Factors That Distinguish, A Great Transcription Service Provider

There are very many factors that set out a great transcription service provider from one that is not. In this article, we will look at some of these factors and by the end, you will know what you should do if you want to start a transcription company and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.

What Factors That Distinguish, A Great Transcription Service Provider?

1. Speed and Accuracy

Accuracy is the number one factor that sets aside a good transcription service provider and one that is not. As a client when in search of a service provider, my goal is to work with one who has the range and capacity to deliver great quality services that will satisfy me. A service provider who doesn’t offer outstanding quality and accurate transcripts to their clients, will sooner than later be out of business because clients won’t want to work with them. Speed and accuracy go hand-in-hand in transcription. The typing speed of a transcriber will constantly affect the accuracy of a transcript in the long run. Unless it’s a transcriber or a service provider that has transcribers with significant experience in their craft, things always go left. There are scenarios that I would love to look at with speed and accuracy during transcription. A transcriber might have amazing speed, be able to hand in their work on time, and without delay but then you find out that their transcripts are not accurate. In the same breath, a transcriber would have impeccable speed and great accuracy but also there is that who is slow but has amazing accuracy. All these are possible scenarios and you as a client you need to be very keen on deciding the service provider you want to work with because, in the long run, the most important thing to look out for is great speed and accuracy. None can exist without the other for transcription.

2. Language skills.

Language skills are very important in the transcription profession. This new-age form of transcription where anyone can be a transcriber is not what service providers subscribe to.  Great transcribers have excellent language skills, can decipher colloquial accents, and understand grammatical and punctuation errors. Having incredible language skills come in handy when a client comes through with audio files that need a clean verbatim transcription done on them. A clean verbatim transcription is a kind where filler words and grammatical errors are dealt with to come up with conclusive transcripts that make sense. It is hard to do this when your transcribers don’t have impeccable language skills. They don’t have to be William Shakespeare of our generation but they must have a substantial amount of knowledge on this. This means that a service provider that invests in great transcribers with impeccable language skill are highly sort-after than those who don’t.

3. Excellent Research Skills

There is a lot that takes place before you can get incredibly accurate and conclusive transcripts in transcription. As much as people think transcription is just a matter of typing out what you hear, it is really not the case. You never get to hear this but there a lot of research that goes into a transcription process before it ends. This is usually of most importance when dealing with audio files that need a specialist’s touch. By this I mean audio files with legal, medical, educational, and businesses related content. In a case where you get inaudible audio files with such content, you must be in a position where you can do research and still come up with accurate transcripts that make complete sense.

Sometimes you will find, technical jargon that may have been used improperly or mispronounced. Researching will 100% help in coming up with the correct jargon to use. Understanding the basic terminologies of the industry and quickly researching the topic will help you minimize indiscernible gaps and ensure your final transcript accurately captures the verbatim. This is why a transcription service provider with transcribers who have superb research skills is better than one that does not. 

4. Proper Punctuation

Proper punctuations might also fall under impeccable grammar. Creating a transcript is writing, any form of writing must be grammatically correct and have quality punctuations. A good service provider is one that has transcribers who have impeccable punctuation skills. One that knows where to place punctuation marks and ensure that they make sense. You cannot be placing question marks in places where questions have not been asked, or exclamation marks in places where there are no exclamations. It must have quality transcribers who understand and follows punctuations rules to the letter. This is because punctuations are a great help in interpreting how a transcript has been formulated.

5. Impeccable writing skills.

This another factor that affects the quality of a service provider. A great transcription service provider is one that has impeccable writing skills. Writing is not something that comes easy to everyone, it is rather hard and a lot of creativity is needed to come up with great pieces. Creating transcripts is writing, you might type out what you hear on audio but sometimes a client would want a clean verbatim transcript. This means they want a verbatim that is grammatically correct, with all punctuations intact. To come up with a grammatically correct transcript, you must have exceptional writing skills. 

6. Good Listening Skills

When talking about transcription, everyone is constantly talking about how a good transcriber should have great typing speed, and also be accurate. It is very rare that we hear people say that transcribers should also have great listening skills. Transcription is a process that involves a lot of things. You need to listen while typing. Being a good listener means that you will depict every remark, word, and reaction on audio. The vice versa is also true. When a client comes to you and wants a clean verbatim for their audios, it is up to you to make sure you deliver exactly what they want. This will be greatly assisted by being a good listener. Accents and indiscernible words are among the challenges you will face daily. For you to make out what is being said when dealing with a deep accent, you ought to have great listening skills. With all these setbacks, clients will still expect a perfect transcript and you must be able to deliver. Great listening skills are supported by great equipment. As a service provider, you might have transcribers with great listening skills but if they are using inferior quality equipment. It will be hard for them to deliver and deliver to the best of their ability. Having the right equipment, such as a good pair of transcription headphones can improve your listening skills.

7. Self-Motivation

In any line of work, self-motivation is something one needs to possess. It is easy for one to give up and let go of their dream because they are not self-motivated. Working with a good transcription company means that you are working one who’s employees are self-motivated and are constantly working for the betterment of the company. It is very easy to end up working for a company whose employees hate to work there which means they will not give their all for your project. Self-motivation goes a long way and a company that has this will definitely come on handy for any client.

8. Commitment and Confidentiality

As a service provider, you need to assure your clients that their files will be confidential and treat them as so. Working with different clients and having access to different important information, clients must know that they can trust that you keep that I formation confidential. A service provider who can do this is good, and one that clients will always want to work with. Also, be one that is committed to serving your clients and always delivering to the best of your ability.  This will ensure that your clients keep coming back for more and even go to the extent of referring your services.

9. Turnaround times.

A good service provider is one that is able to offer credible and accurate work to their clients without compromising on the turnaround time. It is important to note that the opposite is also true where the turnaround time is great by the credibility and accuracy is not. Working a service provider able to meet deadlines and deliver to their clients on time or before time without compromising on the quality of transcripts is important in the transcription industry. It shows your credibility and puts in a good lift to your clients and potential clients. Turnaround time is very important in a transcription service provider.

Good news travels fast. If you are a service provider who has employees with all these qualities, you will definitely make a killing in this transcription industry. Be sure to use quality transcribers and you won’t regret it.

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