Note Templates and Summary Guidance

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Playbooks give you two ways to control how calls are documented after they end. Note templates auto-generate a structured call note, and Summary guidance shapes how Close AI writes the call summary.

Both are optional, but together they make your call records significantly more useful.

Note templates

A note template is a pre-formatted structure that automatically populates as a call note on the lead or contact record after a call ends. Instead of reps writing notes from scratch every time, the template gives them a consistent starting point. This is good for:

  • Standardizing how your team documents calls

  • Ensuring key information is always captured (such as pain points, budget, next steps)

  • Saving reps time on admin after every call

How to add a note template to a Playbook

  1. Open the Playbook (or create a new one)

  2. Scroll to the Note template field

  3. Write your template using the rich text editor

  4. Use variables to pull in dynamic data from the lead or contact record (see below)

  5. Save

You can include dynamic data in your note template using Template Tags. These are replaced with real values when the note is generated.

Pro tip

  • Use headings to organize sections (such as Summary, Key findings, Next steps)

  • Keep the structure simple. Overly complex templates slow reps down rather than helping them

  • Match the template to the type of conversation. A discovery call template will look very different from a renewal check-in

  • Leave blank lines or prompts where reps should fill in their own notes

Summary guidance

Summary guidance is a set of instructions you write for Close AI, telling it how to summarise calls that use this Playbook. The AI reads your instructions and structures its summary accordingly. This is good for:

  • Focusing the AI summary on the information that matters most for your team

  • Ensuring the summary follows a consistent structure across all calls of the same type

  • Reducing the amount of time reps spend reading transcripts to find key information

How to add summary guidance to a Playbook

  1. Open the Playbook (or create a new one)

  2. Scroll to the Summary guidance field

  3. Write your instructions in plain language

  4. Save

Pro tip

Write summary guidance as if you’re briefing a colleague on what to pull out of the call. Be specific about:

  • What to include: pain points, objections raised, budget mentioned, decision timeline

  • What to exclude: small talk, scheduling logistics

  • How to structure it: bullet points, specific headings, ordered by priority

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