The Top Five Transcription Outsourcing Mistakes (By Clients)
If you are thinking about outsourcing to a transcription service company and want to make sure things don’t go awry, perhaps it’s time for you to make sure you avoid these common transcription client pitfalls.
Bending The Truth
This one might seem self explanatory, but it’s amazing how many clients do this. Some will downplay the length of the audio required for transcription in order to get a promise of a quicker turnaround. Others may hold back information on the poor quality of their audio to get a lower quote. The truth is the best way to get what you want and for the best price is to be honest and accurate from the start. As a customer, you expect to get what you pay for, and transcription companies in turn, expect you to pay for what you send! So if your audio quality does turn out to be terrible after all, you will have to pay that additional charge. And if it turns out you sent five hours instead of two, you may have to wait longer to get your transcript that hope for a super speedy turnaround may not stick. Honesty is always the best policy, that way we all know where we stand!
Breaking Promises
This mistake mostly comes up when dealing with turnaround times. If you, as a client, ask for a 24 hour service and promise to send audio or video for completion by 4pm the following day, send the files within the time required. Many a time, clients may request a 24 hour turnaround but assume that that time starts from the moment they receive a quote back with confirmation of availability. Turnaround times on transcription services start from receipt of the files for typing. Transcription companies can promise a four hour turnaround for completion by 5pm if you keep your promise of sending your file quickly enough (by 1pm) to allow for those four hours; otherwise what you are asking for is actually a two or three hour turnaround. Lead by example: keep your promises and your typing service company will keep theirs.
Not Knowing What You Want
As a client, you need to be sure of what it is you need from your transcript. A transcription company will follow your orders. If you have a conference you need typed and you ask for Verbatim transcription, because you want everything to be included, make sure you are aware that erms, ahs,’ and ums’ will be included. Similarly, if you order a transcript, but forget to ask for a time coded document, you will need to pay for the time stamps to be added separately, which may work out more expensive. Amendments can sometimes be made by transcription companies to documents for free, but will often be at an additional charge if the customer is at fault, so be sure to know exactly what you want.
Being Cheap
Everybody loves a bargain and transcription service prices can vary greatly. Be sure not to compromise quality for the sake of price. Outsourcing to a foreign country where workers are in turn paid low salaries may seem like a big cost saver but in the long run, it can cost you more money in time spent amending any errors made by under-qualified, under-educated, under-motivated and under-paid workers.
Not Doing Your Homework
Most typing services companies offer sample transcripts but it’s amazing how little clients take advantage of these offers. Sample transcripts not only allow you to sample quality, but they can also give you an idea of what you need. For instance, if you’re unsure of whether you’ll be needing Intelligent Verbatim transcription or Verbatim transcription, you can ask for a sample of both to help you make the right choice. Doing your homework can also mean asking for recommendations from friends, or looking for reviews on websites or forums.
Contact us today for translation services, transcription services, subtitling services, note taking services and closed captioning.
