Call purpose and outcome are added for external calls by users on a Sales or Support licence. It is a recap in Dialpad's format. It is not a file note in your firm's structure, and it is not built to be a sealed compliance record.
Is a Dialpad AI Recap enough for an NCCP or best interests duty file note?
On its own, usually not. Brokers need a record of the inquiries made about the client's requirements, objectives and financial situation and how they were verified (NCCP Act ss 128 to 131, ASIC RG 209). Advisers need to show how the best interests duty in s 961B was met. A short summary rarely captures those details or the reasons behind them.
Which Dialpad plan do you need to connect CallNote?
Dialpad Pro or Enterprise, because CallNote connects through the Dialpad API and Standard plans do not include API access. A Dialpad company admin creates the API key, and Dialpad Ai transcription must be on and set to start automatically for calls.
Does CallNote record my Dialpad calls or get the audio?
No. Dialpad transcribes the call on its side and sends CallNote the transcript and basic call details. CallNote never records calls, never joins them and never stores call audio. Data is hosted in Sydney and is not used to train AI.
Can the note go into Clio, HubSpot or Dynamics after a Dialpad call?
Yes. After you review the note and click Publish to CRM, CallNote sends it to the one CRM your firm has connected: HubSpot, Clio (to the linked Clio contact, with no matter chosen automatically) or Microsoft Dynamics 365. You can also export a PDF or copy the text into any other system.
What happens if you need to change a note after it is published?
A published note is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum and locked. You add an amendment instead of overwriting it, so the original stays on record alongside the change, and the audit log shows who changed what and when.