Huddles let you make a quick call with a colleague directly from a Factorial direct message without leaving your conversation. During the call, you can chat, take notes, and follow the transcript live, then get an AI-generated recap about 90 seconds after the call ends.
Overview
Huddles are useful when a conversation is easier to resolve with a quick call. You can start a huddle from any direct message, and the other person receives a call notification even if Factorial is open in a different browser tab.
After the call, Factorial creates an AI summary with key points, decisions, action items, open questions, and the full transcript, when the summary is available.
Huddles and AI summaries are controlled separately:
- Huddles must be enabled for the company and require Communications chat
- AI summaries have their own setting and are enabled by default. Companies can keep Huddles available without using AI summaries.
- AI summaries use the company's available AI credits and follow the company's AI settings
AI-generated summaries may contain errors. Always check important information against the original conversation or transcript.
How to use
Start a Huddle
- Open a direct message with the colleague you want to call
- Select Huddle
- The colleague receives an incoming call notification
- The direct message shows a call card with the current status: Ringing, In progress, Ended, or Missed
You can only participate in one Huddle at a time. If you are already in a call, Factorial lets you know instead of starting another one.
Answer an incoming Huddle
- When someone calls you, a pop-up appears in the bottom-right corner with the caller's name and photo
- Select Answer to open the conversation and join the Huddle
- Select Dismiss if you do not want to answer immediately
- If you dismiss the call, it is silenced for you across your Factorial tabs. The Huddle remains open, so you can still join it from the call card.
The call rings until someone answers, the call ends, or 45 seconds have passed. If you have several Factorial tabs open, you hear the incoming call only once.
Use the tools during a Huddle
During the call, a side panel gives you access to:
- Chat: Continue using the conversation while you call.
- Transcript: Follow the conversation as it is transcribed. The transcript appears a few seconds after people speak.
- Notes: Write down information while you talk.
In Chrome, the Huddle can follow you when you switch browser tabs in a small floating window.
A muted microphone is not transcribed.
View the AI summary
After the Huddle ends, Factorial needs approximately 90 seconds to finish transcribing the final part of the conversation and create the summary.
- Open the direct message where the Huddle took place
- Wait for the call card to finish processing
- While the summary is being prepared, the card displays: The summary of this call is being written. It will be here shortly.
- Once it is ready, review the short recap directly on the call card
- Select See more to open the complete Huddle summary
The summary is generated in the language spoken during the call. For example, a call held in Spanish receives a Spanish summary, even if the company's default language is different.
Review the Huddle summary
The Summary tab can include:
- Overview: A short description of the conversation
- Call type: For example, Quick sync, Brainstorm, Decision, or Status update
- Key points: The main topics discussed
- Decisions: Decisions made during the call
- Action items: Tasks, the person responsible, and the relevant date
- Open questions: Questions that still need to be resolved
- Topics: The subjects discussed during the call
The Transcript tab shows the conversation with the speaker's photo, name, and the time of each contribution.
The summary and transcript are available only to the two people who participated in the Huddle.
Tips and best practices
- Use Huddle for questions or topics that are easier to resolve by talking than by exchanging messages
- Keep your microphone muted when you are not speaking to reduce unnecessary transcription
- Check the AI-generated action items and dates before using them as a source of truth
- Use Notes during the call when you need to capture information that should not form part of the transcript
- If you do not want to receive incoming Huddle sounds on a specific device, use the Ring on incoming huddles setting for that device
- Muted chats and paused notifications can help keep Huddle notifications quiet when needed
- Remember that an AI summary is generated from the transcript and may contain errors
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
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The Huddle does not start
Make sure Huddles are enabled for your company and that Communications chat is available. You can only participate in one Huddle at a time. -
I did not hear the incoming call
Check your notification settings and the Ring on incoming huddles setting on your device. Also check whether the chat is muted or notifications are paused. -
I dismissed the call by mistake
Dismiss only silences the incoming call for you. You can still join the Huddle from the call card while the call is in progress. -
The transcript is delayed
The transcript is generated live but can appear a few seconds after someone speaks. This is expected behaviour. -
The AI summary is not available
The summary may not be generated when:- The call was too short
- Nothing was transcribed
- There was not enough content to summarise
- AI summaries are turned off for the company
- The company has no AI credits available
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The summary is still being generated
It can take approximately 90 seconds after the Huddle ends for the transcript to finish and the AI summary to become available. -
The summary contains incorrect information
AI summaries may contain errors. Review the transcript and the original conversation before relying on important decisions, dates, or action items.
FAQ
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Can I use Huddles without AI summaries?
Yes. Huddles and AI summaries have separate settings. A company can keep Huddles enabled while turning off AI summaries.
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Are AI summaries available on mobile?
Yes. Mobile support is included in the mobile app release that contains the feature. A new App Store or Google Play app version is required; the feature is not delivered through an over-the-air update.
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When is the AI summary available?
The summary is usually available approximately 90 seconds after the Huddle ends, once the final part of the conversation has been transcribed.
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What happens if I have several Factorial tabs open?
You hear the incoming Huddle notification only once. You can answer from the notification and continue the call across your Factorial tabs.
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What does the AI summary contain?
Depending on the conversation, it can include an overview, call type, key points, decisions, action items, open questions, topics, and the full transcript.
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Is the AI summary always generated?
No. A summary may not be generated if the call is too short, nothing was transcribed, there is not enough content to summarise, AI summaries are disabled, or the company has no AI credits available.