What counts as file note software
Three quite different kinds of product get called "file note software", and mixing them up is the most common buying mistake.
- A place to store notes. The file note or notes field inside your practice management system, CRM or advice platform. It holds the note against the client or matter. Someone still writes it.
- A tool that captures the conversation. AI note takers that join video meetings as a bot, or capture audio on your device, then transcribe and summarise.
- A tool that writes the note. Software that takes the conversation as text and produces a note in your structure, ready for review and filing.
The seven-point checklist
Take this list into every demo and trial. Ask each vendor to show you, not tell you.
- Does it record audio, or work from a transcript you already have? A tool that records the call becomes the recorder, which brings state recording laws into play. Recording a private conversation generally needs everyone's consent in NSW, WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT, while Victoria, Queensland and the NT allow a party to the conversation to record. The federal Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 applies separately to interception over a telecommunications system. Our state-by-state guide has the Acts. A tool that receives a transcript from your phone system or meeting platform does not record anything itself, though your phone system or meeting platform still does. See meeting bots versus transcript-only note tools for the trade-off.
- Is the data held in Australia? Ask where notes, transcripts and any audio are stored, where they are processed, and whether the vendor uses your data to train AI. "Australian company" and "Australian hosting" are different claims.
- Does it write in your format? A generic summary with "Key points" and "Action items" is not a file note. Test it with your own headings, your order and your shorthand, and see whether it keeps them.
- Can you review, then lock? You need to check names, figures and advice before the note is final. After that, the final version should not be quietly editable. Corrections should be added as amendments.
- Is there an audit trail? Who created the note, who changed it, when, and what the note said on the day. If a client complaint lands two years later, this is what you rely on.
- Does it deliver to where your records live? A note that stays inside the note tool is not on the client file. Check the actual system you use (LEAP, Smokeball, Clio, Xplan, AdviserLogic, your aggregator CRM, HubSpot, Dynamics) and exactly where the note lands. Copy and PDF are fine if that is your process.
- What does it cost at your size? Per-seat pricing, minimum seats, annual lock-in, and whether the plan you need includes the features you trialled. If pricing is not published, ask for it in writing.
What the rules actually ask for
No Australian regulator requires you to use software for file notes. What they require is a record that shows what you did and why. Software is only useful if it helps you produce that record.
- Mortgage brokers. The best interests duty in s 158LA of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (NCCP Act), and the reasonable inquiries and verification obligations in s 117, are shown by what is on the file. ASIC's RG 273 expects records that show the options you considered and the basis for your recommendation. See how to write a compliant NCCP file note.
- Financial advisers. The best interests duty in s 961B of the Corporations Act 2001 is demonstrated by your records. Section 912G, inserted by ASIC Corporations (Record-Keeping Requirements for Australian Financial Services Licensees when Giving Personal Advice) Instrument 2024/508, requires records of personal advice to retail clients to be kept for seven years.
- Lawyers. No single rule says "write an attendance note", but instructions, advice and costs conversations are exactly what a court, a regulator or your professional indemnity insurer will ask to see. Confidentiality under the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules r 9 also shapes which tools are acceptable. See legal file note requirements in Australia.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your licensee, aggregator or law society may set stricter standards.
The realistic options, compared
These are the options Australian brokers, advisers and firms actually shortlist. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so.
| Option | How the conversation gets in | Writes the note in your format? | Data location (as published) | Price (as published) | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes field in your practice system or CRM | You type it | Yes, because you write it | Depends on the system | Included in your subscription | Low call volume, or firms happy to write notes by hand |
| LEAP Matter AI (law) | Works from the documents, emails, dates and transactions already in a LEAP matter | Built for questions, summaries and drafting from the matter file | Not stated on the Matter AI page | LEAP says Matter AI is included in every LEAP subscription at no extra cost | LEAP firms wanting AI across the whole matter file |
| Smokeball Archie (law) | Works inside the Smokeball matter. Smokeball lists an Archie app for turning a recording into a transcript | Built for drafting, review and answering questions on the matter | Not stated on the Archie page | Not published on the Archie page | Smokeball firms wanting AI inside the matter |
| Claras (financial advice) | Records in-app, or you upload recordings from Teams, Zoom or phone calls | Yes, compliant advice file notes | Claras says data never leaves Australia | A$50 a month for 4 notes, or A$139 per adviser a month unlimited (A$39 per assistant) | Advice practices, especially on Xplan (Claras says it exports notes to the client record in Xplan) |
| General AI note takers (Otter, Fireflies) | A bot joins Zoom, Teams or Google Meet and records | General meeting notes and summaries | Not stated on their pricing pages | Otter Pro US$16.99 a month (US$8.33 billed annually). Fireflies prices not shown on the page we checked | Internal meetings and general business use |
| Zoom AI Companion | Speech-to-text during a Zoom meeting, no recording needed | Zoom's summary format | Zoom lists an Australian option for its Zoom-models-only AI processing, on request to Zoom support | Included with paid Zoom Workplace plans | A quick recap of Zoom meetings |
| CallNote | Receives a transcript. Automatic from Aircall, Dialpad and Microsoft Teams. Paste, upload a .vtt or .txt, forward by email, or dictate a voice memo for everything else | Yes, your headings, order and shorthand, built from one of your own past notes | Stored in Sydney (AWS ap-southeast-2) | A$149 a month solo, A$99 per seat a month for teams, 14-day free trial | Brokers, advisers and firms that want notes in their own format without a recording tool |
Where each option is the better pick
- Stay with your practice system's notes field if you take a handful of client calls a week and your notes are short. It costs nothing extra and the note is already on the file.
- Look hard at LEAP Matter AI or Smokeball Archie if you are a law firm on those systems and your main pain is working with the matter file, not writing up calls. They sit where your records already live. CallNote has no native integration with either, so with CallNote a LEAP or Smokeball firm files by PDF or copy and paste.
- Look at Claras if you are an advice practice that wants the tool to record meetings, and you file into Xplan. That is a direct route CallNote does not have. We have a side-by-side comparison.
- Use a general note taker for internal meetings, sales calls and team catch-ups, where a summary is all you need and nobody will read it in a complaint file.
- Look at CallNote if your calls already produce transcripts (Aircall, Dialpad, Teams, or Zoom and Google Meet exports), you do not want another tool recording clients, you want notes that look like the ones you already write, and you file into HubSpot, Clio, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or by PDF.
A worked example
Fictional client, fictional numbers. A broker takes a 25-minute refinance call on Aircall. The transcript arrives in CallNote, which writes the note in the broker's own template. After a two-minute check against the transcript, the note reads:
- What the client wants
Daniel wants a lower repayment on his home loan. His fixed rate ends on 30 October. He also wants to keep an offset account because he holds his business tax savings there.
- Current situation
Owner-occupied loan of about $540,000 on a property Daniel values at about $820,000, a loan-to-value ratio (LVR) of about 66%. Self-employed for four years. No other debts apart from one credit card with a $10,000 limit, which he is willing to reduce.
- Options discussed
- Stay with the current lender and ask for a better rate when the fixed term ends.
- Refinance to a variable loan with a full offset account with another lender.
- Split the loan between fixed and variable. Daniel is not interested, because he wants the whole balance in offset.
- Information still needed
Last two years of personal and business tax returns and notices of assessment, three months of offset account statements, and the current loan statement.
- Next steps
- Broker: ask the current lender for a retention rate and compare it with two refinance options, including switching costs, by 24 September.
- Daniel: send the documents listed above by 22 September.
This note shows the client's objective, the options weighed and the one ruled out with its reason, which is what RG 273 expects to see. A general meeting summary of the same call would likely read "discussed refinancing, broker to send options". True, and much less use on a file.
Which suits whom
Mortgage brokers
Most broker conversations happen on the phone, so start with your phone system. If it produces transcripts, a transcript-to-note tool picks up from there with nothing new on the call. If it does not, you are choosing between adding transcription to your phone plan, using an app that records, or dictating a short voice memo after the call. Check the filing route too: CallNote has no native link to MyCRM, Salestrekker or Mercury, so those brokers file by copy, PDF, or Zapier where their CRM supports it. Our best file note software for mortgage brokers guide goes deeper, and CallNote for mortgage brokers shows the broker templates.
Financial advisers
Advisers mix phone calls with long video reviews, and the file note has to support a best interests duty record. The biggest deciding factor is usually the advice platform. If you live in Xplan and want the note pushed there directly, a tool that exports to Xplan may suit you better than CallNote. If your practice runs on HubSpot or Dynamics 365, or files by PDF, CallNote fits. See the best AI file note software for financial advisers, our best interests duty file note checklist and CallNote for financial advisers.
Law firms
For solicitors, confidentiality and privilege come first. A bot sitting in a client conference is a harder conversation than a transcript your firm already holds. Your practice management system matters most for filing. Clio firms can publish the note to the linked Clio contact from CallNote. LEAP, Smokeball and Actionstep firms should weigh the AI built into those systems, and if they use CallNote, file by PDF or copy. Read the best attendance note software for law firms and CallNote for law firms.
How CallNote fits
CallNote never records calls, never joins a meeting as a bot and never stores call audio. It receives a transcript and writes the note in your format. To set up your format, paste one of your own past notes and CallNote builds a template with your headings, order and shorthand in about 20 seconds, keeping nothing about the client. There are also system templates for general calls, mortgage and NCCP, financial advice and legal attendance notes, and the file note template library has more starting points.
After the call the note is waiting for you to review. When you publish it, it is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum and locked. Later changes are added as amendments, and everything goes in the audit log. The note goes to the one CRM your firm has connected (HubSpot, Clio or Microsoft Dynamics 365), or you export a PDF or copy it. Data is hosted in Sydney, encrypted, and not used to train AI. Owners and admins see all notes, and members see only their own.
Common questions
What is file note software?
File note software helps turn a client conversation into a written record for the client file. Some products only store notes you write, some record and summarise meetings, and some take a transcript and write the note in your format. Many firms need a tool that writes the note plus the system where it is stored.
Is there a file note app that does not record calls?
Yes. Transcript-based tools such as CallNote do not record, join meetings or store audio. They receive a transcript your phone system or meeting platform already made, or one you paste or upload, and write the note from that. Your phone system or meeting platform still does the transcribing, so consent still matters.
Does file note software need to store data in Australia?
No law requires every tool to be hosted in Australia, but client confidentiality, the Privacy Act and your licensee or firm policies all make location a real question. Ask where notes, transcripts and any audio are stored and processed, and whether your data is used to train AI. CallNote is hosted in Sydney.
Is an AI meeting summary good enough as a file note?
Usually not on its own. A summary compresses the conversation into a general format. A file note for a broker, adviser or lawyer needs your headings, the advice given, what the client decided, options ruled out, and gaps, and it should be reviewed and locked on the client file.
How much does file note software cost in Australia?
It varies widely. Notes fields in your existing system are included in your subscription. General note takers publish US dollar pricing, for example Otter Pro at US$16.99 a month. Several profession-specific tools do not publish prices. CallNote is A$149 a month for one person or A$99 per seat a month for teams, with a 14-day free trial.
Can file note software send notes to LEAP, Xplan or my broker CRM?
It depends on the tool. Check the exact system and where the note lands before you buy. CallNote publishes to HubSpot, Clio and Microsoft Dynamics 365. It has no native integration with LEAP, Smokeball, Actionstep, Xplan, AdviserLogic, Mercury, Salestrekker or MyCRM, so for those you copy the note, export a PDF, or use Zapier where your system supports it.