Capture Site Visits and Client Calls with Otter.ai

1. Download the Otter.ai app from the App Store or Google Play
2. Open the app and sign in with your Google or email account
3. Grant microphone permissions when prompted. This is required for transcription
4. On the home screen, you'll see a large record button. Tap it once to test that it's working.

What you should see: The record button turns red and shows a live transcription of anything you say. The words appear on screen in real-time.

Troubleshooting: If the transcription doesn't appear, go to phone Settings → Privacy → Microphone → Otter → enable access.

1. When you arrive at a venue, open Otter.ai on your phone
2. Tap the red record button to start
3. Keep your phone in your hand or pocket with the screen on as you walk through the space
4. Narrate your observations aloud as you walk: "The main ballroom fits about 250 theater, the ceiling is approximately 18 feet, natural light from the east wall windows"
5. Ask the venue coordinator questions out loud. Their answers will be captured too
6. When done, tap Stop and title the recording: "Site Visit: [Venue Name]: [Date]"

What you should see: A full transcript appears within 30 seconds of stopping. Speaker labels identify different voices automatically.

For phone calls:

• In Otter.ai, tap the + icon → Import audio if you're using another app to record, OR
• Use the speakerphone on your call and hold Otter's recording at the same time

For in-person client meetings:

• Set your phone face-up in the center of the table
• Otter records and transcribes everyone's voice with speaker identification

1. After the recording, tap the transcript to open it
2. Review the auto-generated Summary (Otter extracts key points automatically)
3. Check the Action Items section. Otter identifies tasks automatically (e.g., "send catering menu by Friday")
4. Use the search bar to find specific words: type "capacity" to jump to every place capacity was mentioned

1. Tap Share → Export → choose Text or PDF
2. Send the export to yourself and paste the key section into your event file or project management tool
3. For client calls: paste the action items section into a follow-up email to the client as a call recap
4. For site visits: paste the venue observations into your venue comparison document