The horrors of “Sorry, what did we agree on?” still haunt many workplaces despite having so many tools to help solve the problem. It makes everyone scramble through emails or chat logs for details that should be at their fingertips. Although many meeting transcription companies, like Ditto Transcripts, offer a lifeline to these organizations by transcribing Webex Meetings, many are still drowning in their recordings.
The madness doesn’t stop there. Global teams wrestle with time zones and the ever-present challenge of keeping everyone on the same page. One missing detail from that recent Webex meeting and you’ll have minor understandings morphing into major headaches as it ripples through the entire project.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Webex’s built-in transcription tool can record meeting conversations automatically, but it’s not perfect.
- Getting clearer transcripts requires good meeting habits, like using quality microphones and explaining technical terms clearly.
- Professional human transcription services offer much higher accuracy than automated systems, though they cost more than using Webex’s free tool.
What Is Webex Meeting Transcription
Like regular transcription, Webex meeting transcription involves converting recorded conversations into written text. Aside from recording, transcripts are the next best thing to record every word exchanged during the webinar or Webex recording.
If you’ve ever had a colleague say “I’ll get back to you on that” during the Webex meeting and then conveniently develop selective amnesia, transcripts of the meeting will serve as an irrefutable record of what was discussed.
The system also supports multiple languages and distinguishes different speakers, though only to some degree. You can’t expect much from speech recognition or AI regarding these things, especially with accents. Human speech is just tremendously complicated.
Webex’s transcription feature is powered by speech recognition, which writes down the discussions and moments when someone forgets to unmute themselves. Sadly, it can’t transcribe the silent hand-waving or non-verbal cues that follow.
Benefits of Transcribing Webex Meetings
Transcribing your Webex meetings has many significant advantages.
| Benefit | Description |
| Information Accessibility | Team members can watch recordings when it works best for them, no matter their time zone or hearing needs. |
| Enhanced Accountability | Meeting or webinar notes show exactly what was decided and who agreed to do what. |
| Improved Documentation | Meeting recordings catch everything automatically, so you don’t miss anything important. |
| Searchable Archives | You can quickly find what you need from old meetings without watching the whole thing. |
| Better Focus | You can focus on the conversation since you don’t have to worry about writing everything down. |
| Knowledge Preservation | The recordings save important company knowledge that can help new team members learn. |
| Meeting Efficiency | People can look back at the recording when they need a reminder rather than scheduling another meeting to explain things again. |
| Compliance Support | Webex meetings and webinars provide a reliable record that meets compliance requirements. |
Steps to Transcribe a Webex Recording
Before transcribing your Webex meetings, you must properly configure the transcription settings. Here’s how you can do it and use transcription features:
Enabling Transcription for Your Entire Site
If you’re a site administrator, simply follow the steps to enable transcription for all users:
- Log into your Webex Site Administration portal
- Go to Common Site Settings > Options.
- Find the Site Options section and the transcription setting.s
- Then, toggle the “Create recording transcripts for all hosts’ MP4 recordings” to activate. That’s it.
- Optionally, you can also let hosts control their transcription preferences by activating the option under “Allow hosts to turn on recording transcripts in My Webex preferences.”
Setting Up Transcription for Individual Users
However, for organizations that prefer to manage transcription access on a per-user basis, here’s the way to do it:
- Access the Webex Site Administration portal – like the first one.
- Go to User Management > Edit User
- Use the search function to find the specific user.
- Click on the user’s name to access their settings.
- Under Privileges > General, select “Create recording transcripts for all of this user’s MP4 recordings.” Pretty simple, right?
Managing User Preferences
Of course, you can manage your transcription settings if you’re an individual user (not a site admin or something). Just follow these simple steps:
- Accessing Webex Preferences
- Go to the Recording section.
- Locate the option for “Create recording transcripts for all my MP4 recordings.”
- Then, enable or disable the setting based on your needs.
Also, transcription settings can be configured when creating a new user account. On the other hand, administrators can also allow transcription when setting up new accounts through the User Management > Add User section. Just a walk in the park.
The Pitfalls of Automated Webex Transcription
To help you produce usable transcripts, users must go through a gauntlet of quality assurance steps, making you question whether it’s worth it. Here are a few examples:
You Need To Speak One at a Time
Speaking over each other during virtual meetings is the perfect recipe for chaotic transcripts, especially when using automatic transcriptions like the ones from Webex, which AI powers.
Although AI technology has somehow reached a point where it can assist us with our day-to-day tasks, it still hasn’t mastered the art of untangling multiple speakers simultaneously. What if there were 3 team members excitedly sharing updates about a project at the same time? You’ll have to deal with a meeting transcript full of word salad.
There’s not much of a solution when you look at the technical side, but you can implement a clear turn-taking system in your meetings. The practice may hinder the natural flow of the meeting, but it can help improve accuracy with automatic transcription. You may also use virtual hand-raising to manage speaking turns. It’s not the best solution, but it’ll save hours of cleanup later.
You Need To Identify Yourself Before Speaking
Identifying yourself before speaking might seem a bit too formal. Still, it’s helpful when using Webex transcription since speech recognition can somehow distinguish different voices with this method.
However, don’t expect 100% accuracy, and participants might complain if they have to announce themselves every time they speak as though they’re talking to royalty.
We’ve tested several AI transcription providers and found that voice recognition gets muddled during fast-paced discussions, especially when participants share similar vocal patterns. Can you imagine the trouble of polishing the transcript afterward?
You Need To Clarify Technical Terms
Jargon and specialized vocabulary are some of the challenges of speech recognition, including Webex’s transcription feature. I’d say the system excels at recognizing common phrases or words, but it almost malfunctions with industry-specific terms.
In a business strategy meeting, for example. Terms like “EBITDA” or proprietary product names like CloudForce360 might be transcribed incorrectly or appear as fragmented text. Financial terms such as “YOY” might appear as “why oh why.”
It might be amusing in some cases. However, imagine submitting a formal transcript of your quarterly earnings report with the line, “We’ve increased our net income by 185%, why oh why.”
A More Reliable Way To Transcribe Your Webex Meetings
If that sounds like a lot just to transcribe a Webex meeting with acceptable accuracy, I agree.
So, why not let the professionals do the heavy lifting? You can focus on the more critical aspects of your tasks instead of sitting for hours trying to polish a jumbled transcript or managing the meeting participants just so the speech recognition system can identify them.
You won’t need to worry about that if you let Ditto Transcripts do the work for you. We’ve been around the block since 2010, so you can count on us for these projects.
Ditto’s Service Comes With The Following Perks:
- Accuracy: We guarantee 99% accuracy in every transcription project. All you have to do is focus on creating valuable recordings, and we’ll transcribe them flawlessly – the first time.
- Human Transcriptions: Our team isn’t filled with robots – though they’ve become pretty good at cleaning our floors. We have professional transcriptionists who understand accents, the subtlety of multiple speakers, and technical jargon. They’ll convert audio or video files into texts that reflect your conversation’s natural flow.
- Turnaround Time: We understand time is money, so we ensure to deliver your transcripts within the agreed-upon timeframe. It may take up to 24 hours, but you can also choose a shorter turnaround time. You can opt for a rush project or a standard one.
- Security: Audio or video recordings aren’t created equal; we understand that some may contain sensitive information. For that reason, Ditto Transcripts is HIPAA, CJIS, and FINRA compliant. You can sleep well at night, knowing your content is secured with us.
- Affordability: We acknowledge that official audio recordings can be highly valuable for organizations, and transcribing them can be costly. So, we offer high-quality transcription services that won’t break the bank. We have options to fit any budget without sacrificing a single bit of quality.
- 24/7 Customer Support: Humans run our customer service process—not chatbots. We take the time to understand your requirements and will gladly assist you with technicalities or answer any questions.
- Customizability: Our transcription services aren’t just about accuracy and meeting the client’s requirements. Do you need a verbatim transcript that captures every “um” and “uh”? Do you have a specified template? Or do you need a polished version for a blog post? We can modify the transcript to satisfy your needs and ensure you get exactly what you need to reach your goals.
Ditto Can Produce The Most Reliable Webex Meeting Transcripts
With 99% accuracy, don’t let crucial details slip away. At Ditto Transcripts, we provide professional Webex meeting transcription services that leading companies rely on. Our expertise delivers rapid turnaround on searchable transcripts you can reference for years.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.