# How to record client meetings: online, phone and in person

How-to · AI note takers · 11 min read. By [David Wilson](https://testbenchlab.com/authors/david-wilson/). Updated 2026-11-02.

Record online calls with the platform's own recorder when you host (Zoom, Teams or Google Meet), or with a bot-free desktop note taker such as Notta when the client hosts (Otter and Fireflies offer similar desktop capture). Record phone calls with the phone's built-in recorder (iPhone and Google's Phone app both announce the recording to the other person) or with an AI voice recorder that has a call mode, such as Notta Memo ($149). Record in-person meetings with a phone app or a dedicated recorder placed in the middle of the table, and send all three channels into one workspace — Notta's accepts bot capture, desktop capture, mobile recordings and uploads — so the agency can search everything in one place.

**TL;DR**

- Online, you host: use the platform's built-in recorder and transcript, or let Notta join as a bot so the notes land in the same workspace as your other channels.
- Online, client hosts: use a bot-free desktop note taker such as Notta, or ask the host to record and share.
- Phone: use the built-in recorder (both parties hear a notice) or a recorder with a call mode such as Notta Memo.
- In person: a phone app or a dedicated recorder in the centre of the table.
- Send everything into one shared workspace such as Notta's, named by client and date, so every conversation is searchable in one place.

**How we checked:** Capture-channel support in this guide comes from competitor research (checked 2 September 2026) and vendor documentation, not from Testbench Lab measurements. In manual testing, meeting-bot capture was rated 5/5 for Notta, Otter, tl;dv and Fellow, and 4/5 for MeetGeek; Krisp's mobile and in-person capture was rated 3/5. Few tools have published hands-on results for mobile and in-person capture, so treat those recommendations as provisional. August 2026 tests of Notta Memo 2.0 on Japanese real-phone-call scenarios reported character error rates of 22.7% and 16.2% (Notta Memo 1.0: 32.8% and 20.0%); these are not Testbench Lab measurements.

## What you need

- A meeting platform licence that allows recording (Zoom Pro, Teams, or Google Workspace Business Standard or above for Meet recording).
- A desktop or mobile note-taker app, or an AI voice recorder with a call mode, for the channels the platform recorder does not cover.
- A shared workspace that accepts desktop capture, mobile capture and file uploads — Notta's workspace covers all three, alongside meeting-bot capture and Notta Memo sync.
- A consent line in meeting invites and your standard call opener.

## Step 01: Write the consent line into invites and your call opener

Before any recording setup, decide what you will say. A single line in the invite ("This call is recorded for note-taking; tell us if you'd prefer it not to be") plus the same line spoken at the start of the call covers you in most one-party consent states and is good practice everywhere. See the consent section below for the one- vs two-party distinction.

## Step 02: Online, you host: use the platform recorder plus its transcript

If your agency hosts the Zoom, Teams or Meet call, the built-in recorder is the simplest option: the host controls it, the file lands in the platform's cloud, and Zoom and Meet can produce a transcript. Check your plan first — Meet recording requires Google Workspace Business Standard or above. Our Zoom and Teams recording guides cover the exact clicks.

## Step 03: Online, client hosts: use a bot-free desktop note taker

When the client hosts, you often cannot use the platform recorder. Two options: ask the host to record and share the file, or run a desktop note taker that captures your computer's audio without joining as a bot. Notta's desktop capture works with 40+ audio apps, including Slack, FaceTime and WhatsApp calls, so it covers client-hosted meetings on any platform — and because Teams holds detected external bots in the lobby by default, bot-free capture avoids that friction entirely. Otter and Fireflies also offer desktop capture.

## Step 04: Phone: built-in recorder or a recorder with call mode

On iPhone, the built-in call recorder announces the recording to both parties and saves the audio to a Call Recordings folder in Notes, with transcripts available in select regions and languages. On Android, the Google Phone app records calls with a spoken notice on Pixel 6+ (Android 14+) and many other phones on Android 9+, region-dependent. If you want the call to land in the same workspace as everything else, an AI voice recorder with a call mode such as Notta Memo ($149) records phone and internet calls and syncs them for transcription; Plaud Note Pro ($189) offers a similar device mode.

## Step 05: In person: phone app or recorder in the centre of the table

For workshops, shoots and round-table meetings, use a note-taker's mobile app (Notta, Otter and Fireflies all have one) or a dedicated AI voice recorder. Placement matters more than the device: put the phone or recorder in the middle of the table, not at the end, so every voice is roughly equidistant. Test it once in your usual meeting room before relying on it.

## Step 06: Upload or sync everything into one shared workspace

The point of recording all three channels is being able to find things later. Send desktop captures, mobile recordings, device recordings and any files the client shares into one workspace, and name files by client and date (for example, acme-2026-10-29-kickoff). Folders per client, a retention rule per your agency's policy, and one search box across everything.

## What is the simplest way to record every kind of client meeting?

An agency's client conversations happen in three places: video calls (often on the client's platform), phone calls from account managers' mobiles, and in-person workshops or shoots. Most guides cover one of these. The simplest system uses one tool or workspace that accepts all three — desktop capture, mobile capture and uploads — so every conversation ends up as a transcript in the same place.

Notta is the strongest example of this approach because it covers every channel in one workspace: a meeting bot for Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex when you host or can invite it; bot-free desktop capture that works with 40+ audio apps when the client hosts; a mobile app for in-person meetings; and Notta Memo, a dedicated recorder with phone and internet call modes, for calls away from the desk. Otter and Fireflies cover online and mobile recording but do not confirm native phone-call recording, and Plaud covers phone and in-person capture but not meeting-platform bots.

| Channel | Method | Example tool |
|---|---|---|
| Online, you host | Platform recorder + transcript | Zoom, Teams, Google Meet |
| Online, client hosts | Bot-free desktop capture | Notta, Otter, Fireflies |
| Phone call | Built-in recorder or device call mode | iPhone Phone app, Google Phone app, Notta Memo |
| In person | Phone app or dedicated recorder | Notta, Otter, Plaud Note Pro |

Whatever mix you choose, the goal is the same: one searchable workspace, not three scattered silos.

## How do you record a Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call?

When your agency hosts the call, start with the platform's own recorder. It is free with the right licence, the host controls when recording starts and stops, and the recording lands in the platform's cloud where the meeting already lives.

The catches are licensing and roles. Zoom recording requires a paid plan (Zoom Pro is $14.16 per month on annual billing). Google Meet recording and the "Take notes for me" feature require Google Workspace Business Standard ($14 per user per month) or above — they are not available on Business Starter. In Teams, recording is typically available to the organiser and others depending on tenant policy.

If you host regularly, the platform recorder plus its transcript is enough for many calls. If you also want summaries, action items and everything in the same workspace as your phone and in-person recordings, a note taker such as Notta can join the same meetings as a bot and add the transcript to the same workspace as your other channels. Our step-by-step guides cover how to record a Zoom meeting and how to record a Teams meeting in detail.

## How do you record a call when the client hosts the meeting?

This is the gap most agencies hit. The client books the Zoom or Teams call on their own tenant, you cannot start the platform recorder, and you still need the notes.

You have two options. First, ask the host to record and share the file — reliable, but it depends on the client remembering, and the file arrives outside your workflow. Second, use a desktop note taker that captures your computer's audio without joining the meeting as a bot. Notta's desktop capture works with 40+ audio apps, including Slack, FaceTime and WhatsApp, so it works regardless of which platform the client chose and whether external bots are allowed. Otter and Fireflies offer similar desktop capture.

The bot-free route matters more than it sounds: Teams holds detected external bots in the lobby by default, so a bot-based note taker can silently fail to join a client-hosted Teams call. If you do use a bot, check the participant list at the start. Our guide to meeting bots versus bot-free recorders for consultants covers the trade-offs in more depth.

## How do you record a phone call with a client?

Phone calls are where the "one workspace" plan usually breaks, because the built-in options record to the phone rather than to your team's tools.

On iPhone, the built-in call recorder is the easiest starting point: both call participants hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded, recordings are saved to a Call Recordings folder in Notes, and transcripts are available in select regions and languages. Apple advises verifying the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it. On Android, the Google Phone app records calls with a spoken notice on Pixel 6 and later (Android 14+) and on many other phones running Android 9 or above, region-dependent; many jurisdictions require consent by all parties.

If you want phone calls to land in the same searchable workspace as your meetings, use an AI voice recorder with a call mode. Notta Memo ($149) records phone and internet calls and syncs them to your Notta workspace alongside meeting transcripts, which makes it the natural companion if you already use Notta for online and in-person capture. Plaud Note Pro ($189) offers a similar device-based phone-call mode, with 300 minutes per month on its Starter plan. Our guide to recording and transcribing sales calls on mobile covers Android call recording in detail, and our iPhone call recording guide covers the built-in option step by step.

## How do you record an in-person client meeting?

For workshops, discovery sessions on site and shoot days, you have two practical options: a note-taker's mobile app or a dedicated AI voice recorder.

The mobile apps from Notta, Otter and Fireflies all record in-person meetings from your phone. The dedicated-recorder route gives you better battery life, a device that is not also your phone, and purpose-built microphones. Notta Memo is designed exactly for this: it records in-room meetings and phone calls and syncs everything into the same Notta workspace as your online meetings, so an account manager can walk out of a client's office with the transcript already on the way. Reviews of the Notta Memo found it handled in-room meetings well, though amplified auditorium audio was weaker — a reminder that placement and room size matter. Plaud Note Pro is the main alternative, with a sticky-card form factor and a phone-call mode.

Placement matters more than hardware. Put the phone or recorder in the centre of the table so every speaker is roughly the same distance from the microphones; a device at the end of the table favours whoever sits nearest it. Test your usual room once before a client is in it. Our best AI voice recorders guide compares the devices, and our Notta Memo review and Plaud Note Pro review cover the two most popular options in depth.

## How do you keep all recordings in one place?

Recording three channels only pays off if you can find things later. The system is simple:

1. One workspace that accepts desktop capture, mobile capture and file uploads. Notta's workspace takes all three natively — bot captures from hosted meetings, desktop capture from client-hosted calls, mobile app recordings, Notta Memo syncs and manual uploads — which is why it anchors this guide. Otter and Fireflies workspaces also accept uploads alongside their meeting captures.
2. A naming convention: client, date and meeting type (acme-2026-10-29-kickoff).
3. Folders or tags per client, so anyone covering an account can find the history.
4. A retention rule that matches your client contracts and your agency's data policy — decide up front how long recordings are kept and who can delete them.

This is also the step that makes the recordings useful to the whole agency, not just the person who was on the call. Our AI note taker checklist for agencies covers the wider questions to ask before standardising on one tool.

## What do you need to tell clients before recording?

Every channel in this guide needs a consent step, and the built-in phone recorders handle part of it for you: iPhone and the Google Phone app both play a spoken notice to the other party, so the client is never recorded in secret.

For online and in-person recording, put a line in the invite and say it at the start of the call. In one-party consent states, one person on the call (you) consenting is enough; in all-party states, everyone must consent. Because agencies work across states and countries, the safe default is to announce and get a verbal yes every time.

Covert recording is a real temptation — a recurring question on forums is how to record meetings discreetly — but it is legally risky and, for an agency, a client-relationship risk on top. Our guide to recording consent laws by state covers the details.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I record a meeting on my laptop?

If you host the meeting, use the platform's built-in recorder (Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, depending on your plan). If the client hosts, use a desktop note taker that captures your computer's audio without joining as a bot — Notta's desktop capture works with 40+ audio apps, and Otter and Fireflies offer similar options. Either way, announce the recording at the start of the call.

### Can I record a Teams meeting if I am not the organiser?

It depends on the host tenant's policy: recording rights are typically granted to the organiser and, at the admin's discretion, to other roles. If you cannot record, ask the organiser to record and share the file, or use a bot-free desktop note taker such as Notta, which captures your computer's audio without joining the meeting. Note that Teams holds detected external bots in the lobby by default, so bot-based note takers may not join a client-hosted call.

### Does the other person know when I record a call on iPhone?

Yes. Both call participants hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded. Recordings are saved to a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app, and transcripts are available in select regions and languages. Apple advises verifying the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it.

### What is the best way to record an in-person meeting?

Use a note-taker's mobile app (Notta, Otter and Fireflies all have one) or a dedicated AI voice recorder such as Notta Memo or Plaud Note Pro, placed in the centre of the table so every speaker is roughly equidistant. If you already use Notta for online meetings, Notta Memo syncs in-person recordings into the same workspace, keeping all three channels in one place.

### Is it legal to record a client meeting?

Generally yes, with consent. In one-party consent states, one person on the call consenting is enough; in all-party states, everyone must agree. The built-in phone recorders on iPhone and Android play a spoken notice automatically, and announcing recording in the invite and at the start of online meetings is the safe default for agencies. See our guide to recording consent laws by state for details.

## Related reading

- [How to record a Zoom meeting (and get an AI transcript)](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/how-to-record-a-zoom-meeting/)
- [How to record a Microsoft Teams meeting](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/how-to-record-a-teams-meeting/)
- [How to record a phone call on iPhone (built-in, apps and AI recorders)](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/how-to-record-a-phone-call-on-iphone/)
- [How to record and transcribe sales calls on a mobile phone](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/record-and-transcribe-sales-calls-on-mobile/)
- [The best AI voice recorders of 2026](https://testbenchlab.com/best/best-ai-voice-recorders/)
- [Notta Memo review](https://testbenchlab.com/reviews/notta-memo-review/)
- [Plaud Note Pro review](https://testbenchlab.com/reviews/plaud-note-pro-review/)
- [Meeting bot or bot-free recorder: what consultants should use](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/meeting-bot-vs-bot-free-recorder-for-consultants/)
- [What agencies should check before relying on an AI note taker](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/ai-note-taker-checklist-for-agencies/)
- [One-party vs two-party consent states: can you use an AI voice recorder?](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/recording-consent-laws-by-state/)

## Sources

1. [Zoom pricing](https://zoom.us/pricing)
2. [Google Workspace pricing (Meet recording and Take notes for me from Business Standard)](https://workspace.google.com/pricing)
3. [Apple support: Record and transcribe a call on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/record-and-transcribe-a-call-iph57c6590e9/ios)
4. [Google Phone app help: Record a phone call](https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/9803950)
5. [Microsoft Learn: Manage external bots in Teams (lobby by default)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-external-bots)
6. [Notta pricing](https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing)
7. [Otter.ai pricing](https://otter.ai/pricing)
8. [Fireflies.ai pricing](https://fireflies.ai/pricing)
9. [9to5Google: Call Recording in Pixel Phone app expands internationally](https://9to5google.com/2026/02/19/pixel-call-recording-international/)
10. [TechRadar Pro: Notta Memo AI voice recorder review](https://www.techradar.com/pro/notta-memo-ai-voice-recorder-review)
11. [Pocketables: The Notta Memo: an AI-backed voice recorder that travels with you](https://pocketables.com/2025/09/the-notta-memo-an-ai-backed-voice-recorder-that-travels-with-you.html)
12. [Reddit r/productivity: How do you discreetly record meetings?](https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/comments/1f7up77/how_do_you_discreetly_record_meetings/)