If you lead a sales team (or are just sick of hearing “I’ll get back to you” on calls), the idea of real-time coaching sounds pretty great. Fathom promises to listen in, spot what’s working or not, and give nudges during live sales calls. But let’s be real: most “AI coaching” tools are either a distraction, a privacy nightmare, or just plain annoying. If you’re curious about setting up Fathom in a way that actually helps your reps (and doesn’t make everyone hate you), this guide’s for you.
Below, I’ll walk through how to get Fathom running for live sales coaching—what to set up, what to skip, and a few lessons I learned the hard way.
1. Figure Out If Real-Time Coaching Makes Sense for Your Team
Before you even touch settings or dashboards, pause for a second:
- Are your reps open to live coaching, or do they see it as “Big Brother”?
- Will your team actually act on real-time prompts, or just ignore them?
- Is your sales process structured enough that “in the moment” advice is useful?
If your team is seasoned and hates interruptions, real-time tips might do more harm than good. On the other hand, if you’ve got newer reps or a complicated pitch, Fathom’s prompts can be useful—if you tune them right.
Pro tip: Don’t force this on the whole team at once. Start with a couple of volunteers.
2. Get Fathom Set Up (and Integrated) the Right Way
Fathom connects with your video call software (Zoom, Teams, Meet) and your CRM. Here’s what you actually need to do:
a. Account and Permissions
- Signup: Use your work email for sign-up. If you’re testing, go for the free trial first.
- Integrate with your calendar: This lets Fathom know when you have sales calls.
- Admin controls: If you’re managing a team, get admin access so you can set org-wide settings later.
b. Connect to Your Call Platform
- Fathom needs permission to join your calls. This looks creepy, but it’s just a bot that joins as a silent participant.
- Make sure your reps know a bot will be in the call. (Yes, you need to tell your prospects too, for privacy reasons.)
c. CRM Setup
- Integration with Salesforce or HubSpot is straightforward—just follow the prompts.
- Don’t get sucked into “auto-log everything” at first. Start with manual note review so you can see what’s actually helpful.
3. Tuning Real-Time Coaching Prompts (Don’t Use the Defaults)
Here’s where things usually go off the rails. Fathom will offer a bunch of default prompts—“Ask about next steps,” “Handle pricing objections,” and so on. Most of these are too generic or just annoying in practice.
a. Customize or Kill Prompts
- Go to the Coaching/Prompts section in your Fathom dashboard.
- Turn off anything that doesn’t fit your actual process. (If you don’t do discovery calls, kill the “discovery” prompts.)
- Edit the language to match how your team actually talks. If your team says “proposal” instead of “quote,” change it.
- Set prompts to be less intrusive (e.g. subtle pop-ups, not loud notifications).
b. Timing Is Everything
- Don’t bombard reps with five prompts in a row. Space them out.
- If a prompt is ignored, don’t have it pop up again three minutes later.
c. Test With Real Calls
- Run a few test calls with your most honest reps. Ask them to screen-record if possible so you can see what’s distracting.
- Get feedback: Was anything useful? What was just noise?
What to ignore: The “AI-generated summary” feature is fine for after the call, but it’s not real-time coaching. Don’t let it distract from the prompts themselves.
4. Privacy, Consent, and Not Being Creepy
This is the step most guides gloss over. You can’t just record or analyze calls without telling people. Here’s the bare minimum:
- Tell your team: Make it clear when Fathom is listening/watching. Explain what data is recorded and who can see it.
- Tell your prospects: If you’re recording or analyzing, mention it at the start of the call. (A simple “We’re using a tool to help us take notes and coach our reps in real time—let me know if you have any questions” is usually enough.)
- Check compliance: If you sell in states/countries with strict consent laws, double-check your legal requirements.
Pro tip: Make privacy part of your onboarding. If people feel tricked, they’ll tune out the coaching—or worse.
5. Training Reps to Actually Use (and Not Hate) Real-Time Coaching
You can set up the fanciest prompts in the world, but if your team tunes them out, it’s all wasted effort.
- Do a live walkthrough: Show reps what the prompts look like. Let them ask questions or voice concerns.
- Set expectations: This isn’t about catching mistakes, it’s about helping them close more deals.
- Encourage feedback: If a prompt is useless or distracting, remove it. Make it clear this isn’t set in stone.
- Give them control: If possible, let reps snooze or mute prompts during a call. (Fathom lets you do this per user.)
What doesn’t work: Forcing everyone to use every prompt, or treating the tool as a “gotcha” system. That’s how you get fake compliance and real resentment.
6. Reviewing and Iterating (Keep It Simple)
You’ll be tempted to turn on every feature, generate endless reports, and send summaries to your boss. Resist.
- Focus on what’s actually helping. Are reps using prompts? Are deals moving faster? Don’t chase vanity metrics.
- Run short retros: Every couple of weeks, check with the team—what’s working, what’s not? Change prompts that aren’t helping.
- Don’t overload: If Fathom becomes background noise, scale back. Sometimes less is more.
7. Pitfalls to Avoid
A few things that trip up most teams:
- Over-customizing: You don’t need 20 different prompts for every call. Start with a few, see what sticks.
- Ignoring context: Not every call needs coaching. For routine check-ins or renewals, turn it off.
- Skipping the human part: Ask your team for feedback every month. AI is a tool, not a mind-reader.
- Forgetting about privacy: One slip-up here can tank trust with your team and customers.
Wrapping Up: Start Small, Adjust, and Don’t Overthink It
Fathom can give you an edge in live sales calls—but only if you set it up with a light touch and listen to your team. Skip the hype, don’t automate everything, and focus on a couple of prompts that make a difference. Iterate as you go, and remember: the simplest setup is usually the one people actually use.
If you keep it honest and practical, you’ll get more value from real-time coaching—and a lot fewer groans from your sales floor.