Glossary
Call transcript
What a call transcript is, and how it differs from a recording of the same call.
Updated
Call transcript: A call transcript is the text of a phone call, turned from speech into words by software while the call happens or afterwards. It differs from a recording, which keeps the audio: a transcript keeps only the words, and each is a separate thing to set up and to store. A summary is shorter again, a few lines drawn from the transcript that say who called and what happens next. An AI receptionist like ours transcribes a call as it goes, because the model behind it answers the caller's words as text.
Where it shows up
Transcripts show up in phone systems that turn voicemail into text and in AI tools that answer or review calls. AI call review starts from them: each recorded call becomes text, then is checked against the business's own list of what a good call includes.
In the receptionist we build, the voice platform keeps the text of each call it takes in the phone account in your name, so you can read it back, while recording the audio of the conversation is a separate setting, off until you turn it on with a notice your lawyer has read. A voicemail left when the receptionist cannot take the call is kept as audio either way. The written plan lists each of these for your lawyer to settle before launch.
Related terms
- Two-party consentWhat two-party consent means for recording a phone call in California, and where it comes up when a business hands calls to AI.
- Human handoffWhat a human handoff is, and what should happen when a caller or a chat visitor asks an AI for a person.
- CRMWhat a CRM is, and when a small business needs a custom one instead of an off-the-shelf product.
- Every term in the glossary
Start with a written plan
Tell us about the business and what you need. We reply with questions, then a written plan that lists the work and its price, and nothing starts until you have read it.