Turn a Recording into an SOP
Paste or attach a transcript from a Loom, Zoom or Teams recording and get an SOP draft with a trigger, clear steps and a definition of done.
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Get a better result
- Paste the actual transcript, not a summary of it. Process Pal works from what was said, so the more raw material it has, the fewer guesses it makes.
- Name the tools and the roles. "The office manager uploads it to Dropbox" produces a usable step. "She uploads it" produces a vague one.
- Say what finished looks like at the end of your paste. That becomes the completion criteria at the bottom of the SOP.
- Anything it was unsure about comes back flagged as a To Clarify note. Answer those, do not delete them. They are the bits only your team knows.
What is an automatic SOP generator?
An automatic SOP generator writes the standard operating procedure for you, so you do not start from a blank page. Many work by capturing your screen while you click through a task. Process Pal takes a different route: it works from a recording you already have, such as a Loom, a Zoom call or a voice note, and writes the SOP from what was said.
That matters because the useful parts of a process are the things people say out loud: why a step matters, what to do when something goes wrong, when to stop and ask. A click recording never captures those. There is nothing to install and no screenshots to tidy up, and the person who knows the job can record it in a few minutes.
Want the full method? See how to write SOPs with AI →
From a recording to an SOP: a real example
This is a real run of the tool on a short transcript. Notice three things: it names the accounting system correctly (the transcript said “Zero”), it writes “the director” instead of a person’s name, and it asks about a gap nobody mentioned.
0:00 Hi, it's Jamie, and this is how I chase up unpaid invoices. I do this every Monday morning. 0:08 So first I open Zero, that's our accounting system, go to Sales, then Invoices, and filter by Overdue. 0:22 I start with anything that's just gone past due, so one to seven days. Those get the friendly reminder. There's a template in Zero called Friendly Reminder, I just tick the invoices and hit send. 0:41 Anything that's more than fourteen days overdue, I don't email again. I ring them. Usually it's their accounts person and I just ask if they've got the invoice and when it'll be paid. 1:02 I always write what they said in the notes on the invoice, so Sarah can see it. Sarah's our director. 1:14 If it's over thirty days and they haven't paid or given me a date, I let Sarah know and we pause any new work for that client until it's sorted. 1:30 Oh, and if a client is on a payment plan I skip them. There's a list of those in the shared drive. 1:40 That's it. At the end I update the tracker sheet so I know who I've chased.
TITLE: How to Chase Up Unpaid Invoices OVERVIEW: This process keeps cash flowing by following up on overdue customer invoices in a consistent, escalating way. It runs weekly so no overdue invoice is missed and every conversation is recorded where the team can see it. It also protects the business by pausing new work for clients who are seriously behind on payment. SYSTEM: Trigger: Every Monday morning. Step 1: Open the overdue invoice list - Log in to Xero, the accounting system. - Go to Sales, then Invoices, and filter by Overdue. Step 2: Remove any clients on a payment plan - Check the list of clients on payment plans in the shared drive. - Skip these clients entirely. Do not chase them. Step 3: Send friendly reminders for invoices 1 to 7 days overdue - Tick the invoices that are 1 to 7 days past due. - Send them using the Friendly Reminder template in Xero. Step 4: Phone clients more than 14 days overdue - Do not send another email at this stage. - Call the client, usually their accounts person. - Ask whether they have received the invoice and when it will be paid. Step 5: Record the outcome on the invoice - Add a note to the invoice in Xero summarising what the client said and any payment date given. - This makes the update visible to the director. Step 6: Escalate invoices over 30 days overdue - If the invoice is more than 30 days overdue and the client has not paid or given a payment date, notify the director. - Pause all new work for that client until the account is settled. Step 7: Update the tracker - Record who you chased, how, and the outcome in the tracker sheet. SUPPORTING NOTES: - Work in this order: friendly reminder first, phone call next, escalation last. - Common mistake: emailing a client who is already well overdue instead of calling them. A phone call gets a commitment and a date. - Notes on the invoice are the single record of the conversation, so write them straight after the call. TO CLARIFY: - What should happen with invoices that are 8 to 14 days overdue? The steps cover 1 to 7 days and 14+ days only. - Where is the tracker sheet kept, and what should be filled in? - Who is the director, and is that the only person to notify for 30+ day escalations? - What is the exact name and location of the payment plan list in the shared drive? - How should the pause on new work be communicated to the rest of the team? - Check spelling of: Xero (the transcript said "Zero"). COMPLETION CRITERIA: - Every overdue invoice has been reviewed, excluding clients on a payment plan. - Friendly reminders have been sent for all invoices 1 to 7 days overdue. - Phone calls have been made for all invoices over 14 days overdue, with notes added to each invoice. - The director has been notified of all invoices over 30 days overdue with no payment or payment date, and new work is paused for those clients. - The tracker sheet has been updated with everyone chased this week.
Your own transcript can be far longer and messier than this. Real ones are full of timestamps, small talk and half-finished sentences, and it copes.
How to record a task so the SOP comes out well
The tool can only write down what is said. A few habits make the difference between a thin draft and a strong one.
- Pick one task. One process per recording gives you one clean SOP. If you cover several, the tool will split them, but one at a time is easier to review.
- Do the real task, live. Record the person who does it best, doing it for real. Talking through it from memory is how steps get missed.
- Say why, not just what. “I check the address twice because there are no refunds” becomes a useful warning in the SOP. “Then I click here” does not.
- Say what happens when it goes wrong. The exceptions and the “if it is over thirty days” rules are the parts people skip when they write an SOP from memory.
- Name the tools and the roles. “I open the accounting system” is vague. “I open Xero and hand it to the office manager” is a step.
Two to ten minutes is plenty. Then copy the transcript and paste it in, or attach it as a PDF or Word file.
What it does with a messy transcript
Transcripts are messy. Here is what Process Pal is built to handle, so you do not have to clean anything up first.
- Ignores the noise. Timestamps, small talk, “can you see my screen?” and interviewer questions are dropped.
- Fixes and flags names. Tools it recognises are spelled correctly, and any name it is unsure of goes on a check-spelling list.
- Writes roles, not people. “Email the director” still works after the director changes.
- Flags every gap. Anything it had to guess comes back as a To Clarify question, most important first.
- Keeps secrets out. It is set up not to copy passwords, codes or card numbers into the SOP.
Which tool do you need?
Writing an SOP starts from different places. Pick the one that matches what you have.
A draft is a start. Keep it somewhere it gets followed.
The SOP on your screen is text. In systemHUB it becomes a real system with an owner, a review date and a place your team already looks, which is the difference between a document you wrote and a process somebody follows.
Questions, answered
What is an automatic SOP generator?
A tool that writes a standard operating procedure for you instead of you writing it from scratch. Some capture your screen as you work. Process Pal works from a recording you already have: you give it the transcript, and it writes the SOP from what was said.
How is this different from screen-capture SOP tools?
Screen-capture tools record your clicks and add a screenshot to each step. Process Pal needs no software: it reads a transcript and writes the steps, including the reasons, exceptions and decisions people say out loud and a click recording never shows. The trade-off is that it does not add screenshots, so add those where a picture saves a paragraph.
What kind of recording works?
Any recording of someone doing a task and explaining it: a Loom, a Zoom, Teams or Meet call, a Fathom recording, or a voice note. It works best when the person says what they are doing and why, not just narrating clicks.
How do I get a transcript?
Most recording tools produce one. Look for a transcript or captions option on the recording, then copy the text or download it. Paste it in, or attach it as a PDF or Word file. The tool needs the text, not the video file.
Does it handle long transcripts and meetings?
Yes. Long transcripts work, and it ignores timestamps, small talk and questions that are not part of the process. If one recording covers several separate processes, it tells you and writes the main one first, so you get one SOP per process instead of one tangled document.
Does it work in other languages?
Yes. It writes the SOP in the language of the transcript.
Will it get names and spellings right?
It corrects the tools it recognises, so a transcript that says "Zero" comes back as Xero, and it flags any name it is unsure of for you to check. It also writes roles instead of people, so the SOP does not go stale when someone leaves.
Is the SOP ready to use?
It is a first draft. Read the To Clarify list at the bottom, answer those questions, and have the person who does the job check it. That review takes minutes, where writing from scratch takes hours.
What should I leave out?
Passwords, and personal details about customers or staff. The tool does not need them, and it is set up not to copy passwords or codes into the SOP.
Is it free?
You get 3 free conversations with no account. Refining an SOP in the same conversation does not use another one. After that, start a free systemHUB trial for unlimited use.
Now save it in systemHUB.
The SOP you get here is text on your screen. In systemHUB you save it as a real system, give it an owner and a review date, and hand it to the person who actually does the job. That is the difference between a document and a system somebody follows.
Start free trialOr see how systemHUB works as SOP software for your whole team.