On-site vs. online minute-taking: what works best?

Why organisations still choose an on-site minute-taker

Despite all technological developments, the demand for on-site minute-taking remains—especially for strategic sessions, management meetings, board meetings and other high-level discussions.

A minute-taker who is physically present:

• recognises who is speaking and when something is truly important
• picks up on non-verbal communication
• can ask for clarification in the moment
• distinguishes between key points and details

Automated tools provide transcripts, but they don’t make these judgements. And it’s exactly that judgement that makes minutes valuable and usable.

We work remotely, but we still think along with you

Our VAs work entirely remotely. That’s a conscious choice: efficient, flexible and without travel time. For that reason, it’s neither practical nor desirable for us to send VAs to meetings on-site.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have a solution—quite the opposite.

Option 1: use a specialised minute-taking service

If you specifically want a minute-taker to be physically present, a specialised agency is a good option. These agencies work with experienced minute-takers who are used to live meetings in various formats.

Three reliable services that provide on-site minute-takers (in The Netherlands):

1. Emma Handson
   A professional service with experienced minute-takers for on-site meetings, known for a careful approach and clear, well-structured minutes.
2. Notuleerservice Nederland
   A nationwide service with a large network of professional minute-takers. Suitable for both in-person and hybrid meetings, often available at short notice.
3. Het Notuleercentrum
   Specialised in board, policy and project meetings, providing experienced minute-takers across the Netherlands.

This option is particularly suitable when:

• the meeting is formal or governance-related
• non-verbal communication plays an important role
• hybrid meetings are not an option

Option 2: hybrid meetings with an online minute-taker

If a specialised agency isn’t necessary or preferred, hybrid meetings offer a strong alternative. The meeting takes place in person, while a Moneypenny VA joins online as the minute-taker.

This gives you:

• a human minute-taker
• no travel time or location costs
• direct interaction during the meeting

Option 3: record the meeting and prepare minutes afterwards

Another practical solution is to record the meeting. Based on the recording (optionally supported by a transcript), a VA can produce clear, structured minutes afterwards.

The key requirement: good audio quality.

What equipment do you need for online or hybrid minute-taking?

It doesn’t need to be complicated. A solid basic setup includes:

• a good meeting microphone (preferably omnidirectional)
• a laptop or tablet to join the meeting online
• a speaker so everyone can be heard clearly
• optionally, a webcam for additional context

For hybrid meetings, a 360° meeting camera with speaker tracking is a valuable addition. It automatically focuses on the person speaking, helping online participants—and the minute-taker—follow the conversation more easily.

At Moneypenny, we use an Owl Labs “meeting owl” for face-to-face team meetings where not everyone can attend in person. This smart camera combines video and audio and automatically focuses on the active speaker. The result: more context, better sound quality and ultimately better minutes.

Tip: always test your audio in advance. Poor sound quality is the biggest pitfall in online minute-taking.

Conclusion: human minute-taking still matters

AI and automation are valuable tools, but they don’t replace human judgement. That’s why on-site minute-taking remains relevant, and hybrid solutions are often the ideal middle ground.

If you can’t use an on-site minute-taker, there are still smart ways to produce clear and reliable minutes.

A suitable solution for every meeting

Want to explore the best approach for your situation? Or unsure whether to choose on-site, hybrid or fully online minute-taking? Feel free to get in touch—we’re happy to think along with you and find a solution that fits your way of working.

The minute-taking services mentioned above are provided as examples of organisations offering on-site support. We have no commercial partnerships with these organisations and receive no compensation for mentioning them.