What you'll accomplish
You'll use Otter.ai to automatically transcribe, summarize, and extract action items from every meeting you run — with the added benefit of a live transcript that appears on screen while the meeting is in progress. Unlike tools that only deliver summaries after the call, Otter shows you real-time transcription as people talk, so you can catch missed names, check what someone just said, and see action items suggested live.
What you'll need
- An Otter.ai account (Free plan: 600 minutes/month; Pro at $16.99/user/month for 6,000 minutes and advanced features)
- A Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams account for meeting recording
- Your organization's approval to record meetings — confirm client meeting policy before using on client calls
- Time needed: 15 minutes to set up; meeting transcription is fully automatic after that
- Cost: Free (600 min/month) or Pro ($16.99/mo billed monthly, $8.33/mo billed annually)
How-To Guide: Real-Time Meeting Transcription and Smart Summaries with Otter.ai
Step 1: Create Your Otter.ai Account
Go to otter.ai and click Try for free. Sign up with your Google account, Microsoft account, or work email.
Otter will ask you to confirm your primary use case — select Meetings or Work to get the most relevant onboarding flow.
What you should see: Your Otter dashboard, which shows a list of recent conversations and options to record a new meeting.
Troubleshooting: If you're in a regulated industry (healthcare, finance, legal), check whether your firm has an enterprise Otter agreement with data residency controls before signing up on a personal account.