The example in the lesson is made up. Dana is a consultant at Larkspur Advisory, on a scoping call with Maya Torres of Alder & Finch Logistics. Granola (granola.ai) is a separate, third-party product. The lesson is a practice copy built from Granola's public help center in October 2026 and was not tested in the real app, so your screens may look a little different. It is our own lesson, not an official Granola course.
Why use Granola for client calls?
Writing up calls quietly eats hours: the notes, the next steps, the follow-up email. The lesson prices it with example numbers. Dana has about 12 client calls a week, and writing up each one takes about 15 minutes, so 3 hours a week. If the notes are already written when the call ends, she only checks and shares them: about 4 minutes each, under an hour a week, saving about 2 hours. Use your own numbers.
A tool like this is an AI notetaker. It turns speech into a meeting transcript using speech to text, then writes notes from it.
How does Granola record without a bot?
Granola's help center says there is no meeting bot. It transcribes from your computer's microphone and system audio, so it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack huddles without anyone joining the call. Nothing appears in the participant list. In the lesson, green bars at the bottom of the note mean Granola is transcribing, and the transcript button (the waveform icon) opens the live transcript.
No bot does not mean no notice. The lesson says to tell people on the call you are taking AI notes, even with no bot, and to check your firm's recording and client confidentiality rules first.
What are the steps in the lesson?
- On Granola's home screen, your meetings come in from your calendar. Click the meeting (Scoping call: Alder & Finch) to open its note.
- Check the green bars, and click the transcript button to see the words coming in.
- Jot a few short lines during the call.
- When the call is over, click the stop button. Granola writes the enhanced notes.
- Click the magnifying glass next to the budget line to see where it came from.
- In Ask anything, ask for the follow-up email.
- Click Shared, then Copy link, and send the link to your partner.
Try it free, step by step
Granola: Client Call Notes Written for You, With No Meeting Bot. Take a client call with Granola: jot a few lines, let it write the notes from the transcript, check the budget against its source, draft the follow-up email and share the notes by link. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Granola, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Start the free lessonWhat should I type during the call?
Not full sentences. Type a few words at each key moment, and Granola builds the notes around them. Dana's four lines are:
- budget approved, up to 40k
- decision: Maya + CFO (Ravi)
- live by Jan 15
- send SOW Friday
That is the budget, who decides, the deadline and what you promised. In the enhanced notes, her lines become the headings (Budget, Decision makers, Timeline, Next steps), her own words stay in black, and Granola fills in the rest from the transcript.
Key takeaways
- Granola has no meeting bot; it listens on your computer. Still tell people you are taking AI notes.
- Jot a few words at each key moment: budget, who decides, the deadline, what you promised.
- Click stop and Granola writes the enhanced notes around your lines.
- Check numbers, dates and names with the magnifying glass before anything goes to a client.
- Ask for the follow-up email, read it, then share the notes by link.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Granola part of Stepthrough?
No. Granola is a separate product from granola.ai, with its own account and plans. The practice lesson needs no Granola account, and nothing is recorded.
- Does Granola join the meeting as a bot?
No. Granola's help center says it transcribes from your computer's audio, so nothing appears in the participant list.
- When does Granola write the enhanced notes?
Automatically, when the call ends or when you stop the recording. Granola's help center says the notes combine the transcript, your own notes and the calendar event.
- How do I tell my lines from Granola's?
Your own lines stay in black, and Granola's additions look different. In the lesson, "budget approved, up to 40k" is Dana's line, and the full sentence under it is Granola's.
- How do I check where a line came from?
Click the magnifying glass beside it. In the lesson it shows the exact words from the transcript: Maya saying the CFO signed off a budget of up to forty thousand. Do this for every number, date and name before anything goes to a client. It is a quick source verification.
- Can Granola write the follow-up email?
Yes. In the lesson, Dana types Write a short follow-up email to Maya with the next steps and dates. in Ask anything, and Granola drafts it with the goal, the budget and the next step. Read it before you copy it into your email. For what a good one contains, see follow-up email after a client meeting.
- Can I change the format of the notes?
Granola's help center says you can choose a different template from the sparkle button, regenerate the notes, or ask Granola Chat for changes.
- How do I share the notes?
Click Shared at the top right, then Copy link. Granola's help center also lists email and integrations such as Slack, Notion and HubSpot. Share with the person who needs it, not the whole client team.
- Is Granola free?
Granola lists a free plan, with limits on older notes. Check granola.ai for the current plans.
- Where are Granola's own instructions?
In its help pages on transcription, AI-enhanced notes and sharing notes.
- What goes wrong most often?
Trusting a number nobody checked, and recording without saying so. See Granola call notes mistakes. For an AI assistant that runs privately on client calls, compare the OLVA live meeting lesson, and read the Granola glossary entry.
