🚀Quick Start Guide

Get your first automated meeting brief in under 10 minutes.

Formata is designed to get you up and running quickly. Follow these simple steps to start receiving intelligent customer insights before every meeting.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Navigate to https://app.formata.io and log in with your credentials.

Once logged in, you'll be taken to your dashboard, where you can begin the setup process.

Step 2: Add Your Subscription

1. Go to your Profile & Settings page in the navigation menu by clicking your name on the top right

2. Click on Billing and select your preferred subscription plan

3. Complete the subscription setup

Your subscription activates immediately, giving you access to all integration options.

Step 3: Connect Your Integrations

Formata works by connecting to your existing tools. We'll walk you through each integration—some are required for core functionality, others enhance your experience.

Required Integrations

These integrations are essential for Formata to deliver your meeting briefs:

📅 Google Calendar (Required)

Formata needs access to your calendar to know when meetings are scheduled.

Setup Process:

1. Click Connect Google Calendar

2. Click Allow when prompted for permissions

Time to complete: 30 seconds

This is where you'll receive your automated meeting prep briefs.

Recommended Integrations

These integrations significantly improve the quality of your meeting briefs:

💬 Slack (Recommended)

Setup Process:

1. Click Connect Slack Integration

2. Select which channel you want briefs delivered to (create a new channel beforehand if needed, ex. #Formata)

3. In the Slack App, navigate to the channel you added the Formata Service to

4. You should see a message saying "added an integration to this channel: Formata Service"

5. Click on the "Formata Service" portion of the message, and then on "Add this app to a channel..."

6. Add the Formata Service user to this channel, so we can send automated meeting briefs

Time to complete: 1-2 minutes

📧 Gmail (Recommended)

Connects your email communications for fuller customer context. Pulls in the most recent customer emails from the past month (30 days).

Setup Process:

1. Click Add Gmail

2. Click Allow when prompted for permissions

Time to complete: 30 seconds

Optional Integrations

These integrations provide additional customer insights when available:

📁 Google Drive (Optional)

Surfaces relevant documents and shared files for meeting context (Ex. customer meeting notes or account plan documents).

Setup Process:

1. Click Add Google Drive

2. Click Allow when prompted for permissions

Time to complete: 30 seconds

📊 Vitally (Optional)

Integrates your customer success platform data for comprehensive account insights.

Setup Requirements:

• Your Vitally subdomain (e.g., yourcompany.vitally.io)

• Basic auth token from your Vitally account (docs)

Setup Process:

1. Click Add Vitally Integration

2. Enter your Vitally subdomain (just the subdomain part, like yourcompany)

3. Enter your Basic Auth Token

4. Click Connect

Time to complete: 2 minutes

Step 4: Test Your Setup

Once your integrations are connected:

1. Schedule a test meeting in your Google Calendar with a customer contact

2. Wait for your brief - Formata will automatically send a meeting prep brief to your selected Slack channel 30 minutes before the meeting

3. Check the quality - Your first brief will show you what information Formata can surface from your connected tools

What Happens Next?

Automatic Brief Delivery From now on, you'll receive a comprehensive meeting prep brief 30 minutes before every customer meeting in your calendar. Note: The meeting must have more than one attendee.

Continuous Learning Formata gets smarter over time as it learns from your connected tools and customer interactions.

Enhanced Context The more integrations you connect, the richer your meeting briefs become.

Adding Integrations and Capabilities Let us know how we can improve the platform for you!

What Will My Meeting Brief Look Like?

Due to Formata's customizable access to your email and other tools, everyone's meeting brief will look different depending on your role or company.

Here is an example of what a brief could look like:

📋 Pre-Meeting Brief: John Doe & CJ Cummings + Amelia Wampler

1. 📅 Meeting Information

• Date: Friday, June 6, 2025

• Time: 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Mountain Time)

• Type: Introductory Call

• Location: Google Meet - Join Meeting

• Attendees:

  • John Doe (<[e-mail]>) - CS at Company X

  • CJ Cummings (<[e-mail]>) - Organizer/Founder

  • Amelia Wampler (<[e-mail]>) - Founder

2. 👥 Customer/Attendees Overview

• Company: CompanyX

• Contact: John Doe, Customer Success Manager

• Connection: Introduced by Jane Doe (From Company Y) on May 19, 2025

• Interest: Demo of Formata's Slack-based AI platform for CSM workflow optimization

3. 🔄 Recent Activity

• May 19: Initial introduction via Jane Doe

• May 20: Amelia's outreach for CSM workflow research

• June 3: Product details shared - Slack AI Assistant features

• June 4: John missed scheduled meeting, apologized and rescheduled

• June 6: Current meeting scheduled

4. 💬 Communication History

• John expressed interest in understanding CSM workflow pain points

• Amelia positioned this as research-focused, not sales-heavy

• Product demo specifically requested: "Slack w/AI"

• John showed engagement despite scheduling conflicts

• Free trial with potential discount offered

5. 🎯 Account Opportunities

• Primary Pain Point: Meeting prep inefficiencies (3-5 hours/week based on research)

• Perfect Fit: CSM role aligns with Formata's target market

• High Interest: Specifically requested Slack AI demo

• Referral Potential: Connected through Company Y network

• Quick Win: Free trial opportunity to demonstrate immediate value

6. 💡 Talking Points

• Lead with Research: "We're here to understand your workflow first"

• Time Savings Focus: Highlight 50% reduction in meeting prep time

• Slack Integration: Demonstrate seamless workflow integration

• Real CSM Stories: Share how other CSMs save 3-5 hours weekly

• No Pressure: Emphasize this is an intro/discovery conversation

• Free Trial: Offer hands-on experience with potential discount

7. 📈 Success Plan

Immediate (This Call):

• Understand John's current workflow challenges

• Demo core Slack AI features

• Gauge interest level and fit

Short-term (Next 2 weeks):

• Set up free trial if interested

• Provide personalized onboarding

• Schedule follow-up demo with broader team

Long-term:

• Convert to paid customer

• Leverage as case study/reference

• Explore Company X network for additional opportunities

8. 📝 Notes to Take Into Meeting

• Ask about current meeting prep process and time investment

• Understand their Slack usage and integration preferences

• Identify specific pain points in customer communication tracking

• Note any team size/structure details for future expansion

• Capture feedback on demo for product development

• Confirm next steps and timeline preferences

9. 🛠️ Tools & Data Sources

• Gmail conversation history analysis

• Google Drive document research

• Meeting calendar integration

• Customer workflow documentation

----Prepared by Formata - Your Team's Wisdom. Your Customers' Success.

Can I Customize My Meeting Briefs?

Yes, your pre-meeting briefs will automatically be customized to you and your customers. If you want to further customize what specific information it is pulling or if you want more detail, links, integrations, or something else in your briefs, please email us at [e-mail] and we can discuss options for customizing your briefs.

Do I Have Access to Previous Meeting Briefs?

Yes! You can view all past and future meetings in your dashboard along with their full pre-meeting brief.

Need Help?

Integration Issues? Each integration includes troubleshooting tips on the setup page.

Missing Briefs? Check that your meetings include external attendees (customer email addresses) and are at least 30 minutes in the future.

Questions? Contact our support team.

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🎉 Congratulations! You're now set up to receive intelligent meeting preparation that will transform how you engage with customers. Your first automated brief is on its way.