Key Benefits of Working with a Professional Transcriptionist

Let’s face it – businesses today have more need of transcription services than ever before. From focus groups to conference calls to webinars, seminars and more, it’s vital that the dialog in those events is recorded. Certainly, you can do that with electronic systems. However, a professional transcriptionist offers benefits that go far beyond what a mere MP3 recorder can offer. What are the key benefits found by working with a professional transcriptionist? Let’s take a closer look.

Cost Savings

On the surface, it might seem like paying a professional transcriptionist would actually be more expensive than purchasing a recording system. After all, you’ll have to pay for each transcription session with a human being, but electronics are a one-time purchase, right? Actually, you’ll find a lot of hidden costs with recording equipment, including having to pay a human being to distill what was recorded initially. They’re not a means to producing a finished transcript, merely a first step in the process.

Time Savings

Working with a professional transcriptionist saves a considerable amount of time. If you choose to have your material transcribed by someone in house, you’ll find two things. First, you’re taking them away from their regular responsibilities, which mean they’re either splitting their attention or they’re getting behind. Second, chances are good they’re not a pro, which means they don’t have access to the right equipment (yes, equipment is necessary for professional, and accurate transcription).

Accuracy

Working with a professional transcriptionist is essential when accuracy is needed, and that’s pretty much always the case. Amateur or DIY transcription services usually result in inferior quality, lost words and even entire chunks of dialog. That’s compounded if some of the individuals speaking aren’t clear, have heavy accents, or mumble while speaking. A professional can cope with these hurdles easily, but amateur or even voice recognition software can often fail.

Those are the three key benefits offered by working with a professional transcriptionist. However, there’s an additional problem. How do you choose a professional with which to partner? On what merits should you base your choice?

Perhaps the best yardstick by which to judge quality and professionalism is the transcriptionist or agency’s experience and feedback from previous clients. You would never buy a new car without first checking into how well it performs. The same rule applies to choosing a professional transcriptionist. Learn about their experience, their achievements, and what their past clients have to say about the service. Would they higher the transcriptionist or agency again? Was the transcription accurate, affordable, and delivered in a timely manner? Answering these questions will help ensure that you choose a quality service provider.

Finally, investigate the transcription process used by the professional or agency. What software do they use? What hardware is in use? How do they obtain the original audio files? In what format do you have to deliver the audio?

Take your time and vet each potential transcriptionist. Your results will make that effort more than worthwhile.

– Back Office Pro