MAKING IT WORK _ DRILLING DOWN
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If you’ve ever struggled to take notes of your conversations with clients, here’s a potential solution For the record
a fluid, comfortable conversation. It builds confidence and professionalism – clients and subcontractors know important points are being captured.” Lessons learnt Phone calls pause recordings – which can cause transcripts to be lost. Recording alone isn’t enough – you must extract actions and circulate key notes afterwards. Two microphones are sometimes too few – on a building site you often have four key voices: two clients, a project lead and a site manager. Capturing the right people matters. Noise is a factor – but transcripts are useful for checking small but crucial details such as door swings, appliance locations, throwaway comments that actually matter. “Homeowners expect impeccable record-keeping and using tools properly is increasingly part of delivering a professional service,” McAllister says. “Overall, it increases clarity, reduces misunderstandings, and gives everyone reassurance that decisions and comments won’t simply disappear into thin air.” To fellow members, McAllister says: “Start small, experiment, and see how it works for you. The security it gives as a business owner is significant… With the Building Safety Act and increasing regulatory pressure, we all need to up our record-keeping game. This is one practical, accessible way to do it.
S eán McAllister needed a new approach because the old one wasn’t working. Navigating “mucky, messy, rainy” building sites, trying to listen carefully to clients’ demands, requests and feedback was hard enough, but he is also dyslexic and cannot always rely on his memory. “On site, you’re cold, distracted, and trying to be present in the conversation while worrying you might miss something that later gets used against you,” says McAllister, Director of Pencil and Brick in London. So he bought a wearable microphone – specifically a DJI Mic 2 – to record conversations with clients (with their permission, of course) and paired it with an AI transcription service to provide him with accurate notes of his interactions. “It allows us to stay present and reduces issues falling between the cracks,” he says. “AI transcription has now reached
a tipping point where it’s practical, commercial and genuinely useful.”
How it works in practice McAllister is still refining the process, but here’s what typically happens. He asks clients for permission to be recorded because their words are important to capture. He sets up the DJI Mic 2 – with two remote mics that feed into his iPhone, recording separate audio tracks, which helps transcription later. He records directly into Fireflies which transcribe afterwards, not in real time. “Transparency and making people comfortable is essential,” he says. “No one wants to feel they’re being recorded without understanding why.” The biggest impact for McAllister has been being more present with his clients. “Instead of furiously taking notes, we have
HOW TO BE PRESENT
SEÁN MCALLISTER, Director of Pencil and Brick in London
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT Master Builder 29
www.fmb.org.uk
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