Call transcriptions convert your recorded calls into searchable text, and call summaries are shorter overviews derived from the transcript. This page shows how to turn them on, how the two compare, how calls in more than one language are transcribed, and how to spot keywords and phrases in calls.

Turn on transcriptions and summaries

Call transcriptions convert your recorded calls into searchable text. They make it easier to review conversations, identify patterns, assess agent performance, and extract marketing insights.

Warning

A workflow only runs on calls that arrive after you enable it, so earlier calls aren’t transcribed. To transcribe a past call, use the User Updates Property pattern described in Re-run an action on a single past call. For many past calls, contact Nimbata support: the team can re-run a workflow over up to the last 7 days.

  1. Create a new workflow

    • Go to Workflows in the left-hand menu.
    • Click + Create.
    • Select From Scratch.

  2. Add the Transcribe Call action

    • In the Workflow Builder, confirm the trigger is set to Inbound Call > Call Ends.
    • Click + and select Perform action > Transcribe Call.
    • Accept the consent prompt when it appears.

    Tip

    Want summaries too? Click + again and add Perform action > Summarize Call. Both actions can run in the same workflow.

    Select task✕
    • Transcribe Call1
    • Update Field
    • Tags
    • Action Plan
    • Coaching
    • Notes
    • Rating
    • Smart Follow-Up
    • Value
    • Perform an action
    • Summarize Call
    • Add to Spam Filter
    • Integrations
    • Email AlertsHave calls, form submissions, and SMS delivered straight to your inbox.edit configuration
    • Google AdsDiscover which campaigns, ads, and keywords produce high-value conversions.edit configuration
    • SlackRoute phone leads directly to Slack. Respond instantly and collaborate in real time.edit configuration
    • HubSpotCreate contacts or update existing ones automatically when your phone rings.Missing configurationset up
    The Select task panel: Transcribe Call (1) is at the top. Summarize Call is under Perform an action.

  3. Enable the workflow

    • Confirm both actions are visible in the builder.
    • Click Enable in the top-right corner.
    New workflowWorkflow is valid.
    Enable1
    Trigger Enrollment
    Inbound CallOutbound CallForm SubmissionSMS Received
    A customer calls your tracking number
    Fires whenCall StartsCall EndsUser Updates Property
    Transcribe Call✕
    Language:Tracking number country
    Action group1
    Summarize Call✕
    Add another action
    Finish
    Transcribe Call and Summarize Call are in place. Click Enable (1).

🎉 Transcriptions and summaries are now generated automatically for all future inbound calls.

Detailed guide: Play and download recordings
Detailed guide: Set up AI call analysis

Transcripts and summaries compared

A transcribed call can have two ways to review what was said: a transcript, from the Transcribe Call action, and a summary, from a separate Summarize Call action in the same workflow. They serve different purposes.

  • Call transcripts are the full text of the conversation, word for word.
  • Call summaries are shorter overviews derived from the transcript.
  • Both let you understand calls without replaying the audio.

Warning

Transcripts and summaries are generated only by a workflow with those actions, and only for calls after it is enabled. Transcribing a call doesn’t summarize it: add Summarize Call too. See: Turn on transcriptions and summaries.

Call transcripts

A call transcript is the full written version of a conversation. Nimbata converts the spoken words from the call recording into readable text.

Use transcripts when you need:

  • The complete wording of a conversation
  • To perform a deep review or audit
  • To search for specific words or phrases

Tip

Transcripts are generated directly from the call audio recording.

You can access transcripts from Activity > Calls by opening any call’s details.

Call summaries

A call summary is a brief overview generated from the full transcript. It highlights the key points of the conversation.

Use summaries when you need:

  • A quick read of what happened without reviewing the full transcript
  • To scan large volumes of calls efficiently
  • A high-level view of intent, outcome, or follow-up required

Tip

Summaries are derived from transcripts, which in turn come from the audio recording.

You can access summaries from Activity > Calls by opening any call’s details.

When to use each

Use transcripts when you need exact wording, want to audit a call, or are searching for specific language. Use summaries when you just need to understand what happened without reading every line.

Detailed guide: Turn on transcriptions and summaries
Detailed guide: Play and download recordings
Detailed guide: Set up AI call analysis

Calls in more than one language

Nimbata’s transcription engine processes the audio of a call and converts it to text. When a single call contains more than one language, there are a few things worth understanding about how that is handled.

Language detection

Nimbata transcribes each call in one language, set in the Language field of the Transcribe Call action. The default, Tracking number country, uses the language of the tracking number’s country (outbound workflows default to Destination number country, and don’t offer Tracking number country). You can also choose Destination number country, Caller number country, or Specify to pick a language from a list.

That language is used for the entire transcription.

What happens when languages switch mid-call

If the conversation switches languages partway through, for example starting in English and moving to Spanish, the transcription engine continues applying the chosen language to the rest of the audio. This means that sections spoken in a different language may be transcribed inaccurately or appear as garbled text, because the engine is attempting to interpret sounds using the wrong language model.

The result is a transcript that is reliable for the dominant language and unreliable for any secondary language segments.

What this means in practice

  • The overall transcript is most accurate when a single language is spoken throughout.
  • Short phrases or single words in another language are often handled reasonably well.
  • Extended segments in a different language will likely produce low-quality transcription output for those portions.
  • AI summaries and keyword spotting derived from the transcript reflect the same limitations; accuracy drops for content that was not correctly transcribed.

Recommendations

If your calls regularly involve two languages, consider the following:

  • Review transcripts manually for calls where a language switch is likely, particularly before using the transcript for coaching, compliance, or reporting.
  • Use the AI summary as a cross-check: if the summary seems inconsistent with what you know the call covered, the transcript may have degraded in a multi-language segment.
  • Keyword spotting rules work best when configured for the primary language of the call.

Detailed guide: Turn on transcriptions and summaries
Detailed guide: Set up AI call analysis
Detailed guide: Keyword and phrase spotting

Keyword and phrase spotting

Keyword and phrase spotting lets Nimbata detect specific words or phrases spoken during a call and trigger workflow actions when they appear. This turns conversation content into a conversion signal, for example sending a Google Ads conversion only when a caller mentions a booking or a price.

Tip

This setup requires changes to both a Call Flow and a Workflow. Complete both parts for spotting to work correctly.

Call flow setup

  1. Open or create a call flow

  2. Select From Scratch

    • In the Create a New Call Flow menu, select From Scratch.

  3. Add a Record action

    • Click the + plus sign at the start of the call flow.
    • Select Record from the add-ons menu.

    Recording is required for transcription, which is required for keyword spotting.

    Select a call-flow action✕

    Enhance the call experience with call add-ons and features

    • Add-ons
    • Mask Caller ID
    • Record1
    • Greeting
    • Whisper
    • Call Survey
    • Filters
    • Caller ID Prefix
    • Keypad Entry
    • Day of Week
    • Time of Day
    • Routing Options
    • Dial
    • Multiple
    • Sequential
    • Weighted
    • Round robin
    • Hang up
    • Voicemail
    The Select a call-flow action panel: choose Record (1) under Add-ons.

  4. Add a Dial destination

    • Click + again.
    • Select Dial.
    • Enter the destination number.
    New Call
    Record
    Stop recording on key pressNo Key
    Dial
    Main office(415) 555-0110
    1
    The call flow records the call, then Dial (1) rings your destination. Next, go to Workflows.

Workflow setup

  1. Create a new workflow

    • Go to Workflows.
    • Click + Create.
    • Select From Scratch.

  2. Add a Recording filter

    • Click the + plus sign.
    • Select Add filter.
    • Select Recording from the filter menu.
    • Set the value to Yes.
    • Click OK.
    The Recording rule: set it to Yes and click OK (1).

  3. Add the Transcribe Call action

    • Click + and select Perform action > Transcribe Call.
    • Accept the consent prompt when it appears.

    The Word & Phrase Spotting filter reads the call’s transcript, so the Transcribe Call action must come before it in the workflow. Without it, the builder marks the filter in red.

  4. Add a Word & Phrase Spotting filter

    • Click + again.
    • Select Add filter.
    • Scroll to the Conversation sub-menu.
    • Select Word & Phrase Spotting.

  5. Enter your keywords and phrases

    • Add the words and phrases that should trigger the workflow when spoken during a call: under Caller or Destination (said by anyone), Caller only or Destination only.
    • Press Enter after each word or phrase, or paste a whole list (one per line, or separated by commas, semicolons or tabs): each one becomes its own tag. A space does not split a phrase, and a phrase already in the list is added once.
    • Consult your team on which terms to include; think about what customers say when they’re ready to convert.
    • Click OK (2).
    Enter the phrases under the right speaker, here book an appointment under Caller only (1), then click OK (2).

  6. Add a Google Ads action

    • Click + and select Perform action.
    • Select Google Ads under the Integrations sub-menu.
    • Choose the correct Google Ads configuration.
    • Click OK.

  7. Enable the workflow

    • Click Enable in the top-right corner.
    • Optionally, give the workflow a name that reflects its purpose: click its title (2).
    Word & Phrase Spotting workflow2Workflow is valid.
    Enable1
    Trigger Enrollment
    Inbound CallOutbound CallForm SubmissionSMS Received
    A customer calls your tracking number
    Fires whenCall StartsCall EndsUser Updates Property
    Filter group
    Recordingis Yes✕
    Add another rule
    Transcribe Call✕
    Language:Tracking number country
    Filter group
    Word & Phrase Spottingbook an appointmentbook appointment✕
    Add another rule
    Action group1
    Google AdsPhone Call Conversions✕
    Add another action
    Finish
    The finished workflow: Transcribe Call comes before the Word & Phrase Spotting filter. Click Enable (1); click the title (2) to rename it.

Tracking number setup

  1. Assign the call flow to a tracking number

    • Go to TrackingNumbers.
    • Assign the call flow you created to at least one tracking number.

    Tracking Numbers

    Phone numbers that capture incoming calls and attribute them to a source.

    (415) 555-0142US · Local
    Active
    Google Ads
    Recorded line1
    Pick the call flow you built in the number's call flow select (1).

🎉 Keyword and phrase spotting is now active. When a spotted phrase appears in a call, Nimbata fires the workflow action automatically.

Detailed guide: Turn on transcriptions and summaries
Detailed guide: Build a call flow
Detailed guide: Connect Google Ads