Staff meetings are a great opportunity for businesses to brainstorm ideas and maximise effectiveness. Unfortunately, they are often poorly organised, which makes them ineffective and, as a consequence, American businesses waste 37 billion dollars on ineffective meetings every year. One way to make sure your business meetings are not a waste of time and money is to make use of action items, for which you can employ Google Meet, as well as more advanced technology – an AI Assistant, such as Aira.
First things first – what is an action item?
An action item is an event or action that needs to take place. Oftentimes, they are created during meetings, when coworkers discuss the appropriate way to tackle a topic. After being established, an action item is delegated to a person who is obliged to perform it.
Google Workspace
Google has a wide array of products, businesses can use including Google Meet. It is a video communications service, one of the two services that grew out of Google Hangouts (the other one being Google Chat). Many businesses use Google Meet for their meetings, and can be a highly useful tool in establishing and undertaking virtual meetings. You must understand the basic difference between Google Meet and Hangouts.
Google Meet for establishing action items
Video conferences on the platform are a great way of discussing, setting up and distributing action items, which give each meeting a clearly-defined purpose. Like most services for video conferencing, Google Meet offers screen sharing and a chat, on which links (including, for example, to a document with action items!) or other messages can be shared. However, the integration of Google Meet with other services are offered by Google, and calls can be joined directly from Gmail of Google Calendar. This makes it easier for employees to get used to the new technology, as it is very intuitive.
Google Meet and managing action items
Once an action item is delegated, it is not sufficient for the manager to wait for it to be completed – best practice is to make sure everything is going smoothly by meeting with the employee performing a given task. Google Meet can also be used for this purpose – regular calls with employees are the easiest way to check up on them. Short, one-on-one meetings are best for this purpose, as they make employees feel valued by boosting their engagement, improve workplace relationships and are an ideal place to exchange feedback.
The benefits of action items
There are numerous benefits of using action items for the management of action items in your company, which can be further enhanced by the use of Aira – an AI Meeting Assistant. We can look at them from the perspective of the manager, the employee and the client.
For the manager
Oftentimes, managers feel like they spend hours on end with meetings which end up having little practical impact. By using it, managers can make sure each meeting they have has a clearly-defined purpose, which also helps them cut out unnecessary meeting time – 15%, on average. Establishing priorities and expectations also helps the manager manage his subordinates. With artificial intelligence it becomes easier. Aira can pick up meeting minutes from the transcript that it generates, which helps time and focus on the work that needs to be done.
For the employee
Coming out of a meeting with a list of specific tasks, the employee can concentrate on the exact thing he has to do; this commitment breeds higher efficiency. Dividing large projects into smaller action items also makes them feel more manageable, especially if this is done by the use of easy-to-use AI-generated lists of action items. Moreover, being assigned action items makes the employee feel valued and empowered. It must be borne in mind that every benefit that action items have for the employee is also a win for the manager, and also the client.
For the client
All of the above mean that a business is able to deliver a better service, faster and for a lower price.
Summing up – the benefits of action items:
- Simple tasks mean improved workload management
- Clear purpose in every meeting
- Established priorities and expectations
- High concentration on the task
- Commitment to action means higher efficiency
- Employee empowerment, meaning higher productivity
- Boosted employee engagement
- Improved workplace relationships
- Saved time
- Increased revenue
How to best manage action items
Do action items sound like something you would want to incorporate into your business? They probably do. The best way to manage action items is by employing modern technology – an AI assistant – to help you.
Aira
Aira is an AI Meeting assistant which takes charge of all online meetings. It can provide notes, action items, keywords, transcripts and recordings for every meeting. Because it can join online meetings automatically by picking them up from the calendar, it is always on time and misses nothing. This is of great help when creating lists of action items, as it ensures including everything. Analysing the transcript, Aira can intelligently provide a list of action items, which can be edited with ease.
The benefits of Aira
Meeting details and action items generated by Aira are insightful and help employees manage their work and improve their productivity. It also provides access to a repository of all their meetings for quick reference. The AI assistant takes work off your shoulders by helping you track customer requirements; taking notes automatically and generating action lists.
Application of Aira
Aira is a highly flexible AI Assistant with a multitude of applications. HR workers will appreciate the minutes it creates when they need to make a recruitment decision. Sales or IT professionals will find its feedback-managing features particularly useful. In fact, Aira will be a great addition to any business that wants to operate more smoothly and efficiently.
Final thought
With the rise of more flexible or hybrid forms of employment; technology will play an increasingly important role in the management of action items. Make use of it to give your business an edge, as action items can really help you maximise productivity!
