Everything coaches need to know about AI meeting assistants—from getting client consent and configuring privacy settings to integrating transcription into your workflow ethically and effectively.
AI meeting assistants are transforming how coaches document their sessions. Instead of splitting attention between your client and your notebook, an AI note taker handles transcription, generates meeting summaries, and extracts key insights while you focus entirely on the person in front of you.
But bringing AI into the intimate space of a coaching relationship requires care. Your clients trust you with their challenges, aspirations, and sometimes their vulnerabilities. This guide covers both the practical benefits of AI note-taking tools for coaches and the ethical considerations for using them professionally.
Coaching is fundamentally about presence. When you're mentally composing notes or worrying about capturing action items, you're not fully engaged with your client. This is where AI-powered meeting tools change everything.
An AI notetaker runs quietly in the background during your call, providing real-time transcription of the entire conversation. After the session ends, it automatically generates notes, extracts key moments, and identifies followup tasks—all without you writing a single word. The result: you stay present during the meeting while still producing comprehensive session documentation.
Beyond presence, AI meeting assistants solve the consistency problem. Manual note-taking varies based on your energy, attention, and the complexity of the conversation. AI transcription captures every conversation with the same thoroughness, whether it's a Monday morning call or a Friday afternoon session.
Modern AI note-taking apps use natural language processing to transcribe audio and video from your coaching calls. The AI listens to the conversation, converts speech to text in real-time, and then applies conversation intelligence to identify what matters most.
Here's what happens during a typical coaching session with an AI tool like Hedy: The app captures audio from your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams call (or from your phone if you're meeting in person). Real-time transcription creates a running transcript as you talk. When the session ends, the AI automatically processes the transcript to generate notes, create a summary, and extract action items your client committed to.
Hedy goes further than basic transcription tools—it tracks themes across multiple sessions with the same client, monitors progress over time, and provides real-time insights during the conversation itself. This meeting intelligence helps you spot patterns you might otherwise miss when working with a client over months or years.
When evaluating AI apps for your coaching practice, the feature list matters less than how well the tool fits your specific workflow and client relationships.
Consider these factors: Does the app offer real-time transcription during calls? Can it summarize meeting content accurately? Does it integrate with your existing workflow—your CRM, calendar, or project management tools? And critically for coaches: does it handle client data with appropriate security and privacy protections, including GDPR compliance?
Most AI meeting tools were built for sales teams or enterprise surveillance—recording calls so managers can review them later. Coaches need something different: a tool that empowers the individual practitioner while respecting client confidentiality. That's why Hedy processes speech recognition on-device by default, keeping your client's voice data on your own phone or computer rather than streaming it to external servers.
Recording or transcribing client conversations—whether using AI or not—requires explicit permission. This isn't just about legal compliance; it's about maintaining the trust that makes coaching effective.
Before your first AI-assisted session with any client, explain what the AI tool does: it transcribes the call, generates a summary, and may extract key insights and action items. Clarify where data is stored and who can access it. A casual "mind if I record this?" isn't sufficient—your client should understand they're consenting to AI processing, not just a simple audio recording.
Here's sample language you can adapt: "I use an AI meeting assistant called Hedy to help me capture our sessions accurately. It transcribes our conversation and generates notes so I can focus entirely on you rather than writing things down. The transcript stays private—I don't share it with anyone, and you can request I delete any session recording. Are you comfortable with that?"
Adding AI disclosure to your coaching agreement creates clarity from the start and avoids awkward mid-engagement conversations. This is especially important if you use AI to automate any part of your client documentation workflow.
Consider including language like this in your contract template: "Sessions may be recorded and transcribed using AI-powered tools to support accurate documentation, meeting summaries, and continuity of coaching. These recordings and transcripts are confidential and stored securely. They are used solely to enhance the quality of coaching services provided to you. You may opt out of recording at any time."
Beyond the contract, set expectations in your calendar invites with a brief note: "This session will be supported by AI note-taking to ensure accurate documentation. Let me know if you'd prefer to proceed without it." Even with contractual consent, briefly acknowledge the recording when you begin each call—it takes three seconds and reinforces that you respect their ongoing choice.
Some clients will decline AI transcription. Perhaps they're discussing something particularly sensitive, or they simply prefer the traditional approach. Handle this gracefully—don't push back or try to convince them, and don't make them feel like an inconvenience.
Simply proceed without the AI tool and have a backup note-taking method ready. A client who feels pressured about recording will be less open in conversation—the opposite of what you want. Your coaching call notes template should work whether you're using AI or writing manually.
For group coaching sessions, remember that every participant needs to consent. One person's comfort with AI meeting transcription doesn't extend to others in the room. Get written consent from all participants in advance, or ask verbally at the start of each group session and offer a no-recording alternative for those who prefer it.
Not every AI feature that's useful for internal meetings is appropriate for client sessions. Hedy gives you granular control over privacy settings so you can configure the right balance for your practice.
For sensitive client work, more private configurations include: local-only storage (no cloud sync), disabled email summaries (since follow-up emails aren't encrypted), and skipping audio recording if the transcript alone meets your needs. For standard professional use, you might enable cloud sync for access across devices while keeping session sharing disabled.
Hedy's privacy-first architecture means speech recognition runs on your device by default—your client's voice never leaves your phone or computer unless you explicitly enable cloud features. This makes it easier to offer clients genuine privacy assurances compared to tools that stream all audio to external servers for processing.
Review your settings periodically. Features you enabled for brainstorm sessions or your own internal meetings might not be appropriate when you transcribe client calls. The goal is finding the right balance between the convenience of AI-generated summaries and the security and privacy your clients expect.
Many coaches want to streamline their workflow by connecting AI meeting notes to their CRM or client management system. Hedy offers integration through Zapier, webhooks, and API access, allowing you to automate data entry, sync action items, and keep your team aligned on client progress. But connecting systems also means client data flows to additional places.
Before enabling CRM integration or any workflow automation, consider: Does your client know their session data may be processed by additional services? Is your CRM itself appropriately secured? How will you handle deletion requests if client data exists in multiple systems?
Decide how long you retain session recordings and transcripts, then document that policy. Include in your privacy policy: how long you keep active client records, when you delete data after an engagement ends, and how you respond to deletion requests. Having clear policies prevents awkward improvisation when questions arise.
Beyond post-call summarization, Hedy offers something most transcription tools don't: real-time insights during your conversations. The AI analyzes the meeting as it happens and can suggest questions, identify topics worth exploring deeper, or flag when a client mentions something that connects to previous sessions.
This conversation intelligence feature is particularly valuable for coaches managing many clients. Hedy's Coaching & Mentoring mode is specifically designed for professional development conversations, offering tailored suggestions for powerful questions, identifying development opportunities, and helping you track your client's growth over time. The AI serves as a copilot, surfacing relevant points from past sessions that you might not remember in the moment.
Hedy's Topics feature takes this further by connecting insights across multiple sessions with the same client. Before each meeting, you receive automatic prep notes summarizing outstanding commitments, questions to follow up on, and critical context from your last conversation. It's the difference between walking into a session scrambling to remember details and walking in fully prepared.
Therapists, counselors, lawyers, and healthcare professionals often have additional confidentiality obligations beyond standard privacy law. If you hold professional licenses, verify that your use of AI tools complies with your regulatory requirements before you use AI in client sessions.
Some jurisdictions require specific disclosures or formal consent documents that go beyond standard coaching practice. Professional bodies may have guidelines about what technology can be used in client interactions. The consequences of getting this wrong can include license sanctions, not just privacy complaints.
For regulated professionals, the safest approach is often maximum privacy configuration: local-only processing, no cloud sync, no audio storage, and formal written consent for every client. Hedy's on-device speech recognition and granular privacy controls make this straightforward to configure. The app also provides comprehensive GDPR compliance documentation including Data Processing Agreements for professionals who need formal documentation. Check with your professional association or licensing body for specific guidance on AI note-taking tools in your field.
Hedy was built for exactly this use case—helping professionals be more effective in conversations while respecting privacy. Unlike enterprise tools designed for manager surveillance or basic transcription apps, Hedy provides real-time coaching support with a dedicated Coaching & Mentoring mode designed specifically for professional development conversations.
Start with Hedy's free tier to experience AI-powered session notes, summaries, and real-time insights. When you're ready for unlimited sessions, cross-session intelligence with Topics, and workflow integrations, upgrade to Pro.
Download Hedy for iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows—and walk into your next session fully present.
Learn more about Hedy's security and privacy features and access compliance documentation at our Trust Center.
