# Telephone transcription

Read telephone speech as conversation messages during a call or after its recording is processed.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator, supervisor*

**Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers**

## What it is

Telephone transcription adds recognised speech to your voice conversation as readable messages. You can read text during a connected call or wait for a recording to be processed. Telephone transcription and audio recording have separate controls.

## Who uses it and why

- Operators read the conversation while handling a telephone call.
- Supervisors review saved text alongside the call history.
- Administrators with the **Settings** role choose transcription options for each telephone number.

## Where to find it

With the **Settings** role, open **Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers**, edit the number and open **Number Setup**. Read the resulting text in the telephone conversation and its history.

## How it works

1. A connected call starts real-time transcription when it is enabled for the number.
2. INSIDE adds completed speech results as conversation messages, with the speaker's name where it can identify the participant. Repeated recent results are filtered to reduce duplicates.
3. Live transcription requires an active operator in the call. It does not transcribe the voicemail flow through this route.
4. With recording transcription enabled, completed recordings can supply text after processing. For ordinary calls, INSIDE does not request a second recording transcript when real-time transcription is enabled.

Real-time text appears for operators without sending the text back to the telephone caller. Speech activity and completed text are separate, so speech does not necessarily produce an immediate saved message.

## Configure it

Use the **Settings** role to edit the number. Enable **Enable Real Time Transcription**, **Enable Recording Transcription**, or both as needed. For recording transcription, also enable **Enable Call Recording** where appropriate.

Choose **Language** and supply **Service SID** when the editor requires it. Ask Powerfront to arrange the provider transcription service if it has not been set up.

If consultation or paused recording must also stop live text, enable the relevant suppression options. Enable **Allow 3rd party caller transcript** only when you want external participants included. This option is available with real-time transcription.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Real Time Transcription | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Off | Settings role | Adds recognised speech to the conversation during connected calls using this number. |
| Enable Recording Transcription | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Off | Settings role | Converts completed call or voicemail recordings to text. Live telephone calls use the real-time transcript instead when both transcription options are enabled. |
| Disable Transcription on Hold | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Off | Settings role | Suppresses real-time transcription for all participants while the visitor is on hold. |
| Disable Transcription when Recording Paused | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Off | Settings role | Suppresses real-time transcription for all participants while an active participant's recording is paused. |
| Allow 3rd party caller transcript | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Off | Settings role | Includes external telephone participants in real-time transcription. INSIDE operators do not need this option. |
| Language | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | US English | Settings role | Selects the number's speech language. Real-time transcription uses US English when no language is selected. |
| Service SID | Settings › Voice › Voice Numbers › Number Setup | channel | Not set | Settings role | Identifies the provider service used for recording and transcription. No service is preselected; the editor requires a value when recording or either transcription option is enabled. Ask Powerfront for the appropriate value. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Change transcription options on telephone numbers. |
| Voice | Handle telephone conversations in the voice console. |

## Limits and good to know

- Transcription is configured per number, so changing one number does not enable every number.
- Holding the visitor suppresses all participants' live text only when **Disable Transcription on Hold** is on.
- Pausing recording does not automatically stop transcription. Turn on **Disable Transcription when Recording Paused** for that behaviour.
- Language and provider support affect whether text is available. The number editor warns when transcription is unavailable for the selected language.
- Processing a recording can finish after the call has ended. Removing audio does not establish that its saved text has also been removed.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Voice provider accounts and telephone numbers](RTC-001.md): Transcription uses the telephone number's enabled voice account and number options.
- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): Operator roles control voice handling and access to number configuration.
- **Works better with** [AI conversation summaries](AI-009.md): Telephone transcript messages can supply context for configured conversation summaries.
- **Works better with** [Voicemail messages and follow-up](RTC-010.md): Recording transcription can also supply voicemail text.
- **Works better with** [Call recording](RTC-013.md): Post-recording transcription needs a recording; live transcription can operate separately.
- **Related** [Conversation history and search](CHAT-024.md): Saved telephone transcripts can be read in conversation history.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [Voice provider accounts and telephone numbers](RTC-001.md): Number settings also control telephone transcription.
- **Enhances** [Voicemail messages and follow-up](RTC-010.md): Recording transcription adds text to the conversation when enabled and returned by the provider.
- **Enhances** [Call recording](RTC-013.md): Optional telephone transcription adds readable text alongside recorded audio.
- **Related** [Voice Autopilot call handling](AI-013.md): Voice Autopilot has separate transcription settings from telephone and recording transcription.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why is no live text appearing?

Check **Enable Real Time Transcription** on the number used, the selected language and provider setup. The call also needs an active operator and speech results from the provider.

### Why did text stop while the visitor was on hold?

**Disable Transcription on Hold** suppresses all participants' live text while the visitor is held.

### Why does text continue when I pause recording?

Recording and transcription are separate. Check **Disable Transcription when Recording Paused** on the number.

### Why is an external participant missing from the text?

Check **Allow 3rd party caller transcript**. External participants are excluded by default; INSIDE operators are handled separately.

### Why did I not receive a second transcript after the call?

When real-time transcription is enabled, the ordinary call-recording flow does not generate another transcript of the same call.