22 Jul Define transcriptionist in the 21st Century

How to define ‘transcriptionist’. What skills does a transcriptionist need and how much do they cost?

To define ‘transcriptionist’, you need to consider their requisite skills.

Define transcriptionist. Exceptional hearing – a transcriptionist must be able to hear audio voice recordings clearly and interpret them accurately.

Typing speed – this needs to be, in our opinion, an absolute minimum of 60 words per minute.

Interpreting gaps where recordings are indistinct – a good transcriptionist can fill in the gaps of quietly dictated words using their initiative and understanding of language.

Accuracy – how accurate do you need the transcription to be? Different sectors have different requirements; the financial, medical and legal sectors often require more accurate and secure companies to undertake this sort of work.

What is the cost of outsourcing to a transcriptionist or company?

If you have just one audio transcriptionist working on your project, then it will cost less than having one audio typist and one proofreader. However, if you are looking for accuracy, then it’s worth asking how many people will work on your transcript.

So, what is the cost of transcription from reputable companies or freelancers? On the whole, it varies from £1-2 per audio minute for a one-person job and £2-5 per audio minute for a two-person job.

Define transcriptionist prices and what is typical – why is it that the price per minute can differ between as much as £1 to £5 per audio minute?

Turnaround times have a large effect on the cost of transcription services. A transcription of 1-2 hours, in general, is usually turned around next day or in 48 hours. The more you pay usually reflects the better quality of people who will work on your transcript.

A lower price often indicates lower accuracy, and while that may be appealing at the outset, if often necessitates a lot of reworking and time spent correcting errors. Why bother hiring a transcriptionist if you then need to spend valuable time correcting a multitude of errors?!

The advantage of outsourcing to a professional transcriptionist

As with all outsourced services, you save the manpower, employee costs and associated human resource issues. In addition to this, you have the ability to scale up or down as your business ebbs and flows. All these benefits without paying fixed salaries in-house. The cost of transcription is therefore flexible to suit you and your needs.

Define transcriptionist costs at VoiceNotes

While each client is different and has their own requirements, below is our ‘rate card’ for one transcriptionist and one proofreader.

VoiceNotes always carries out a two-person process – one transcriptionist transcribes the file, and one proofreader/copy-editor makes the transcription ‘perfect’.

• Dial-in dictation and transcription from £162 + VAT per month (100 minutes per person per month).
• Multi-voice transcriptions from £3 per audio minute.
• Pre-written proofreading from £10 + VAT per 1,000 words; proofreading and copy-editing from £15 + VAT per 1,000 words.
• If required, we are also able to engage a dedicated transcription team to work on your account only – please contact us to discuss.

Why choose VoiceNotes as your transcription service?

All our transcriptions are typed by one of our defined transcriptionists, then proofread (and copy edited, where required) by another editorial-grade proofreader. We consistently offer the reliability and accuracy you are looking for. Our security is the best in the business – we are ISO 27001-compliant. In addition, all employees are under strict confidentiality contracts.

Our client relationships mean the world to us, and we endeavour to react quickly to client requests. The cost of transcription for our clients is not their number-one concern, as they are looking for confidentiality and accuracy. However, we can totally appreciate that some transcripts don’t require the security and accuracy that we can deliver. Therefore, the cost of transcription can be fluid. You don’t always need to spend big money on it.

A few more reasons why VoiceNotes …

• Quality is guaranteed, as every transcription passes through one audio transcriptionist and one proofreader
• Fast turnarounds due to employing our own staff. For instance, this means we don’t need to search for a freelancer and check their availability
• Only our trained employees will work on your project
• You will have a dedicated account manager
• Every transcription has a date/time-stamp for legal and compliance auditing
• We have over a decade’s experience with FTSE 100 companies, SMEs and individuals
• We are ISO 27001-accredited. This ensures your data is safe and confidential at all times
• No set-up fees
• No minimum requirements

Please get in touch with any questions – info@voicenotes.co.uk / 0207 117 0066.