However, it is surprisingly difficult to take notes while talking on the phone. Sometimes my writing can’t keep up with the speed at which the other person speaks.

In this article, we will look for the cause of not being able to keep up with memos during phone calls and introduce methods to solve it.

If you’re having trouble taking notes while answering the phone or you can’t keep up with writing, please read to the end and use it as a reference.

I can’t catch up with my notes on the phone! What is the cause?

First of all, let’s think about what’s preventing me from taking notes.

Not good at multitasking

Multitasking is doing multiple tasks at the same time or switching between them in a short period of time.

Even though I’m not good at talking on the phone, “I can’t keep up with writing when I’m taking notes”, “I can’t keep up with the conversation while writing”…

This is because taking notes while answering calls is a parallel task.

If you are not good at multitasking, it is effective to prepare in advance so that you have less things to do and think about while on the phone to reduce the burden.

The other person speaks quickly and is difficult to hear

When you have to talk to someone who speaks quickly, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with just listening and not being able to keep up with taking notes.

If you can control the pace of the conversation, it will be easier for you to take notes .

Also, it is difficult to hear on the phone because the voice sounds muffled or there is noise.

If it is difficult to hear your voice on the phone, try increasing the volume or using a headset.

Slow to write/writes in kanji

People who usually write carefully may be more likely to be in a situation where they can’t keep up with their notes while answering the phone.

Trying to use kanji and writing in the correct notation will also cause your writing speed to slow down.

Take notes while answering the phone with emphasis on speed, and the appearance is secondary, so let’s give priority to writing anyway without aiming for perfection.

I don’t understand the important point

If you don’t understand the gist of what you’re asking for, you’ll end up failing to take notes.

If you can’t decide what is important by listening to what the other party is saying, ask questions and have the other party answer, so that you can get the point you want to hear.

7 ways to solve “I can’t keep up with memos on the phone”

1. Keep paper and pen handy

If you don’t have a memo tool at hand when you pick up the phone, you won’t be able to write down the name or company name of the person you’re calling, or you’ll miss the conversation while looking for a pen.

Always keep a pen and paper on the desk where you answer the phone so you can always take notes.

2. Make a list of frequent calls

When you answer the phone at work, you will be able to find out who is always calling.

If you organize the “company name”, “name”, “person in charge”, etc. of the person who often calls you in a list, every time you answer the phone, “What was the company name?” You don’t have to think about “I wonder if it is”, and you won’t make mistakes in writing the other person’s name or company name.

3. Speak slowly

When the other person speaks too fast to catch up with your notes, it is difficult to say, “Please speak slowly.”

So let’s start by speaking slowly.

If you speak slowly, the other person will get annoyed and slow down , making it easier to adjust the speed of the conversation.

If the pace of the conversation slows down, you’ll have more time to take notes.

4. Ask back what you didn’t hear

If you can’t understand what the other person is saying on the phone, leaving a careless message without confirming what you didn’t understand can lead to trouble.

Repeat what you didn’t hear with the other person until you understand.

In particular, there are many cases where proper nouns such as names and company names cannot be heard in one sentence.

If you don’t understand even if you repeat what you said, it will be easier to understand if you ask for the notation, such as “How do you write it in kanji?”

5. Repeat what you hear

The trick to answering the phone correctly is to repeat. Get in the habit of repeating the other person’s company name, name, and point of business each time.

Repeating it will help you remember it and buy you time to take notes.

It also has the effect of giving the other person a sense of security that “I’m communicating properly”, and if you hear it wrong, you can correct it when you repeat it, so you’re killing two birds with one stone.

6. Omit and write

If you can’t keep up with your notes while answering the phone, let’s get rid of the obsession that “I have to write neatly”.

While on the phone, you can scribble, so try to write quickly.

If you are particular about kanji and correct notation, your hands will stop.

For example, if you write “Mr. Saito of Shinagawa Shoji Co., Ltd.”, you can write “K) Shinagawa Shoji Saito” and it should save you a lot of time.

You can use abbreviations and symbols if you know yourself.

The memo to be handed over to the person in charge should be written cleanly after the call is over.

7. Create a template for call notes

You can create a template for the information that you should always ask when answering the phone.

• date and time
• company name
• family name
• Contact phone number)
• matter
• Correspondence (the person in charge will call you back, the other party will call you again, tell you that there was a call, etc.)

If you make a memo for answering the phone by printing these items or make a table in Excel etc. and fill in each item while answering, you can reduce the time to write the memo and you do not have to worry about missing what you should ask.

Call transfer service “Canario” that automatically converts messages into text

However, recently, a service that automatically transcribes the audio data of the meeting has appeared, and it has become possible to create highly accurate minutes without having to transcribe it manually.

“It would be nice if I could automatically transcribe phone calls…” The call forwarding service “Canario” provided by NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation will fulfill such a wish.

“Canario” is more than just a transcription system.

Surprisingly, the AI ​​answers the phone, takes care of the entire phone response of the company, from the first reception → name transfer to the person in charge → message text if absent .

There is no need for an employee to take over the phone. Even when you are away from home or working remotely, your calls are automatically forwarded to your cell phone, so you don’t have to worry about missing business opportunities.

Article Summary

We have summarized what to do when you can’t keep up with the memo on the phone.

The problem of not being able to keep up with notes can be solved to some extent by preparing for telephone calls and controlling the pace of conversation.

However, answering the phone is still a disruptive and demanding job.

By automating phone calls, employees can use their time more effectively and improve work efficiency.

Please feel free to contact NEC Networks & System Integration for details on “Canario,” which can convert message memos into text.