If your calendar is a graveyard of back-to-back meetings, you know the pain: remembering what got decided, sending follow-ups, and not letting things slip through the cracks. Manually writing follow-up emails eats time you don’t have. This guide is for folks who want to automate that mess using Tldv meeting transcripts and some simple tools—no developer required.
Here’s exactly how to get from “meeting just ended” to “relevant follow-up sent” with a minimum of hassle (and a healthy dose of skepticism for all-in-one automation promises).
Why bother automating follow-up emails?
Let’s be real: most meeting follow-ups go one of three ways: - You write a detailed recap, but nobody reads it. - You fire off a quick “thanks, here’s what’s next,” but miss key points. - You… just forget.
Automation won’t make your emails magic, but it will: - Save you serious time. - Make sure you don’t forget action items. - Help you look organized (even if you’re not).
But don’t expect perfection. Automation’s great for the grunt work — not for nuance, relationship-building, or reading the room. You’ll still want to scan the email before you hit send.
What you need before you start
You don’t need to be a workflow wizard, but you’ll need a few things in place:
- A Tldv account (with meeting recordings and transcripts enabled)
- A meeting platform Tldv supports (like Zoom or Google Meet)
- A simple automation tool (Zapier, Make, or even Gmail filters)
- Email addresses of meeting participants
Optional, but helpful: - A template for your follow-up emails - A little patience—tweaking this takes a few tries
Step 1: Record your meetings with Tldv
First up, make sure your meetings are being recorded and transcribed. That means:
- Set up Tldv with your Zoom or Google Meet account.
- Double-check that “auto-record” and “auto-transcribe” are on for your recurring meetings.
- Let your attendees know you’re recording (it’s polite, and sometimes legally required).
Pro tip: If you’re worried about privacy or sensitive topics, only record the parts of the meeting you need. Tldv lets you pause or stop recording at any time.
Step 2: Grab the transcript after your meeting
Once your meeting wraps up, Tldv will generate a transcript. Here’s what to do:
- Wait for Tldv to send you the email or push notification that your transcript is ready.
- Open the transcript in your Tldv dashboard.
- Skim for key decisions, action items, or anything worth following up on.
You can either copy the whole transcript, or just highlight the important chunks. Don’t overthink it—just grab what’s relevant.
Step 3: Set up your follow-up email template
Templates are your friend. Here’s a dead-simple one:
Subject: Recap & Next Steps: [Meeting Name] on [Date]
Hi [Names],
Thanks for joining today. Here’s a quick recap and action items:
[Paste highlights or action items here]
Let me know if I missed anything or if you have questions.
Best, [Your Name]
You don’t need to stick to this, but don’t get fancy. The goal is to save time, not write a masterpiece.
Step 4: Automate the workflow with a tool like Zapier or Make
Here’s where the magic (and sometimes the headaches) happen. The idea is: when a meeting ends and a transcript is ready, your automation tool triggers an email draft or sends it automatically.
How to do it in Zapier (the most popular option):
- Create a Zapier account (free is fine for basic use).
- Set up a new Zap with the following steps:
- Trigger: “New Tldv Meeting Transcript” (look for Tldv’s integration in Zapier; if it’s not there, use email parsing or webhooks as a workaround).
- Action: “Send Email” via Gmail, Outlook, or whatever you use.
- Customize your email:
- Use the transcript content as the body.
- Pull participant emails from the meeting invite, or add them manually.
- Drop in your template (from Step 3), and map the transcript highlights into the right spot.
Heads-up: Tldv’s native Zapier integration is still a bit basic as of 2024. If you run into roadblocks, you can: - Use Zapier’s Email Parser to grab transcript highlights from Tldv’s notification emails. - Use the Tldv API (if you’re comfortable with APIs). - Manually copy-paste at first, then automate as you get comfortable.
What about Make or other tools?
Make (formerly Integromat) works similarly, but with a steeper learning curve. If you’re technical, it’s flexible. If you’re not, stick with Zapier.
Don’t bother with complicated, all-in-one “AI follow-up” platforms unless you like debugging weird errors. They’re rarely worth the subscription.
Step 5: Review before you send (seriously)
AI and automation are great at moving information, but they’re still dumb about context. Before you send:
- Double-check the transcript for embarrassing mistakes or private info.
- Make sure the action items make sense.
- Replace any placeholder text.
- Add a personal note if needed.
If you’re feeling brave, you can have the email send automatically. If you’re human, set it up to save a draft you can review first.
Step 6: Iterate and improve
The first time you do this, it’ll feel clunky. That’s normal. Here’s how to make it better:
- Refine your template as you go—every team has different needs.
- Tweak your automation to grab only what matters (key highlights, not the whole transcript).
- Solicit feedback from your team—are the follow-ups helpful, or just more noise?
If people start ignoring your emails, shorten them. If you keep missing action items, make your highlights clearer. The goal is less busywork, not more.
What actually works (and what doesn’t)
What works: - Automating the boring parts—gathering notes, formatting emails, sending reminders. - Keeping things simple: short recaps, clear action items. - Reviewing before sending. Always.
What doesn’t: - Trusting AI to summarize everything perfectly. - Sending full transcripts—no one will read them. - Overcomplicating your automation. More steps = more things to break.
Ignore the hype about “set it and forget it” workflows. You’ll always need a bit of human touch. The trick is to automate the grunt work, not the judgment.
A few things to watch out for
- Transcription errors: No tool is perfect. Names, jargon, and accents can get mangled.
- Privacy and consent: Make sure everyone knows they’re being recorded and transcribed.
- Over-emailing: Don’t flood inboxes. Only send follow-ups when there’s real value.
Wrap-up: keep it simple, keep it human
Automating follow-up emails with Tldv transcripts isn’t rocket science, but it’s not magic either. Start with a basic setup. Review every email before sending—even the best automation still needs your brain behind it.
You’ll save time, drop fewer balls, and maybe even reclaim a bit of your calendar. Tweak as you go. Don’t chase perfection—just make your process a little less painful, one meeting at a time.