Voice Dictation for Gmail: Professional Emails, Quick Replies & Follow-ups
Compose professional emails 4× faster. Contextli adds proper greetings, structure, and sign-offs automatically—you just speak your message.
Email remains the backbone of professional communication—and a major time sink. The average professional spends 28% of their workday on email. Much of that time is typing: crafting greetings, structuring thoughts, adding appropriate sign-offs. Contextli lets you speak your message naturally while it handles the professional formatting, cutting email composition time dramatically.
Contextli Modes for Gmail
Each mode transforms your voice into Gmail-ready content with specific formatting.
Professional Email
Full email formatting with greeting, body, and sign-off
Best for: Client emails, stakeholder updates, professional correspondence
You say:
"Email to Jennifer about the Q3 report, thanks for sending the draft, I reviewed it and the numbers look good, I have a few suggestions in the attached document, let's discuss in our Thursday meeting, looking forward to it"
Contextli outputs:
Hi Jennifer, Thank you for sending the Q3 report draft. I've reviewed it and the numbers look solid. I've attached a document with a few suggestions for your consideration. Let's plan to discuss these in our Thursday meeting. Looking forward to it. Best, [Your name]
Quick Reply
Brief, professional responses to incoming emails
Best for: Responding to quick questions and confirmations
You say:
"Sounds good, I'll have the updated proposal ready by end of day tomorrow, let me know if you need anything else in the meantime"
Contextli outputs:
Sounds good—I'll have the updated proposal to you by EOD tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything else in the meantime. Best, [Your name]
Meeting Follow-up
Post-meeting emails with summary and action items
Best for: Post-meeting summaries and alignment emails
You say:
"Following up on our meeting today, we agreed to move forward with the new vendor, next steps are I'll draft the contract by Friday, you'll review the security requirements, and we'll aim to sign by end of month"
Contextli outputs:
Hi [Name], Thank you for taking the time to meet today. Here's a quick recap: **Decision:** Moving forward with the new vendor **Next Steps:** • I'll draft the contract by Friday • You'll review security requirements • Target: Contract signed by end of month Please let me know if I've missed anything or if you have questions. Best, [Your name]
Formal Request
Polished emails for requests and asks
Best for: Cold outreach, formal requests, executive communication
You say:
"Emailing to request a meeting to discuss partnership opportunities, we're a SaaS company in the productivity space, I think there could be interesting synergies between our products, would love 30 minutes to explore"
Contextli outputs:
Dear [Name], I hope this email finds you well. I'm reaching out to explore potential partnership opportunities between our organizations. We're a SaaS company in the productivity space, and I believe there may be interesting synergies between our products. Would you have 30 minutes in the coming weeks to discuss? I'm happy to work around your schedule. Thank you for considering, and I look forward to the possibility of connecting. Best regards, [Your name] [Your title]
How to Use Contextli in Gmail
Step-by-step workflows for common Gmail tasks.
Process Inbox with Quick Replies
You have 20+ emails to respond to and need to get through them efficiently without sacrificing professionalism.
- 1
Open email requiring response
Click reply or select the email
- 2
Activate Quick Reply mode
Contextli will keep it professional but concise
⌘+Shift+V - 3
Speak your response
Just say what you want to communicate
- 4
Review and send
Check formatting, adjust sign-off if needed, send
Example Output:
Thanks for the update. The timeline works for us—we'll plan accordingly. Let me know if anything changes. Best, [Your name]
Send Meeting Follow-ups Before EOD
You just finished a client call and need to send a follow-up email while details are fresh, before your next meeting.
- 1
Compose new email to attendees
Start a new email in Gmail
- 2
Activate Meeting Follow-up mode
Contextli formats with recap and action items
⌘+Shift+V - 3
Summarize the meeting verbally
Speak key points, decisions, and next steps
- 4
Add subject line and send
Add clear subject, quick review, send
Example Output:
Hi Sarah, Great speaking with you today. Here's a quick summary: **Discussed:** • Current pain points with existing solution • Our platform's approach to [X] • Pricing and implementation timeline **Next Steps:** • I'll send over a custom proposal by Thursday • You'll schedule a demo with your technical team Looking forward to moving this forward. Best, [Your name]
Voice to Gmail: Real Examples
What you say versus what Contextli produces for Gmail.
"Hey just following up on our call, wanted to recap that you're interested in the enterprise plan with SSO, I'll send over a proposal with volume pricing by Thursday, let me know if you have any questions before then"
Hi [Name], Great speaking with you earlier. To recap our conversation: **You're interested in:** Enterprise plan with SSO integration **Next step:** I'll have a proposal with volume pricing to you by Thursday Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions in the meantime. Best, [Your name]
"Yep that works for me, see you at 2pm tomorrow"
That works for me—see you at 2pm tomorrow. Best, [Your name]
Contextli vs Other Gmail Voice Solutions
Contextli vs Gmail Voice Typing (Built-in)
| Feature | Contextli | Gmail Voice Typing (Built-in) |
|---|---|---|
| Email formatting | ✅ Auto greeting/sign-off | ❌ Raw text only |
| Paragraph structure | ✅ Automatic | ❌ Manual |
| Professional tone | ✅ Context-aware | ❌ Verbatim transcription |
| Punctuation | ✅ Smart punctuation | ⚠️ Basic only |
Gmail's built-in voice typing transcribes exactly what you say. Contextli transforms your speech into formatted, professional emails.
Contextli vs Gmail Smart Compose
| Feature | Contextli | Gmail Smart Compose |
|---|---|---|
| Full email composition | ✅ Complete emails | ❌ Suggestions only |
| Voice input | ✅ Primary input method | ❌ Typing required |
| Structure control | ✅ Multiple modes | ⚠️ Limited to suggestions |
| Custom templates | ✅ Create your own modes | ❌ AI-driven only |
Smart Compose offers typing suggestions. Contextli lets you speak entire emails with automatic professional formatting.
Why Use Contextli for Gmail?
Raw dictation in Gmail produces a wall of text without proper email structure. Contextli transforms your spoken thoughts into professionally formatted emails: opening greeting, clear paragraphs, and appropriate closing. You focus on the message; Contextli handles the formatting.
Gmail + Contextli: Common Questions
Does Contextli automatically fill in my signature?
Contextli inserts formatted text ending with a sign-off placeholder like "[Your name]". Your Gmail signature (if configured) will be added separately by Gmail. The sign-off text (Best, Regards, etc.) comes from Contextli based on the email's formality.
Can I change the greeting style?
Yes! Create custom modes with your preferred greeting style. For example, a "Casual Email" mode might use "Hey [Name]," while "Formal Request" uses "Dear Mr./Ms. [Name],". You can also say the greeting explicitly and Contextli will use it.
Does Contextli work with Gmail keyboard shortcuts?
Contextli works alongside Gmail shortcuts. A common workflow: press "c" to compose, activate Contextli to dictate the body, then use keyboard shortcuts to send. They complement each other.
How do I handle email addresses via voice?
For the To/CC fields, type email addresses or use Gmail's autocomplete. Contextli focuses on the email body. You can say email addresses in the body ("send it to john at company dot com") and Contextli will format appropriately.
Can I dictate emails in languages other than English?
Contextli currently supports English. For emails in other languages, you'd type them or use a language-specific dictation tool. Multi-language support is on the roadmap.
Gmail Integration Details
descriptionSupported Formats
- checkPlain text
- checkGmail rich text (bold, italic)
- checkBullet lists
- checkNumbered lists
- checkHyperlinks (when URL spoken)
lightbulbPro Tips
- Say "subject line [X]" at the start and Contextli will separate it
- Create modes for your common email types: sales follow-up, customer reply, internal update
- For recurring emails (weekly updates), create a mode with your standard structure
infoGood to Know
- arrow_rightCannot auto-fill To/CC/BCC fields
- arrow_rightAttachments must be added manually
- arrow_rightSubject line typed separately (or say "subject line: X" at start)
- arrow_rightCannot send emails automatically
devicesPlatform Support
Works in Gmail web, Gmail desktop app (via browser), and Google Workspace.
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