How to Choose Morning Brief Automation Tools: A Scorecard

Search for morning brief automation tools and you will find a long list, each promising to summarise your day. I have not tested and ranked them, so this post does not pretend to. Tools change quickly, and a ranking from someone who did not run the tests would only mislead you.

What you can use instead is a scorecard. It lets you compare any tool, including ones that did not exist when this was written, against the things that decide whether a morning note works for you.

Lesson 6.5 covers building the brief itself, whichever tool you use: A short brief waiting every morning. It is listed as coming soon.

Choose a tool by what it can reach, how much control it gives you, and how easily you can check its output, not by how impressive the demo looks.

Start with what you already have

Before looking at anything new, check what your current tools can do. Two examples from official help pages:

• Google Calendar can email you a daily agenda each morning, set in your calendar settings.
• Gmail filters can send incoming mail to a label, archive it, star it or forward it, and they apply to messages that arrive after the filter is created.

Neither is a full brief, but together they cover the calendar and a tidier inbox with no new software. Treat them as the baseline any new tool has to beat.

The four scorecard areas

Score each tool from 0 to 3 on each area. Do not rely on a sales page: try the tool on a free trial or test account if one exists, and read its own documentation for what it can do.

1. Sources it can reach

A brief only reports what a tool can read. Make a list of your must have sources, such as email, calendar, orders and messages, then check, in the tool's own documentation, whether each one is supported.

• 0: reaches none of your must haves.
• 1: reaches one.
• 2: reaches most.
• 3: reaches all, or all but one that you are happy to add by hand.

2. Control over the output

Can you decide the shape of the note, its length and what it leaves out? A tool that fixes the format may be fine if the format suits you. One that lets you write your own instructions is more flexible but needs more effort.

• 0: no control.
• 1: a few options.
• 2: you set the sections and order.
• 3: you write full instructions and examples.

3. Permissions and safety

What access does the tool ask for, and can you limit it? Read the permission screen before accepting. A read only mode is a real advantage for a morning note.

• 0: broad access, no way to limit it.
• 1: broad access, some limits.
• 2: limited access by source.
• 3: read only option, clear permissions.

4. Checking the output

Can you see where each line came from? A note that links back to the original email or entry is far easier to check than one that does not.

• 0: no way to trace anything.
• 1: partly.
• 2: most lines link to sources.
• 3: every line can be traced.

A blank scorecard

Copy this into a notes file. Fill it in as you read each tool's own documentation and try it.

Questions that sit outside the score

Some factors matter but do not fit a number:

• Cost. Prices change, so check the current page yourself and ask what happens after any trial.
• Where your data goes. Read the privacy and data handling terms. If it is client data, check whether you are allowed to share it with a third party.
• What happens if it stops. Can you export your instructions? If the service closes, can you rebuild the brief elsewhere?
• Support. Is there documentation that you can follow without a call?

A worked example, clearly made up

Say you run a small tutoring business. This is an illustration with invented tools called A and B, not a review.

Your must haves are your calendar, your inbox and a spreadsheet of student payments. Tool A reaches the calendar and inbox but not the spreadsheet, and offers fixed sections: 2, 1, 2, 1, a total of 6. Tool B reaches all three, lets you write instructions, has a read only mode and links each line to its source: 3, 3, 3, 2, a total of 11.

Tool B wins on the score. But it also has a monthly cost that you are unsure about, so you decide to trial it for a week with a test calendar before connecting real data. The scorecard did not make the choice for you. It made your reasoning visible.

How to trial a tool in an afternoon

1. List your must have sourcesWrite down no more than four. More than that and nothing will pass.
2. Check the documentationLook for each source in the tool's own help pages, not in reviews.
3. Set up with minimal accessConnect one source first and use the narrowest permissions offered.
4. Run it against yesterdayCompare its note with what you would have written by hand.
5. Score itFill in the scorecard the same evening, while the details are fresh.

Mistakes to avoid when choosing

Do not choose on the demo. Demos use clean data. Your data has odd names, duplicate threads and half finished messages.

Do not choose on the longest feature list. Every feature you do not use is something to read about and switch off.

Do not connect everything on day one. Start with one source, and add others as the tool earns trust. The lessons on a clean inbox every morning and notes from every call show where your inputs can come from.

Common questions

Questions people ask

Which tool is the best?

I cannot tell you from testing, because I have not tested them. The best one is the one that scores highest on your must have sources and that you can check.

Should I pay for a tool?

Only after a trial shows it does something your current tools cannot. Check current pricing on the vendor's own site.

Is it safe to connect my email?

It depends on the tool and your obligations. Read the permissions, prefer read only, and be cautious with client or private data.

Can I change tools later?

Yes, if you keep your brief instructions in a plain text file. That makes the move much easier.

Next steps

Fill in the scorecard for two options and run each against yesterday's data. When you are ready to build, follow Lesson 6.5, A short brief waiting every morning. For a more general view of the whole process, see the step by step guide.