Voice transcription in customer support usually means speech-to-text for a phone or voice call: an agent sees the customer’s words appear in the agent workspace while the call is underway, or reviews a transcript afterward. It does not necessarily put a transcript in the customer’s chat window. ServiceNow documents a live-call example in which the transcript appears in an agent chat panel and is not visible to the customer.
To use it well, choose the transcript workflow you need, confirm that your support and telephony setup supports it, configure when transcription runs, and establish notice, access, retention, and accuracy checks. The exact controls and prerequisites vary by product and release.
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What voice transcription does in a support workflow
Speech-to-text converts spoken words into text. In the agent-side call workflow covered here, the customer speaks over a voice connection and the support agent can follow a live transcript in the agent’s workspace. The transcript can help the agent track the issue, refer back to details, and document the interaction. It is an aid to the conversation, not a guarantee that every word has been recognized correctly.
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How to turn on voice transcription for support calls
There is no universal switch or set of menu labels that applies across support platforms. Use the following implementation sequence, then follow the current product-specific instructions for the exact settings available in your edition.
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Choose the transcript outcome
Decide whether agents need words on screen during a live call, a transcript saved to the interaction after the call, or both. Specify whether the workflow is for inbound calls, outbound calls, or both. Keep text messaging and voice-message transcription as separate requirements unless the platform explicitly documents them as part of the same configuration.
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Check the platform and telephony prerequisites
Confirm that the support product, telephony provider, plan or offering, service region, language, and recording or transcription settings are compatible. Microsoft’s call setup guidance applies to specified Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Contact Center offerings and discusses aligned service locations. Zendesk’s documentation says call transcription depends on recorded calls and supported language settings. Those examples are product-specific; they do not establish universal requirements for other systems.
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Choose when transcription starts
Where the platform supports it, decide whether calls are transcribed automatically or an agent starts transcription manually. Set the expected behavior for pause and resume, including whether transcription pauses when the customer is put on hold. Microsoft documents these as administrative options, but their availability and labels depend on the configured offering.
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Make the transcript usable in the agent workspace
Confirm where agents will see the text: alongside the live call controls, in an interaction panel, or on the resulting ticket. In ServiceNow’s documented example, a chat panel opens in the agent interaction and displays a real-time transcript. ServiceNow states that the customer cannot see that transcript. Check the actual deployed workflow rather than assuming a panel called “chat” is a customer-facing conversation.
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Set notice, consent, access, and retention rules
Determine what notice customers and other participants receive, when consent is required, who can view recordings and transcripts, how long the records are retained, and whether sensitive information needs redaction. Microsoft warns that applicable laws in some jurisdictions require consent for recorded communications and places compliance responsibility on the operator. Legal obligations depend on the participants and locations involved; this article is not legal advice. Zendesk documents PII and payment-card-data redaction options associated with an add-on, so do not assume redaction is included in every configuration.
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Test with representative calls
Run a pilot using the languages, accents, product terminology, speaking styles, background noise, interruptions, and connection quality agents encounter. Compare what was said with what appeared in the transcript. Have agents verify names, numbers, account details, dates, and commitments before relying on them. Zendesk identifies noise, overlapping speech, poor connections, dialects, quiet speech, and unfamiliar vocabulary as factors that can affect recognition.
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Evaluate whether the workflow helps
Review agent adoption, corrections, missed or misrecognized details, time spent documenting interactions, and whether the transcript helps resolve issues. These are practical pilot measures, not a published universal benchmark. A transcript with many errors or poor placement in the workspace may add work rather than reduce it.
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How platform examples differ
The following are documented examples, not a ranking or a claim that these are the only products with transcription. Their public documentation describes different parts of the workflow, so a blank or “not stated” item means the cited material does not establish that detail.
| Platform example | Documented workflow | Configuration or dependency established | Cost detail established |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceNow Customer Service Management | Live transcript in an agent interaction’s chat panel; it is not visible to the customer. | The cited ServiceNow documentation describes the workflow example; other prerequisites are not stated there. | Not stated in the cited ServiceNow documentation. |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Contact Center | Call transcription controls, including automatic or manual starts and pause/resume options; messaging configuration is documented separately. | Guidance applies to specified offerings and discusses aligned service locations. Exact availability depends on the offering and configuration. | Not stated in the cited Microsoft documentation. |
| Zendesk | Live call transcription connected to AI suggestions and call quality assurance in its documented workflow. | Recorded calls and supported language settings are required. Optional PII and payment-card-data redaction is associated with an add-on. | Zendesk says real-time transcription has additional costs; a current amount is not stated in the cited documentation. |
How accurate is call transcription in a noisy support environment?
Accuracy varies with the audio and the speech. Background noise, people talking over one another, a weak audio connection or network signal, dialects, quiet speech, and words or phrases absent from the recognition model can all affect the text. This matters especially when a transcript includes information that could change an account, payment, delivery, or support decision.
Zendesk’s Documentation Team FAQ says, “Today, the best speech-to-text algorithms are around 90% accurate.” Treat that as Zendesk’s broad vendor statement, not a guarantee for a particular product, language, call, or deployment and not an independently verified test. The same FAQ emphasizes that conditions affect accuracy. Zendesk also documents keyword boosting for selected terms in its workflow; this may help with specific vocabulary, but it does not remove the need to check consequential details.
- Ask the customer to repeat an unclear name, number, or instruction rather than silently accepting the transcript.
- Confirm important details aloud and correct the ticket or case record where needed.
- Include interruptions, accents, domain terminology, and imperfect audio in the pilot instead of testing only clean, single-speaker samples.
- Make clear to agents that the transcript is a fallible aid, not an authoritative record of what was said.
Privacy, consent, and transcript governance
A transcript is a record of a conversation, and it may contain personal, account, or payment information. Recording and transcription therefore need governance as well as technical setup.
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- Notice and consent: decide what participants are told and how required consent is obtained. Microsoft’s guidance says consent must comply with applicable laws for each participant before using its call-recording features. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and situation.
- Access: limit transcript and recording visibility to people who need it for support or an authorized business purpose.
- Retention: choose how long transcripts and related recordings remain available, and apply the organization’s deletion and record-management rules.
- Sensitive data: determine whether redaction is needed and verify that the chosen product configuration supports it. Zendesk documents optional PII and PCI redaction subject to an add-on; that does not establish that the feature is included by default.
Transcripts and accessibility are not automatically the same as captions
Text can make spoken information available to people who cannot hear or easily process speech, but a transcript does not automatically satisfy every accessibility requirement. W3C’s WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.2.4 requires captions for live audio in synchronized media at Level AA. W3C’s explanatory guidance distinguishes that case from two-way multimedia calls through a web app, which the criterion was not intended to cover in every instance. W3C separately describes a Level AAA criterion for a text alternative to live audio-only content.
Whether a particular support call or web-based service is covered depends on the actual service and applicable standard. Do not describe transcription alone as proof of accessibility compliance.
How to compare transcription options
Compare the actual deployed workflow, not just whether a product uses the word “transcription.” Establish these points before selecting or configuring a platform:
- Where text appears: live in the agent workspace, saved on the ticket, or somewhere else? Is it strictly agent-side, or is there a separate customer-visible feature?
- Calls and channels: does the setup cover the required inbound and outbound calls and telephony provider? Are voice and messaging configured separately?
- Language and quality: are the languages needed by your support team supported, and how does recognition perform with your customers’ accents, audio conditions, and terminology?
- Agent controls: can agents start, pause, and resume transcription? What happens on hold? Is it automatic, manual, or configurable?
- Governance: what access, retention, and redaction controls are available, and are any tied to an add-on?
- Cost and entitlement: what plan or offering includes the capability, and are there additional charges? Zendesk says real-time transcription has additional costs, but the cited documentation does not give a current amount. Confirm current licensing and charges with the vendor.
Features, language coverage, plan entitlements, and interface labels can change by product release, region, and configuration. The examples above establish representative workflows, not a universal product ranking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can support agents see a live transcript while they’re on a call?
Yes. ServiceNow documents a workflow in which a live transcript appears in a chat panel in the agent interaction.
Does the transcript appear in the customer’s chat?
Not in ServiceNow’s documented example: the real-time transcript is visible to the agent, not the customer. Other products and configurations may differ.
Do customers have to consent to call transcription?
The requirement depends on applicable law and the people and locations involved. Microsoft says consent must be obtained in a manner that complies with applicable laws before using its call-recording features.
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Does turning on call transcription also transcribe text messages?
Not necessarily. Microsoft documents voice and messaging transcript configuration separately, so confirm each channel’s setup independently.
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