What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have Otter.ai set up to automatically transcribe your staff meetings and morning huddles — and generate a summary with action items, decisions made, and who owns what. Instead of taking notes during meetings or spending 45 minutes writing them up afterward, you'll have a searchable record of every meeting with accountability built in.
What you'll need
- Free Otter.ai account at otter.ai (free tier includes 300 minutes/month of transcription)
- A smartphone (iOS or Android) or laptop with a microphone
- Time needed: 20 minutes to set up; zero additional time per meeting
- Cost: Free (or $16.99/month for Otter.ai Pro for more features)
How-To Guide: Transcribe Staff Meetings with Otter.ai
Step 1: Create your free Otter.ai account
Go to otter.ai and click Sign Up Free. Create an account using your work email address (not your personal email, since you'll be sharing meeting notes with staff). Verify your email address.
What you should see: Your Otter.ai home screen with a large record button in the center and a list of recent transcripts (empty for now).