# Configure AI Voicemail Transcription with Amazon

Cloud Voice can turn the audio in voicemail messages into readable text using the Amazon Transcribe service. This page shows you how to link the phone system to Amazon Transcribe and choose which extensions the feature applies to.

:::tip
Already set up AI Call Transcription against Amazon Transcribe? Turn on **Voicemail Transcription** and click **Copy Settings from Call Transcription** to carry that configuration over, then change only what differs.

![The Copy Settings from Call Transcription control in the AI Toolbox](/images/pbx/copy-ai-call-settings.png)
:::

## Requirements

Your phone system must meet the following before you begin.

| Item | Requirement |
|------|-------------|
| Firmware | **84.23.0.83** or later. |
| Subscription | An **Enterprise Plan** or **Ultimate Plan** subscription, so the **AI Transcription** feature is available. |

## Before you begin

**Network access**

The phone system must be able to reach the two Amazon endpoints that Transcribe depends on:

- `transcribe.<region>.amazonaws.com`
- `s3.<region>.amazonaws.com`

:::note
- Pick [an Amazon region that supports batch transcription](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/transcribe/latest/dg/what-is.html#tsc-regions) and substitute it for `<region>`, for example, `transcribe.me-south-1.amazonaws.com`. Choosing the region closest to where your phone system is deployed keeps latency low and transcription stable.
- To confirm an endpoint is reachable on TCP port 443, run the following over SSH on the phone system, replacing `{{domain}}` with the endpoint:

  ```bash
  nc -vz {{domain}} 443
  ```
:::

**Service accounts**

Have the following Amazon credentials ready:

- An Amazon account with enough transcription-minute quota and permission to manage Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) buckets. Note its account ID.
- An IAM (Identity and Access Management) user that is allowed to manage its own access keys, along with the user's sign-in username and password.

## Step 1. Create an access key for Amazon Transcribe

The phone system authenticates its Transcribe API requests with an access key, so generate one in the Amazon Management Console first.

1. Sign in to the [Amazon Management Console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam) with your Amazon account ID, IAM username, and password.
2. In the top-right corner, click your account name and choose **Security credentials**.

   
   ![Cloud Voice, opening Security credentials from the account menu in the Amazon Management Console](/images/pbx/copy-aws-access-id.png)

3. On the **My security credentials** page, scroll to the **Access keys** section and click **Create access key**.
4. Create the access key.

   
   ![Cloud Voice, the Create access key workflow in the Amazon Management Console](/images/pbx/create-a-aws-access-key.png)

   a. In the **Use case** list, select **Other**, then click **Next**.

   b. Optional: In the **Description tag value** field, enter a note that helps you recognize the key later.

   c. Click **Create access key**. The key is generated.

   d. In the **Access key** section, click the copy icon beside both **Access key** and **Secret access key**, and save the two values for the next step.

## Step 2. Configure voicemail transcription on the phone system

With the access key in hand, enter the details on the phone system to establish the connection to Amazon Transcribe.

1. Sign in to the phone system web portal and open **AI > AI Toolbox**.
2. Turn on the **Voicemail Transcription** switch.
3. Set up the transcription service.

   ![Voicemail transcription settings using AWS in the AI Toolbox](/images/pbx/configure-global-ai-voicemail-transcription-with-aws.png)

   a. In the **Service Type** drop-down list, select **Custom Service**.

   b. In the **Transcription Service Provider** drop-down list, select **AWS**.

   c. In the **Access ID** field, paste the access key you copied from the Amazon Management Console.

   d. In the **Access Key** field, paste the secret access key you copied from the Amazon Management Console.

   e. In the **Region** drop-down list, select the region you want.

4. Set the transcription language.

   - **Language**: In the drop-down list, choose the language to detect and transcribe in voicemail messages.
   - **Languages to Auto-Detect**: If you set **Language** to **Auto Detection**, select the languages you want the system to detect. Voicemail audio in any of those languages is then detected and transcribed automatically.

     :::note
     - You can choose up to 5 languages for auto-detection at once.
     - Only one region is allowed per language, for example, you cannot select both English (UK) and English (US).
     :::

5. Under **Extension Scope for This Feature**, decide who can use voicemail transcription:
   - **All Extensions**: Every extension can use the feature.
   - **Specific Extensions**: Only the extensions, extension groups, or departments you select can use it.
6. Click **Save**.

## Result

**Transcription Connection Status** shows **Enable**, confirming that AI voicemail transcription via Amazon Transcribe is live. Both group and extension voicemail messages are now detected and transcribed into text in your chosen language.

![Transcription Connection Status showing Enable for AWS](/images/pbx/voicemail-transcription-connection-status-aws.png)

:::note
You can set the transcription language for an individual extension from **Extension and Trunk > Extension > AI > Voicemail Transcription > Language**. That per-extension language applies to the extension's personal voicemails and to group voicemails delivered in **Broadcast to Members** mode. See [Configure AI Voicemail Transcription for an Extension](/pbx/ai-guide/configure-ai-voicemail-transcription-for-an-extension/) for details.
:::