If you spend a chunk of your day in meetings, you know how fast the details slip away. Chasing down action items, remembering who said what—it's a pain. AI transcription looks like magic, but there’s a lot of hype and half-baked tools out there. If you’re using Dialpad and want to actually use its AI-powered meeting transcription (not just turn it on and cross your fingers), here’s what you need to know—warts and all.
This guide is for anyone who wants reliable, automatic meeting notes in Dialpad. Maybe you’re a team lead sick of typing summaries, or just someone who forgets what was said five minutes ago. Either way, you’ll get the plain truth on setting it up, making it useful, and avoiding the usual headaches.
Step 1: Check If You Actually Have Access
First things first: not every Dialpad plan includes AI transcription. Here’s what to look out for.
- You need a paid plan. AI transcription is not available on the free tiers. Most business and enterprise plans include it, but double-check.
- Admin settings matter. If you’re not the admin, you might not even see the option. Ask your IT or admin to confirm the feature is enabled for your account.
- Regions and compliance. Some countries restrict call recording and transcription. If you’re in the EU, Canada, or anywhere with strict privacy laws, check your company policy (and local law).
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, log in to Dialpad, head to Settings > Meetings, and look for any mention of “AI Recaps” or “Transcription.” If you don’t see it, you probably need an upgrade or admin help.
Step 2: Enable AI Transcription in Dialpad
Assuming you’re on the right plan and have the proper permissions, here’s how to actually turn on Dialpad’s AI transcription:
- Log in to your Dialpad account via the web app or desktop app.
- Go to your Settings.
- Click your profile icon (usually top right).
- Select “Settings” from the dropdown.
- Scroll to the ‘AI Features’ or ‘Meetings’ section.
- The section name may change depending on the version, but look for anything about “AI Recap,” “Transcription,” or “Voice Intelligence.”
- Toggle on Meeting Transcription.
- You’ll see an option like “Transcribe meetings” or “Enable Voice Intelligence for meetings.” Flip the switch.
- You might see a privacy warning. Read it. If you’re in a sensitive industry, get legal sign-off.
- (Optional but smart) Set up consent notifications.
- Dialpad can automatically inform participants that the meeting is being transcribed. Enable this if you want to avoid awkward surprises or compliance headaches.
Reality check: The settings menu changes a lot between updates. If you’re lost, use the search bar in settings or hit up Dialpad support—don’t waste 30 minutes clicking around.
Step 3: Start a Meeting and Use Transcription
Once transcription is enabled, here’s how it works in the wild:
- Start or schedule a meeting in Dialpad.
- You can use the Dialpad app or send a calendar invite with a Dialpad link.
- Join the meeting as usual.
- Look for the “AI is transcribing” indicator.
- Usually, there’s a small banner or icon saying “Transcribing” or “Voice Intelligence active.”
- Get on with your meeting.
- You don’t need to do anything special. Dialpad will automatically capture the audio and start generating a transcript in real time.
- Wrap up your meeting.
- The transcript will keep running until you end the call.
What works well: - Multiple speakers: Dialpad tries to distinguish who’s talking, especially if they’re Dialpad users. It’s not always perfect, but it’s decent. - Real-time notes: You can see the transcript as the meeting happens, which is handy for clarifying what was just said. - Action items & highlights: Dialpad’s AI will automatically flag action items and key moments. Take these with a grain of salt—they’re helpful, but not gospel.
What doesn’t: - Heavy accents, crosstalk, or bad mics: The transcript gets messy fast if people talk over each other, use speakerphones, or have background noise. - External guests: If someone dials in from a phone (not the app), speaker identification often fails. - Privacy edge cases: If you’re talking about sensitive stuff, remember: everything is being recorded and transcribed, including offhand comments.
Step 4: Access and Use Your Meeting Notes
After the meeting, here’s how you actually use the transcript. This is where most people get stuck—don’t just let it rot in your inbox.
- Find your transcript.
- Go to your Dialpad dashboard.
- Click “Meetings” or “Recaps” in the sidebar.
- Open the meeting you want.
- Review the transcript.
- The transcript is usually ready within a few minutes.
- You’ll see time-stamped text, speaker labels, and flagged highlights.
- Edit the transcript (if you care about accuracy).
- Click to edit any section. Fix names, clean up misheard phrases, or delete embarrassing tangents.
- If you need a polished summary, you’ll have to do a quick pass—AI is good, but not perfect.
- Copy, download, or share.
- Export as a text file or copy/paste into your notes or project management tool.
- You can share a link with teammates. Be aware: anyone with the link may see the whole transcript.
Pro tip: Don’t rely on the “auto-summary” to capture the real substance. It’s a solid starting point, but if something’s critical, double-check the full transcript.
Step 5: Tweak Settings for Better Results
AI transcription in Dialpad is only as good as your setup. Here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Use good audio. Headsets beat speakerphones every time. Ask repeat offenders with bad mics to upgrade.
- Mute when not talking. Obvious, but it helps the AI separate speakers and cut down on noise.
- Name your meetings clearly. When scheduling, use descriptive titles. It makes finding transcripts later much easier.
- Review privacy settings. If you’re in healthcare, legal, or finance, check if you need to disable automatic recording for some meetings.
- Test with a small group first. Don’t roll it out company-wide until you’ve seen it in action.
What to ignore: Don’t get hung up on the “AI insights” or “sentiment analysis” unless you really care. They’re interesting, but they rarely drive real action. Focus on the transcript and action items.
Step 6: Troubleshooting Common Issues
No tool is perfect—and AI transcription is far from magic. Here’s how to handle the usual problems:
- Transcription didn’t start: Double-check if you enabled it for this meeting. Some settings only apply to new meetings.
- Nothing appears after the call: Sometimes transcripts are delayed. Wait 10-15 minutes, then refresh. If it’s still missing, contact support.
- Speaker labels are wrong: You can fix them manually in the transcript. Over time, Dialpad “learns” frequent speakers, but it’s not perfect.
- Transcription is inaccurate: Check your audio quality, and ask people to speak clearly. If it’s a recurring problem, try a test call with only one speaker to isolate the issue.
- Privacy complaints: Turn on participant notifications, and be upfront about recording. It’s better to over-communicate than risk a compliance headache.
Step 7: Best Practices for Real-World Use
Here’s what actually works (and what doesn’t) when you use Dialpad’s AI transcription every day:
- Don’t trust, verify. Always skim the transcript for errors before sharing with the team.
- Tag action items as you go. If you spot something important in the live transcript, flag or note it immediately.
- Limit sensitive conversations. For private or HR meetings, consider turning off transcription.
- Archive or delete old transcripts. Don’t leave sensitive info lying around—clean up your meeting history regularly.
Skip the hype: Fancy analytics and dashboards are nice, but the core value is having a searchable record of what was actually said. Keep it simple.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Dialpad’s AI transcription is a real time-saver when it works, but it’s not magic. Set it up, use it for a few meetings, and see how it fits your workflow. Don’t overthink the bells and whistles—focus on clear transcripts and actionable notes. As with anything AI, be ready to jump in and clean things up when needed. Iterate as you go, and you’ll save yourself a lot of typing—and probably a few headaches.