Keeping a call log

Questions & Suggestions
1

Howdy all, brand new to Keyboard Maestro! After a lot of Google-fu I was able to setup a few macros that start all my work related apps and some other really neat things. But now I'm stumped!

Is there a way to keep a call log? I do contract interpreting over the phone and I would like to keep my own call log to track number of calls and duration.

Thanks for any help yall can provide!

2

If you're calling through, say, an Android phone, you should look at IFTTT. It can connect to various services around the internet and on your phone, monitoring them for specific activity and letting you dictate an action in response to an event.

IFTTT = "If This, Then That"

I have it set up so that each time I receive a text message (sms), it logs the time, date and content of the text message in a Google spreadsheet. I'm pretty sure you can do something similar for calls, i.e. recording time, date, duration.

3

Thanks for the tip! I use IFTTT quite extensively for other services, I didn't even think about using it for this haha. I use Google Voice to I'll see if it will work with that.

4

Ok it appears that IFTTT doesn't support Google Voice, DARN. Any other suggestions?

5

This is a fairly common use case, and I'd imagine there are a number of solutions already built for this. So, if it were me, I'd start with an 'net search on "call log", and see if there is anything of interest.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I generally prefer to start as high up on the food chain as I can. :wink:

Having said that, sometimes a custom solution is needed. Keyboard Maestro and AppleScript are two great automation tools for building custom solutions. And, of course, KM can call/embed AppleScripts (and other script languages). Another great tool, which can be highly automated, is MS Excel -- it is my tool of choice for managing simple data structures (it can also handle complex structures, but I prefer SQL databases like SQLite for that).

So, here are some possibilities:

Option 1 -- Excel

  • Provides a completely local solution that does not require any Internet access
  • You may be able to find an Excel Call Log template/example.
  • Update MS Excel as needed using KM, AppleScript, and/or Excel VBA.
  • This is a great solution if you already have Excel, and are comfortable using it
  • Set up an Excel sheet with columns for data you want to track
  • Use KM/AppleScript to log your calls to Excel

Option 2 -- AirTable

  • Provides an online Cloud solution that is available everywhere (all your devices: Mac, PC, iOS, etc)
  • Use AirTable to build as simple, or as complex, solution as you like
  • AirTable is a fantastic combination of spreadsheet and database
  • AT has lots of templates. All of the "call log" tables are embedded in a larger template, like Sales & Customers Templates
    • Of course you can pick a template, and then customize as you like
  • AT is very easy to use, so you may not need to automate. But if you do, they provide an API accessible via JavaScript and standard web http calls, which, of course, you can use KM to call.
  • As a final note I wanted to share that I built a very complex medical records system using AirTable, which uses much of the standard entity-item relationships (one table relates to another) common in SQL databases, but much, much easier to build and use in AT.
    • It works great as is, and I've felt no need to automate. So I have NOT used the AT API.
  • AirTable has both free and paid subscriptions. The free option is very generous (2GB/base), and you won't need a paid subscription unless you have very large amounts of data.
  • Full Disclosure -- I get a credit from AT if you sign up for a free subscription
    .
AirTable Overview

Airtable is an online organizational software with the power of a relational database but with the ease of use of a spreadsheet.

Features, Benefits, Product Strengths

  • Powerful Relational Database, Simple Interface – Airtable online organizational software is powered by a relational database that is robust and structured using a flexible spreadsheet-like interface. Users can add, reposition, rename fields directly from the table view.
  • Collaboration, File Attachment and Cross-platform Synchronization – Ready for collaboration as users can share views, chat with teammates and use mentions for direct notification. All these communication posts are saved and can be revisited for historical purposes.
  • Integrations, API, and Mobility – Airtable integrates with many apps and services such as Asana, Basecamp, Trello, Wunderlist, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, Salesforce, email, Gmail, MailChimp, Slack, SMS, Twilio, Zendesk and more.

So, I think either of those are good options, and may be driven by whether you prefer a local (Excel) or Cloud (AirTable) solution. I use both extensively.

Questions?

2 Likes
6

Thanks so much for you detailed reply. I had searched quite extensively online but hadn't found anything that quite fit my needs at the time. Since then I found a good way to use Excel to keep track.

Thanks again for your help!