Live Meeting Transcription and Action-Item Extraction

1. Go to otter.ai in your browser.
2. Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or sign in with Google or Microsoft.
3. Complete the initial setup prompts, including your name and how you'll mainly use Otter (select something like "work meetings").

What you should see: A dashboard showing your conversation list, empty until your first recorded meeting.

This is what lets Otter automatically join scheduled calls without you doing anything manually each time.

1. From the dashboard, find the calendar connection option, usually under Settings or a prompt on first login.
2. Choose Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook, whichever you use for scheduling.
3. Sign in and grant Otter permission to view your calendar events.

What you should see: A confirmation that your calendar is connected, and upcoming meetings with a video link start appearing in Otter's view of your schedule. Troubleshooting: If your firm's IT policy restricts third-party calendar access, check with them before connecting a work calendar. A personal calendar used only for personal meetings is a lower-risk starting point if you're unsure.

OtterPilot is the bot that joins calls on your behalf.

1. In Settings, look for OtterPilot or meeting bot settings.
2. Confirm it's enabled for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet, whichever platform your client and internal calls use.
3. Set your preference for whether OtterPilot joins automatically for every calendar event with a video link, or only ones you approve.

What you should see: A toggle or list confirming which meeting platforms OtterPilot will join automatically.

Before OtterPilot joins any client or stakeholder meeting, tell the participants it will be there and why.

1. Add a line to your calendar invite or a message before the call: "I'll have an AI notetaker (Otter.ai) join to transcribe and summarize this meeting. Let me know if you'd prefer it not attend."
2. Wait for confirmation, especially on calls involving external clients, before letting OtterPilot join.

Troubleshooting: Some clients, especially in regulated or defense-related industries, have policies against third-party recording tools joining calls at all. Confirm this before your first call with a new client, not after.

1. Once consent is confirmed, join your meeting as usual on Zoom, Teams, or Meet.
2. OtterPilot joins automatically if it's on your calendar and enabled, appearing as a participant in the call.
3. Continue the meeting normally. A live transcript appears in Otter's app in real time, visible to you if you want to check it during the call.

What you should see: OtterPilot listed as a call participant, with speaker names appearing as the transcript builds live.

1. Once the call ends, go to your Otter dashboard and open the conversation.
2. Review the AI-generated summary, which typically includes key discussion points and a list of action items tagged to whoever committed to them.

What you should see: A structured summary above the full transcript, with action items called out separately, often with the speaker's name attached to each one.