Call transcription is the process of turning a phone or video call into written text. These calls are often full of valuable information, with an accurate written transcript making it easy to find data for reference. In business settings such as customer support, call transcription is also helpful for training and compliance.

Instead of hand-transcribing every phone call, many teams now use AI-powered speech to text transcription to automate the process. In this article, we’ll break down how call transcription works, why it’s important, and how to transcribe your calls automatically using AI.

Summary

Call transcription is when a phone call or video call is converted into a written text file for future reference.
In most cases, call transcription happens automatically using an AI model.
Businesses use call transcription for a variety of purposes, including internal records, quality assurance, and compliance.
You can transcribe call audio after it’s been recorded, or use a streaming model to transcribe the audio in real time.
The legality of transcribing a phone call depends on your location. Some jurisdictions allow recording with one party’s consent, while others require all parties present to consent.

What is call transcription?

Call transcription involves converting a phone call or video call into a written text format. The call transcription provides a record of exactly what was said and when. With a written transcript, you can review the call later without having to listen to the entire audio file.

This process is usually done with automated call transcription software, although it can also be done manually. With automated transcription software, the process happens in real time during the call or shortly after the call ends.

How call transcription works

Call transcription is a multi-step process.

Here’s what it looks like in practice:

Step 1: Capture audio. The transcription system either records the audio for later batch transcription or streams it for live transcription.
Step 2: Process audio with speech to text. The transcription model uses an AI model to turn the spoken conversation into text.
Step 3: Format the text. The transcription model formats the text with timestamps and speaker labels, so readers know who said what and when it happened. The transcript may also use audio tagging for non-verbal sounds.
Step 4: Deliver the text. The AI model delivers the final transcript to the user, who can edit it according to their preferences and save it for future use. Some AI models integrate with CRMs and log call transcripts directly in the relevant client profile.

Across these steps, you’ll end up with a final transcript that is searchable and serves as a digital record of a conversation. Especially if companies want a living corpus of records that they can feed into AI tools to get recommendations or insights at scale, having these call transcripts is invaluable.

A typical call transcription pipeline

In a business setting, the steps above usually sit inside a larger pipeline:

Capture: Record the call from your phone system, contact center platform, or meeting tool.
Speech to text: Send the audio to a speech to text model.
Speaker diarization: Detect each speaker and label them.
Formatting: Add timestamps, punctuation, and audio tags.
Delivery: Store the transcript or send it to your CRM or analytics tools.

If you build voice AI agents with ElevenAgents, call transcripts are saved with each conversation. You’ll be able to review them at scale without having to build out the entire pipeline yourself.

Example of a call transcript

Here’s a quick call transcript example to demonstrate what post-recording transcription will produce.

A formatted call transcript shows who spoke and when:

[00:00:02] Agent: Thanks for calling Acme Support. How can I help?

[00:00:05] Caller: Hi, I’d like to check the status of my order.

[00:00:09] Agent: Of course. Can I have your order number?

[00:00:12] Caller: Yes, it’s 48213.

Timestamps and speaker labels make it easy to search a transcript and jump to the right moment in the audio.

Why teams use phone call transcription

Call transcription creates a record of the phone and video calls that happen within an organization, which prevents important information from getting lost.

Here are a few of the ways that businesses use phone transcription in their operations.

Searchable call records

Many organizations put their call transcripts into an internal database. Team members can search for specific pieces of information from previous calls, rather than having to review entire transcripts manually.

Quality assurance and team coaching

Sales and customer service teams often use call transcripts to improve their performance. Managers will review transcripts to make sure associates are meeting expectations and find opportunities for improvement.

Compliance documentation

Organizations that are subject to strict compliance standards, such as HIPAA, GDPR, or SEC regulations, often use call transcripts to prove they are meeting these requirements when interacting with clients and business partners. These transcripts help protect the organization in the event of an audit.

CRM logging

Many organizations integrate call transcription tools with their CRM. After a call with a client, the transcript goes directly to that client’s digital profile.

These transcripts eliminate the need for manual note-taking during calls. It also ensures that all team members have access to the same client information, even if they weren’t on the original call. This helps organizations provide a more personalized, responsive customer experience.

Call recording and transcription: What is the difference?

Recording captures the audio from a phone or video call, while transcription converts that audio file into a text file. Real-time transcription models can also convert an audio live stream into text without a pre-recorded file.

Call recording and call transcription are two separate processes, although many teams use them together. Both create a record of what happened on a call so you can revisit the information later.

However, you can also use these two processes individually. If you just need an audio file, you can record a call without transcribing it. You can also transcribe existing audio files in your library, even if they were recorded a long time ago.

How to transcribe a phone call with automatic transcription

To transcribe a phone or video call with automatic transcription, send the audio from the call to a speech to text API, such as ElevenLabs Scribe v2. The API will convert the audio into a formatted transcript with timestamps and speaker labels.

Once the transcript is ready, you can download and export it in your preferred file format. ElevenLabs supports a variety of options, including plain text, HTML, PDF, DOCX, JSON, SRT, and VTT. You can also use the speech to text API to send your transcripts directly to other programs in your tech stack.

You have two options for automatic call transcription: transcribing an audio recording after it’s finished, or transcribing an audio live stream as it’s happening. The right choice for your team will depend on your priorities and how you’re using your call recordings.

Transcribing finished audio recordings is the more cost-effective option, so it works well if your team needs to transcribe dozens of calls each week. It’s also more accurate, making it a better choice for high-stakes meetings or compliance documentation.

If speed is a top priority, use a real-time model with server-side streaming instead. Real-time models provide instant meeting notes you can reference right after the call.

Real-time transcription also makes calls more accessible and easier to follow. If a participant is a non-native speaker or is hard of hearing, they can reference the transcript as the call is happening for support.

How to transcribe a phone call without code

While building a call transcription pipeline with a STT API is great for working at scale, you don’t necessarily need a developer to transcribe a call.

Record the call with your phone system or a call recording app, upload the audio file to a speech to text tool such as ElevenCreative Speech to Text, and download the transcript. Some tools can also transcribe live, so you can follow along as the call happens. Built-in phone transcription features vary by device and region, so check what your phone offers.

How to choose call transcription software

Your call transcription software plays an essential role in your business’s record-keeping workflows. It’s important to choose one you can rely on for accurate results.

Call transcription software generally falls into three types:

Consumer apps: Simple tools for occasional personal calls or uploaded recordings.
Contact center platforms: All-in-one phone systems with transcription built in, best for teams that run all their calls on one platform.
Speech to text APIs: Flexible models you connect to your own tools, best for teams that need accuracy and custom workflows.

Most business teams choose between the last two, depending on how much control they need. Here’s what to consider when choosing a call transcription software for your business.

Accuracy on phone audio

Many transcription models accurately transcribe audio captured in a studio with a professional microphone, but struggle to process audio captured on a phone or video call. When transcribing calls, you need an AI model with consistently high accuracy rates, even when audio quality isn’t perfect.

You’ll also need a model that accurately processes a wide range of accents and dialects. With the current integrated global economy, your team will likely be meeting with clients and colleagues from around the world, and you need clear, accurate transcripts for every meeting. If your company operates internationally, you will need a platform that supports multiple languages.

Speaker separation and labeling

Accurate speaker labeling is essential when transcribing calls. When choosing an AI transcription tool, opt for a platform that consistently and accurately separates speakers, even when their voices sound similar.

Behind the scenes, this is called speaker diarization: the process of detecting who is speaking and when, and labeling each speaker in the transcript. On phone calls, diarization is what lets you tell the agent from the customer. Learn more in our guide to speaker diarization.

The transcript should also contain accurate timestamps for each speaker. Timestamps make it easy to find specific moments in the transcript later.

Integration with existing tech stack

Look for a platform that integrates with the software programs you’re already using, so you don’t have to manually transfer transcripts from one system to another. For example, you might want to send transcripts directly to your CRM or your help desk software for future reference.

While some transcription platforms may come with pre-built integration options, an API offers more flexibility. An API helps you connect your software platforms in a way that mirrors your existing workflows.

Strong compliance standards

Your transcription platform should meet compliance standards for your industry and region. This is particularly important if your calls often contain sensitive healthcare data, financial information, or personal details.

Look for a platform that meets modern cybersecurity and privacy standards, such as SOC-2 Type II. A strong compliance program ensures that your transcripts are kept private and safe from third party threat actors.

Is phone call transcription legal? Consent, privacy, and retention

The legality of phone call transcription depends on privacy laws in your jurisdiction and the callers’ jurisdictions. Some states and countries require just one party to consent to the recording, while others require all parties to consent.

In jurisdictions with a one-party consent law, any active participant in a conversation can record and transcribe it, without obtaining explicit consent from the other participants. In jurisdictions with an all-party consent law, everyone on the call must be notified and give permission before the recording starts.

If a call is taking place across multiple jurisdictions, callers should adhere to the stricter all-party consent law. The easiest way to do this is notify all participants of the recording and transcription at the beginning of the call. Continued participation in the call is generally treated as implied consent.

Retaining call transcripts is generally legal as long as the recording itself was legal. However, some privacy laws, such as GDPR or CCPA, may limit how long you can keep recordings if they contain sensitive consumer data. Some regulations may also require you to anonymize recordings that contain this information.

If your organization transcribes calls regularly, it may be helpful to consult with a privacy lawyer to develop a consent strategy based on your local laws and operations. This is intended as general commentary and not legal advice.

Get started with ElevenAPI for customer call transcription

Automatic call transcription ensures your team has a record of every conversation to support your customer service, quality assurance, and compliance strategies.

With ElevenAPI, you can incorporate ElevenLabs Scribe v2 or Scribe v2 Realtime models into your day-to-day workflows, so you always have the transcriptions you need. Transcribe in over 90 languages with approximately 150ms latency,* and use features like audio tagging and keyterm prompting for highly accurate results.

Get started with ElevenAPI today for high-quality call transcriptions or upload your files to ElevenCreative STT for an instant transcript.

*Refers to model inference time only. Actual end-to-end latency will vary with factors such as your location and endpoint type used.