For Delivery Route Supervisors ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have Otter.ai set up on your phone so that your pre-shift driver briefings are automatically transcribed and summarized — giving you a written record of what was communicated each morning without any extra work. No more drivers saying "I didn't hear about that."
What you'll need
Open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) and search "Otter.ai." Download the free app and create a free account using your email address.
What you should see: The Otter.ai home screen showing recent conversations (empty at first). Troubleshooting: If the app asks for microphone permission, tap "Allow" — this is required for transcription.
Each morning before your drivers gather, open Otter.ai and tap the large red microphone button at the bottom of the screen. Otter immediately starts listening and transcribing.
What you should see: A waveform animation showing the app is actively listening. Words begin appearing on screen in real time as you speak.
Hold the phone in your hand or set it on a table facing toward the room. Speak clearly. Otter will transcribe everything said — your instructions as well as driver questions.
Important: State key items explicitly and clearly. "Today's safety topic is backing accidents" will transcribe better than a mumbled aside.
What you should see: Running text appearing in real time on the Otter screen. The app color-codes different speakers.
Tap the red button again to stop recording. Otter immediately begins processing a summary.
What you should see: Within 30–60 seconds, Otter generates a summary section at the top of the transcript showing the 3–5 key points from the briefing.
Tap the "Summary" tab within the recording. You'll see the key points Otter extracted. Tap the share icon to send the summary via text, email, or your team's messaging app to any drivers who weren't present or need a reminder.
What you should see: A clean list of bullet points summarizing what was covered. Troubleshooting: If the summary is missing something important, scroll to that part of the transcript and highlight it — you can create manual highlights that feed into the summary.
Otter saves all recordings automatically. They're searchable by date and keyword. If a driver disputes a decision made in a briefing, you have a timestamped record.
What you should see: Your recording in the Otter home screen library, searchable by date.
These work in Otter's AI chat after any recording: