Friday, May 1, 2015

The Students Choice Dilemma: Which Online Transcription Services Should I go for?


Which Typing services should I go for?




Basics: What is transcription and when I might need one?
Transcription is one of the most common services availed online. In this process the customer can convert audio recording file into a text format. The purpose for doing so could be varied for eg. Research, Thesis, Study, Documenting or any other. There are so many types of transcription, to name a few here- Interview Transcription, Podcast Transcription, dissertation thesis transcription etc.  This might be required  for future reference when let’s say someone recorded an interview, conducted a business meeting or anything of the same sort where you would like to have the text from the audio to be extracted for further use.


So What do you do? This process of extracting the audio and putting it into text is known as transcribing or transcription. Typing is just the first half of the whole process. The remainder is the proofreading part which involves eliminating errors, correcting the grammar portion, proper structuring of the paragraphs and sentences. This is done to increase the accuracy of the transcripts to its highest levels.



Who Uses transcription?
Transcripts are used by students doing PHD research interviews, to big businesses conducting seminars, meetings, trade shows, press releases and video tutorials. Churches are require a text version of the discourses and sermons. Public speakers and motivational coaches requires transcripts of audio seminars and video tutorials for publication on their website or as a part of their research journals and marketing literature.



The BIG QUESTION: Which transcription services should I go for?
Choose a transcription services can be time consuming.  There are many options to choose from due to the plethora of service providers. So how do you decide one? First decide whether you would like to type the audio by yourself or have it someone else transcribe it for you. Let’s say you have a digitally recorded audio such as a meeting, podcast interview or a seminar, Typing these by yourself can be a money saver which is a good thing but it could be very tiring too. Choose a service which is reasonably priced and if you have volume audio you can also request for a sample service. Once the audio text comes out to be fine from the service provider you may hire him. But before placing a final order also enquire about the TAT- Turn around Time. The best would be you keep some time in hand that means if you require an audio text in 5 days choose 3 day TAT .

 


1.  Price Parameter:  Transcription service are thankfully reasonably priced, it can vary from 1.25 $/min to 2.75 $/min. Also one can request for discount on volume and bulk order.



2. Quality Parameter: The quality of transcript is directly proportional to the quality of audio recording. So that  means to have a quality transcript one must provide a good quality audio file for example:

a) The speaker should maintain 0-15 inch distance from the recorder.
b) The speaker should have correct pronunciation of words.
c) The voice quality of the speaker/speakers should be bold & clear.
d) There should not be many speakers speaking at the same time

e) Digital recordings should be done in mp3 format for various reasons.


3. Value to commitment Parameter: This is one the hardest and most valuable criteria of choosing a transcriber. At www.Alltranscript.com we value customers and the commitments we give to them by ensuring we give best shot to their audio recorded file and so we have hired people who are expert in different ascents. This helps us in delivering more than a customer expects. We value our customer’s time so we ensure at all costs the transcription should our customer within his required TAT.


4. Online Ordering System:  Nowadays  internet services has tremendously affected the way businesses operate. For example, before the internet era, for placing a transcription order, customers would have to look up yellow pages for a suitable provider, contact them and make a price comparison. After selecting an appropriate one, the customer would now be responsible for delivering the audio tapes to the typist. However things have tremendously changed. One can simply compare transcription services online, contact them through email and place orders online through online payments. The whole system or order placements have become convenient and quick.



5. File Upload Facility: In reference to the previous point, having a file upload service such as Dropbox,Sendspace etc. where one can upload digital audio and video recordings is a very useful service addition. It helps the customer from going through the long process of burning the audio onto a DVD and then shipping it to the typist.





6. Proofreading services: A very critical parameter from a quality perspective. If one demands superior quality transcripts, a service provider must be able to provide well proofread word docs. Proofreading must be done by several transcribers, in order to cross verify the content to the highest possible accuracy. A good accuracy level for a document is 99.50 percent or higher.


7. Customer Service: The biggest organizations selling the same products and service differentiate themselves on this main key point – Customer service. A good customer services constitutes:
a) Excellent communication.
b) Low response times between emails.
c) 24 Hour availability.
d) Well trained point of contacts such as the sales representative.
e) Understanding the customer’s grievance and handling the same to not just meet their expectations but delight them.
f) Provides customized services.



Important Tips:​


Tip#1 Not all transcription services with same pricing packages are equal.
Tip#2 Choose a transcription service that provides online ordering system with File upload facility.
Tip#3 Avoid purchasing Transcription software’s because of their high prices and technical difficulty such as adapting to all kinds of accents.
Tip#4 Choose a service reputed for its customer service.

Tip#5 Build a long term relations with your service provider. It really helps.


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