According to the British business stalwart Richard Branson, “acquiring the habit of notetaking is a wonderful complementary skill to that of listening”. And how true is that in the profession of coaching?
One of the major skills required to become a successful coach is actively listening to clients, which of course requires one to take copious notes during sessions that can be referred to as needed later.
Regardless to say, a notetaking feature should be an integral part of any software for coaches.
The market, however, is chock-a-block with different note taking apps and choosing the right one for your coaching business could be a task in itself. We hope our curated list of top note-taking apps will help you make an informed decision when it comes to choosing the one that is suitable for your business.
Now as a coach looking to take notes digitally, you’re faced with two options – note-taking tools that work independently of other tools or note-taking tools that are a part of larger coaching management software. Let’s look at a few apps within each category.
Note-taking software
1. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a cross-functional notebook that helps you get organized with your notes, classifying content across sections, pages, and notebooks. Thanks to easy navigation, user experience and search functionality, you will have no problem accessing all your notes anytime across any devices! The app allows you to highlight important notes and add annotations, files and online videos, and share notes with clients.
Pricing: Their business basic plan comes at $7.20/ user/ month
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2. SimpleNote
Simple note taking has a new name – SimpleNote. The app works across all your devices, notes automatically sync in real time, and it helps you stay organized and collaborate across teams and individuals. You can add tags to your notes and refer to them with an instant search functionality whenever required. You can review changes, and also write, preview, and publish your notes in the Markdown format.
Bonus: It’s completely free.
3. Evernote
Large collaborative projects turning into a mess? Evernote goes beyond a notetaking app and lets you create and assign tasks within a note, add due dates, flags, reminders. It also helps you scan important documents and even clip and save webpages. Automatic syncing, great search capabilities and calendar integration are other features that make this such a great app for notetaking needs. It also allows you to scan and save all your important client-related documents on all your devices. Available in free and paid plans.
Pricing: $14,99/ month
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Running a coaching business is much more than conducting coaching sessions and taking notes.
Check out our blog post to see how Simply.Coach can be your go-to partner in your coaching business’ growth journey!
4. Notion
The AI-driven Notion is a collaborative workspace and one of the most popular notes taking apps; it allows you to create folders, meeting notes, have a bird’s eye-view of every current and upcoming project, and more. You can also customize your information using labels, tags, and build any page with drag-and-drop elements. Go for this note app to manage all your project needs.
Pricing: Subscribe to their Plus plan at $8/ user/ month
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5. Google Keep
Google’s note taking app, Keep, is helpful for taking down quick notes (also through voice, doodles and scribbles), organizing with labels, setting reminders, or sharing with your teams. Keep also transcribes your voice memo and you can recover it whenever required.
Like other note-taking apps, Keep also allows you to colour code and add labels to notes to organize them. Your Keep notes sync across all your devices—phone, tablet, Android wearables, etc. It helps add recurring nudges so that you don’t miss out on important to-dos.
Pricing: $1.99/ month for 100GB
Coaching management software with a note-taking tool
1. Simply.Coach
Simply.Coach is a coaching management platform that takes care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks that go into being a coach. Because it’s built by coaches for coaches, the platform has an intuitive note-taking tool, designed for use in a coaching journey: it allows you to create and tag notes and capture actions against each session for more consistent and trackable progress.
Some of the things that you can do with the note taking feature of this coaching app are:
- You can build your own note-taking template
- Get reminders from the platform to take notes
- Attach relevant notes to each session and review them for pre-session preparation
- Allow clients to take notes in their workspace and create their own templates too
The shared space in this coaching app is where you and your client collaborate when it comes to sharing and exchanging notes and resources. However, your journal stays confidential until you choose to expressly share a note with someone. If needed, you can also share your notes with a client who is not on the platform via email — accessible and downloadable for 7 days to safeguard your proprietary content.
Pricing: $9/ month (when paid annually)
2. Paperbell
Paperbell is another popular coaching management platform and it comes with its own note-taking tool. The interface comes with a note-taking area that helps coaches jot down confidential notes. You have this central repository where you can continue taking notes for a specific client during a session with him/her. You can also refer to these notes whenever required to track client progress.
Pricing: $47.50/ month (2 months free when paid annually)
3. Coaching.com
Coaching.com comes with a rich-text editor where you can take down important notes in a space dedicated to each of your clients, prepare yourself for upcoming sessions, or review past notes to track client progress. You can easily edit your client notes and share them with the respective client if required. You can opt for a basic free plan or pay for an enhanced experience.
Pricing: $47/ month for a pro plan
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About Simply.Coach
Simply.Coach is an enterprise-grade coaching software designed to be used by individual coaches and coaching businesses. Trusted by ICF-accredited and EMCC-credentialed coaches worldwide, Simply.Coach is on a mission to elevate the experience and process of coaching with technology-led tools and solutions.
How to choose the best note taking app
With so many options in the market, choosing the best note-taking app can be quite tricky. Here are 4 parameters to measure your shortlisted note apps against before making the final decision:
- It should be able to deliver the specific features it has marketed
- It should be quick and easy to use
- You should be able to access it on the go
- It should offer more value than what you’re paying for it
Notes apps go beyond letting you take notes to include features that range from external app integration to drawing and voice search facilities and much more. Understand your particular requirements and go for the app that best matches them.
Sources: GetApp, Zapier, Hive, Simply.Coach, Microsoft OneNote, SimpleNote, Evernote, Notion, Keep
FAQs
1. Which is the best note taking app for coaches?
Some of the best note-taking apps for coaches are Simply.Coach, Evernote, Microsoft One Note, SimpleNote, Notion, and Google Keep.
2. Why are note taking apps important for coaches?
Note taking apps are important for coaches because they help:
- Focus on to-dos
- Assign actions based on previous notes
- Start and structure a coaching conversation
- Remember what was discussed in a particular session
About Simply.Coach
Simply.Coach is an enterprise-grade coaching software designed to be used by individual coaches and coaching businesses. Trusted by ICF-accredited and EMCC-credentialed coaches worldwide, Simply.Coach is on a mission to elevate the experience and process of coaching with technology-led tools and solutions.
Content Specialist @Simply.Coach
Jayashree Mukherjee is a content specialist by day and a content junkie (on OTT) by night. Passionate about traveling, street food and overturning the underuse of em dashes — she would have been a globe-trotter if she hadn’t been so lazy.
