Transcription Tools Overview

Once you have a meeting recording, the next step is transcription—converting speech to text. This text becomes the input for AI summarization and action item extraction. The quality of your transcription directly impacts the quality of your meeting notes.

Why Transcription Quality Matters

A transcription error doesn't just produce typos—it can change meaning entirely:

• "We need to increase the budget" vs. "We need to decrease the budget"
• "John will handle the client call" vs. "Don will handle the client call"
• "The deadline is June 15th" vs. "The deadline is June 16th"

Better transcription tools catch these nuances through:

• Contextual understanding of business terminology
• Speaker identification (diarization)
• Punctuation and formatting
• Handling of accents and speaking styles

Categories of Transcription Tools

Built-in Platform Transcription

Most meeting platforms now include transcription:

Zoom

• Included with Pro plans and above
• Live transcription during meetings
• Post-meeting transcript in .vtt format
• Quality: Good for clear audio, struggles with accents and crosstalk

Microsoft Teams

• Included with most Microsoft 365 business plans
• Live captions and post-meeting transcripts
• Speaker attribution based on Teams profiles
• Quality: Strong for English, improving for other languages

Google Meet

• Requires Workspace subscription
• Transcripts saved to Google Docs
• Supports multiple languages
• Quality: Good baseline, best for native English speakers

Pros: No additional cost, automatic, integrated with meeting platform Cons: Variable quality, limited editing, basic formatting

Dedicated Transcription Services

These tools specialize in accurate transcription:

Otter.ai

• Real-time transcription with live collaboration
• Integrates with Zoom, Teams, Meet
• AI-powered summaries and action items
• Free tier: 300 minutes/month
• Pro: $16.99/month for 1,200 minutes

Rev

• AI transcription: $0.25/minute
• Human transcription: $1.50/minute
• 99% accuracy guarantee on human transcription
• Best for: Legal, medical, or high-stakes meetings

Trint

• AI transcription with powerful editing interface
• Multi-language support (31+ languages)
• Collaboration features for teams
• Pricing: From $52/month

Descript

• Transcription with audio/video editing
• "Overdub" feature for corrections
• Filler word removal
• Pricing: From $15/month

AI Assistant Integration

Some AI tools can transcribe directly:

ChatGPT (Plus/Team)

• Upload audio files directly
• Transcribes and summarizes in one step
• Best for: Quick processing of short recordings
• Limitation: File size limits, no speaker diarization

Claude

• Cannot process audio files directly
• Requires pre-transcribed text
• Best for: Summarizing and analyzing existing transcripts

Feature Comparison

Feature	Platform Built-in	Otter.ai	Rev AI	Descript
Real-time transcription	Yes	Yes	No	No
Speaker identification	Basic	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom vocabulary	Limited	Yes	Yes	Yes
Editing interface	Basic	Good	Basic	Excellent
Multi-language	Varies	Limited	Yes	Yes
API access	Varies	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price (per hour)	Included	~$1-2	$15 (AI) / $90 (human)	~$2-3

Choosing the Right Tool

For Individuals

Budget-conscious: Use platform built-in transcription, then clean up with AI Quality-focused: Otter.ai free tier for most meetings, Rev human for critical ones Content creators: Descript for combined transcription and editing

For Teams

Microsoft shops: Teams transcription + Copilot for summaries Mixed platforms: Otter.ai for consistent experience across Zoom/Teams/Meet Enterprise: Rev or dedicated solutions with compliance features

For Specific Needs

Need	Recommended Tool
Legal/compliance	Rev human transcription
Multiple languages	Trint or Rev
Real-time collaboration	Otter.ai
Audio/video editing	Descript
Maximum automation	Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai

Improving Transcription Accuracy

Regardless of tool, these practices improve results:

Before the Meeting

1. Add custom vocabulary - Company names, product names, acronyms
2. Share speaker names - Helps with speaker identification
3. Test audio setup - Verify microphone quality

During the Meeting

1. Speak clearly - Enunciate, especially for names and numbers
2. Avoid interruptions - Overlapping speech confuses transcription
3. Identify yourself - "This is Sarah—I think we should..."
4. Spell out important terms - "The client is ACME, A-C-M-E"

After the Meeting

1. Review critical sections - Spot-check decisions and numbers
2. Correct speaker labels - Fix misattributed statements
3. Add punctuation - Some tools need manual paragraph breaks
4. Export in useful format - Plain text usually works best for AI

Workflow Integration

Basic Workflow

1. Meeting platform records automatically
2. Built-in transcription generates initial text
3. Copy transcript to ChatGPT/Claude for summarization
4. Review and distribute notes

Advanced Workflow

1. Otter.ai joins meeting as participant
2. Real-time transcription with highlights
3. AI summary generated automatically
4. Integrates with Slack/email for distribution
5. Searchable archive for future reference

Enterprise Workflow

1. All meetings recorded per company policy
2. Dedicated transcription service processes recordings
3. Transcripts stored in compliant system
4. AI analysis with audit trail
5. Integration with project management tools

Cost Optimization

Transcription costs can add up. Strategies to manage:

Strategy	Savings	Trade-off
Use platform built-in	100%	Lower accuracy
Otter.ai free tier	100% for 300 min/mo	Limited features
Record audio only	~50% of processing costs	Lose video context
Batch processing	10-20%	Delayed availability
Annual billing	15-30%	Upfront commitment

Key Takeaways

• Transcription quality directly impacts the usefulness of AI-generated meeting notes
• Built-in platform transcription works for basic needs; dedicated tools offer better accuracy
• Speaker identification (diarization) is crucial for extracting action items
• The right tool depends on your volume, budget, and accuracy requirements
• Improving audio quality and speaking practices is often more effective than switching tools
• Consider the full workflow—how transcripts will flow to summarization and distribution