of 6— Create Your Otter.ai Account

What you'll accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll be able to record and automatically transcribe SME interviews, then use AI to extract the most valuable content for specific proposal sections — getting 3–5x more usable content per hour of SME time than manual note-taking allows.

What you'll need

A free Otter.ai account at otter.ai (or the mobile app)
Your preferred meeting tool: Zoom, Teams, or phone
SME's consent to record the session (essential — get this before starting)
Time needed: 15 minutes setup; use on every SME interview
Cost: Free (300 minutes/month); $10/mo for unlimited

How-To Guide: Transcribe SME Interviews With Otter.ai and Extract Proposal Content

Step 1: Create Your Otter.ai Account

Go to otter.ai and click "Sign Up." Create an account with your email or Google account. Choose the free Basic plan.

For Zoom integration:

In Otter.ai, click your name → Settings → Integrations
Click "Connect" next to Zoom
Authorize the connection

After connecting, Otter will automatically join and transcribe your Zoom meetings when enabled.