In the modern corporate landscape, meetings are a ubiquitous element. They provide a platform for team members to share ideas, make crucial decisions, and collaborate on ongoing projects. However, without a well-structured scheme to manage discussions and decisions, important details can often be overlooked. This is where Meeting Agenda Tools come into play. These software solutions are designed to optimize the efficiency of meetings, enhance productivity, and amplify meeting efficacy.

Understanding the Importance of Meeting Agendas

A meeting agenda is the backbone of successful and effective meetings. Regardless of the size or purpose of a meeting, an agenda is a prerequisite for achieving objectives and enhancing business outcomes. It outlines the objectives of the meeting, the topics for discussion, and the actionable goals. When used appropriately, the agenda keeps the conversation on track and holds everyone accountable for their action items post-meeting. In essence, a well-structured meeting agenda ensures everyone is on the same page, before, during, and after the meeting.

The Role of Meeting Agenda Tools

Meeting agenda tools are innovative online productivity solutions tailored to automate and streamline the meeting workflow. These tools allow teams to monitor and track meeting objectives from inception to completion. They also serve as a dedicated platform for collaboration, information exchange, and feedback. From high-level executive meetings to daily huddles, meeting agenda software helps teams save time, be better prepared, and derive more value from every session.

Key Features of Meeting Agenda Tools

Meeting agenda tools come equipped with a variety of features that support teams throughout the lifecycle of a meeting. These features enable teams to prepare for meetings, collaborate in real-time, and hold attendees accountable for actionable meeting items. Some of the key features include:

• Time-saving meeting templates for preparation

• Real-time note-taking functions for tracking meeting notes and decisions

• Work app integrations for sharing and organizing meeting notes, assigning tasks, and accessing meeting details

While not all meeting agenda tools are the same, the following are some of the primary features that help teams conduct more effective and productive meetings.

Before the Meeting

Well-planned meetings require preparation. Meeting agenda tools make the preparation for staff meetings a breeze. Teams can:

• Schedule meetings – synchronize your team's calendar with the software to schedule meetings, invite attendees, and even add video conferencing links.

• Create agendas – customizable templates to save time while preparing the meeting agenda.

• Share agendas – collaborate with your meeting attendees by sharing the agenda and allowing them to add notes or suggested talking points.

• Review notes from previous meetings – easily pull up notes from past meetings or import them into your meeting agenda to save time and avoid redundancy during your meeting.

During the Meeting

Documenting meeting notes is a powerful way to share information and drive successful meeting outcomes. Keep track of meeting tasks and action items, and generate actionable next steps with these in-meeting functions. With a meeting agenda tool, teams can:

• Organize meeting notes – collaborate with team members in real-time and record meeting notes in one central place.

• Record decisions and action items – document significant decisions and tasks for action items on the agenda so everyone is informed and accountable for the next steps.

After the Meeting

Once the meeting concludes, meeting agenda tools make it easy for teams to take action and share information across the organization. Teams can:

• Share meeting notes and decisions – easily share meeting notes with the rest of the team or organization. Highlight findings and add reminders for any necessary follow-up discussions.

• Delegate and manage action items – take action on decisions by assigning and tracking tasks directly in the program.

• Sync meeting details with popular work apps – seamlessly integrate with popular work apps like Asana and Slack for easy access to meeting information and team collaboration.

Having explored the key features of a meeting agenda software, let's delve into specific programs and their comparative analysis.

Top Meeting Agenda Tools

Fellow: The Meeting Management Tool

Fellow is a highly rated meeting management app that assists your team in building excellent meeting habits by collaborating on agendas, sharing meeting notes, and documenting action items. Fellow provides an extensive range of ready-to-use templates, organizes your ideas in Streams to boost productivity, enables important one-on-one conversations across your company, and much more! Here's how Fellow stacks up against other meeting agenda tools:

Before the Meeting

✓ Agendas – access meeting pre-built meeting templates or build your own

✓ Past Meeting Notes – review past meeting notes

✓ Scheduling – meeting scheduling is available directly in Fellow

During the Meeting

✓ Note-taking – record meeting discussions, decisions, and action items; limited search functionality post-meeting

After the Meeting

✓ Task management – use Fellow's action items page to assign and prioritize tasks

✓ Information sharing – share meeting notes via email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or within the app using the Share button.

✓ Meeting feedback – feedback tools available with paid plans only

Always Available

✓ App integrations – integrate with 40+ work apps and tools

✓ Live chat support – available during business hours

✓ How-to guides and videos – available via blog articles and newsletter tips

✓ Free e-books for continuing education – one-on-one and team meeting guides available

✓ Chrome Extension – mini version of Fellow with over 30,000 installs!

Pricing

Free plan: free up to 10 users

• Limited searchable notes

• No due dates for action items

• Limited app integrations Paid plans: starting at $6/month

• Unlimited searchable notes

• Additional core features

• Access to all app integrations

Docket: The Meeting Productivity Platform

Docket is another widely used meeting management and team collaboration platform. Docket's mission is to promote better alignment and productivity during meetings through planning. The Docket workspace is designed to help teams create agendas, document decisions, and track action items. Unlike Fellow, Docket has a limited list of third-party app integrations. Similarly, Docket must be connected to third-party apps to store meeting resources and assign meeting action items.

Before the Meeting

✓ Meeting Agendas – use pre-built templates or create your own; custom templates only available with paid plans

X Past Meeting Notes – review recurring meeting history; restricted to 1-year with standard paid plan

✓ Scheduling – meeting scheduling is available directly in Docket

During the Meeting

✓ Notetaking – document meeting discussions, decisions, and next steps; notes stored externally via a third-party app

After the Meeting

✓ Task management – basic task management functions available in "My Tasks"; task management integrations recommended

✓ Information sharing – recap distribution available directly in the app

X Meeting feedback – not available with Docket

Always Available

✓ App integrations – yes; but limited to less than ten integrations

X Live chat support – not available

✓ How-to guides and videos – available in Docket Resources center

✓ Free e-books for continuing education – Docket’s "Guide to Awesome Meetings" available

X Chrome Extension – not available

Pricing

Free plan: basic plan available

• Limited app integrations

• No custom or shared templates

• Limited access to meeting history Paid plans: starting at $8/month

• Access to a complete list of app integrations

• Custom and shared agenda templates

• 1-year meeting notes history

Hypercontext

Hypercontext is a meeting management tool built specifically for managers. The app's mission is to empower managers to run more productive 1-on-1 and team meetings. Like the other platforms mentioned above, Hypercontext includes features like meeting agenda templates, notes sharing, and trackable action items. However, Hypercontext focuses more heavily on the manager's role in producing results from meetings. Additionally, Hypercontext has a limited library of third-party app integrations, making it more challenging to integrate this tool with your team's full tech stack.

Before the Meeting

✓ Agendas – customizable meeting agenda templates for all meeting types; custom agendas and collaboration only available with paid plans

✓ Past Meeting Notes – available in meeting archives; limited searchability function

X Scheduling - not available directly on platform; must sync via calendar integrations

During the Meeting

✓ Note-taking – document meeting notes, minutes, and next steps in the app

After the Meeting

✓ Task management – "next steps" function allows managers to assign, add due dates, and remind

X Information sharing – share meeting notes via email or Slack; not available directly in the app

✓ Meeting feedback – real-time employee feedback and insights are available

Always Available

X App integrations – minimal direct app integrations; requires Zapier to connect most work apps

X Live chat support – not available

✓ How-to guides and videos – available in the Resources center

X Free e-books for continuing education – not available

✓ Chrome Extension - fully functional micro version of Hypercontext

Pricing

Free plan: free up to 1 user

• Limited ability to integrate with third-party apps

• No task management or meeting insights features

• No custom or shared templates Paid plans: starting at $7/month

• Custom agenda templates

• AI-powered conversation insights

• Advanced support and storage

Conclusion: Building Better Meetings

Start building better, more productive meetings by leveraging the myriad features and functions of a meeting agenda software. With platforms like Fellow, you can save minutes every day and hours every week on meetings. Fellow is easy to set up and connect with your calendar, so you can start enjoying a smooth workflow that naturally makes your meetings more effective and worthwhile.

FAQs

Q: What is a meeting agenda tool? A: A meeting agenda tool is an online productivity software designed to streamline and automate the meeting workflow. It allows teams to monitor and track meeting objectives from start to finish, acting as a purpose-built space for collaboration, information sharing, and feedback.

Q: What are the advantages of using a meeting agenda tool? A: Meeting agenda tools can significantly enhance meeting efficiency. They offer features for preparing for meetings, taking notes during meetings, and following up on action items after meetings. These tools also integrate with popular work apps to ensure seamless information sharing and collaboration.

Q: How can I choose the right meeting agenda tool for my team? A: The right meeting agenda tool for your team depends on your team's specific needs and workflow. Consider the tool's features, ease of use, integration capabilities, and pricing before making a selection.

Q: What are some popular meeting agenda tools? A: Some popular meeting agenda tools include Fellow, Docket, and Hypercontext. Each of these tools offers unique features and benefits, so it's important to evaluate which one best suits your team's needs.

Q: Are there free plans available for meeting agenda tools? A: Yes, many meeting agenda tools offer free plans with basic features, making them a great option for small teams or businesses on a budget. However, these free plans may have limitations, and premium plans may be necessary to access more advanced features.