If you are thinking of outsourcing your transcription needs to a proper transcription service, you may be faced with a plethora of choices which can make your final decision more difficult. There may be plenty of transcription service providers out there, but which one should you choose? More importantly, which one fits your needs the best? To make your final decision easier, following are the simplest and easiest steps to take when it comes to selecting the proper transcription service for your needs.
Step 1: determine exactly what you need
The first thing you need to do is assess your requirements. What do you need done with your recording? What is your most important need when it comes to the transcription service? Is it timeliness, is it quality, is it confidentiality, is it experience in your specific industry, or more? Once you have zoomed in on your most important requirements, it will be easier to take the next step.
Step 2: do the proper research
The next step is obviously to do the proper research. Once you have some transcription services in mind, it’s time to make an assessment of their service and how suitable their services are in adhering to your requirements. This is where a good reputation and a specific knowledge of your language comes in handy as well. One tip: it would be a good idea to look for UK transcription services using native English speakers since they will be more adept with the language and can easily identify nuances and idiosyncrasies.
Step 3: ask the right questions
This brings us back to how important it is to determine what you actually need, because once you know what is important to you, only then can you ask the right questions. If, for instance, quality is important, you need to ask the transcription service about the expertise of their transcribers and how long they have been in the business. If the turnaround time is the most important aspect to you, then you should ask the service how long it would take to deliver a proper transcript.
Step 4: ask for references
One surefire way of ascertaining the transcription service provider’s integrity and reliability is through their clients. Which clients have they done work for in the past? Can these clients vouch for their efficiency and reliability? If you can request for testimonials from their clients, it will be easier to make the right decision in the end.
Step 5: determine how clear and organised their processes are
You should also make it a point to ask the transcription service provider regarding their process of transcription. Is it clear and well-organised? What if you have questions? It would be good to be able to easily contact the service provider if you have particular questions or concerns.