Automatically Transcribe and Summarize Your Calls with AI

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Every client call hides useful information: budgets, timelines, priorities, and next steps. Replaying recordings or scribbling notes steals hours from our week. We started using the platform's AI transcription and summary tools to stop hunting for details and start acting on them.

What this delivers for a growing business

We need clear, fast ways to capture what matters from conversations. The AI transcription and summary workflow gives us:

• Searchable records of every conversation so we find facts without replaying calls.
• Short, actionable summaries that highlight decisions and next steps for sales, support, and projects.
• Faster follow-up because the team receives concise notes automatically after each call.
• Consistent handoffs when different people manage the same account.
• Cleaner onboarding for new team members who can read key client history instead of attending long catch-ups.

How it works in plain terms

The setup is intentionally simple. We turned on call recording and transcription in our business software, then built an automation that converts transcripts into summaries and notifies the team.

Step-by-step setup

1. Enable recording and transcriptionIn settings, go to the phone or voice section and toggle on call recording and transcription. From that point on, every recorded call will produce a text transcript.
2. Create an automation workflowOpen automation and start a new workflow from scratch. Use a trigger that activates when a transcript is generated for any call.
3. Add an AI summary actionAdd an action that summarizes the transcript using the platform's AI. Map the action input to the newly generated transcript so summaries are tailored to each specific call.
4. Send the summary to your teamAdd an internal notification action. Use the AI summary as the message body and choose who receives the notification—individual owners, a team, or everyone. Give the notification a clear title, like "New Call Summary."
5. Publish and testSave and publish the workflow. Run a quick test call to make sure transcripts are generated, the AI summary is relevant, and notifications arrive where you want them.

Practical example: sales calls made easier

We run sales calls every day and used to spend time extracting three key things: budget, timeline, and goals. With the AI summary workflow:

• The transcript becomes searchable for phrases like "budget," "launch date," or "decision maker."
• The AI-generated summary highlights those three items up front so the closer can act without re-listening to the whole call.
• An internal notification sends the summary to the sales team with a clear next step, such as "Send proposal by Friday."

That simple change reduced manual note-writing and shortened our time from call to proposal.

Customization options to match how we work

The basic workflow covers most needs, but a few adjustments make the summaries far more useful:

• Summary length — Choose concise one-paragraph summaries or more detailed multi-paragraph notes depending on the call type.
• Summary prompts — Tell the AI what to focus on. For sales calls, prompt it to extract budget, timeline, decision maker, objections, and next steps. For support calls, ask for issue, affected systems, and resolution attempt.
• Notification routing — Send summaries to the conversation owner, a project channel, or a specific role such as account management.
• Tags and pipeline updates — Add tags or update deal stages automatically based on keywords in the transcript.
• Attach to records — Save transcripts and summaries to contact or project records so their history is centralized and always accessible.

Best practices we adopted

A few habits made the automation more reliable and valuable.

• Standardize call openings — Start calls by stating names, company, and purpose. This improves transcription accuracy and helps the AI identify context.
• Set clear summary prompts — Define what the summary must include for each call type so outputs are predictable and useful.
• Choose recipients carefully — Avoid spamming the whole company; send summaries to the people who need them most.
• Review and refine — Check initial summaries for accuracy and refine the prompt or workflow mapping accordingly.
• Keep a human review loop — Use the summary as the starting point and ask team members to confirm or add details when necessary.

Operational and legal considerations

Recording and transcribing calls introduces responsibilities. We handle this responsibly by following a few simple rules.

• Obtain consent — Tell participants the call will be recorded and transcribed. Where required, secure explicit approval before the call starts.
• Retention policy — Define how long transcripts and summaries are stored and who can access them.
• Data security — Restrict access to transcripts to roles that need them and use built-in security controls offered by the platform.
• Redaction options — When handling sensitive data, remove or redact personal information from transcripts before sharing widely.

Common use cases beyond sales

We discovered several other ways the transcription and summary workflow made daily work easier:

• Customer support — Quickly capture the issue, troubleshooting steps taken, and whether escalation is needed.
• Project check-ins — Summaries provide an at-a-glance status for busy stakeholders who cannot join every meeting.
• Client onboarding — New account owners can read past call summaries to understand client preferences and expectations.
• Legal and compliance — Maintaining searchable call records helps demonstrate communication history and decisions.

Implementation checklist for our team

Use this list to move from idea to daily habit.

1. Enable call recording and transcription in settings.
2. Create a workflow triggered by new transcripts.
3. Add an AI summary action and map it to the transcript content.
4. Set up internal notifications using the AI summary as the core message.
5. Decide who receives summaries and where summaries are stored.
6. Test with real calls and refine prompts.
7. Establish consent and retention rules for recordings and transcripts.

Pricing and what to expect

We chose a solution with transparent billing so our costs matched value. Look for:

• Clear pricing tiers with defined limits for transcription minutes and number of users.
• No hidden fees for basic automation features such as summaries and notifications.
• Trial period or demo availability so you can test transcription quality and workflows before committing.

Confirm what is included in your plan up front: transcription limits, AI summarization access, and automation capabilities. That clarity keeps budgeting predictable as call volume grows.

How we measure success

We track a few simple indicators to make sure the automation actually helps:

• Time saved — How many hours the team spends less on note-taking and call reviews.
• Follow-up speed — How quickly proposals, support tickets, or action items are completed after a call.
• Accuracy — How often summaries capture the right next steps and decision points on first pass.
• Adoption — Number of team members relying on summaries rather than replaying calls.

Real-world tips from our experience

• Start small. Enable transcription and send summaries to the account owner first. Expand recipients once outputs are reliable.
• Use role-based routing. Sales summaries go to sales, support summaries go to support, and project updates go to project leads.
• Train the team. Share short guidelines on how to interpret summaries and when to add manual notes.
• Keep it human. The AI summary is a time-saver, not a replacement for human judgement. Use it to speed decisions, not to eliminate checks where accuracy matters.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are the transcripts and summaries?

Accuracy depends on audio quality and clear speech. We improved accuracy by using good headsets, asking participants to state names at the start, and reducing background noise. Summaries are useful for capturing the main points, but we keep a quick human review step for critical calls.

Can we customize what the AI includes in summaries?

Yes. We tailor the summary prompt to the call type. For sales, we ask for budget, timeline, decision maker, and next steps. For support, we request the issue, impact, troubleshooting steps, and resolution status. Custom prompts make outputs predictable and actionable.

Who should receive the call summaries?

Send summaries to the people who will act on them. Typical recipients are the account owner, project manager, or a role-specific channel. Avoid sending every summary to everyone to prevent notification fatigue.

How do we handle privacy and consent?

We inform participants that calls may be recorded and transcribed. Where required, we request explicit consent. We also set retention rules and restrict transcript access to authorized team members.

Does this replace our CRM notes?

The summaries enhance CRM notes by providing automatic, consistent entries for every call. We still add detailed notes for complex deals or handoffs, but summaries reduce the need for routine write-ups.

What if the AI misses something important?

We use a quick review process. If a summary misses or misstates something critical, the assigned owner updates the contact record or notifies the team. Over time, refining prompts and improving audio quality reduces these issues.

Final thoughts and next steps

We treat AI transcription and summaries as practical tools that save time and reduce friction. The biggest gains come from consistent use: enabling recording, automating summaries, and routing the results to the right people.

If we were starting today, we would:

1. Turn on recording and transcription.
2. Build a simple workflow that summarizes transcripts and notifies the account owner.
3. Test with real calls and refine the summary prompts.
4. Expand routing and storage once summaries prove reliable.

Start small, keep the human review loop, and let the automation handle repeatable work so your team focuses on decisions and relationships.

Ready to simplify call follow-ups and capture every important detail? Enable transcription, set up a summary workflow, and see how much time your team regains.