Every business, big or small, can greatly benefit from transcription services when exploited accordingly. The goal of every business is to reach as many potential clients as possible, and there are several avenues; they could be through videos or written materials. However, keep in mind that all these avenues must fully accommodate the needs of your audience. This is where transcribing and translating comes in.

What does transcribing involve? This is the process of converting speech or audio files into text. It can be done manually or through automated software. There are three types of transcribing services; medical, legal, and general. These three types differ in many ways, such as the format, the writing style, the standard, and time-coded, among others.

Again, as mentioned earlier, all business types will massively benefit from exploiting these services. Choosing the right audio transcription solution is a step towards achieving this. Before settling on any, consider the following:

Your niche or line of operation– the more complex your niche is, such as the medical or legal sector, the more accuracy and quality work you need. This requires that you outsource experienced personnel within the same line of work.

The benefit of purchasing over hiring personnel or software or vice versa- Outsourcing these services may be cheaper for some organizations such as small businesses or less demanding niches. On the other hand, outsourcing may cost a fortune for big and complex niches or companies that produce materials that require transcription; therefore, purchasing software or hiring personnel might be cheaper.

What are the needs of your business; Format, writing style,speed, and quality-Different service providers come with different specifics. Deciding which one meets your needs as a business? Do you want verbatim transcripts or clean transcripts will be a step towards guaranteeing results.

Once you have addressed the above-mentioned factors, you may now want to look at the

Transcribing services available in the market. There are two types:

Automated video and audio transcribing software/ Applications- These are the likes of Otter, HappyScribe, SpeechExec among others. These applications come with various features such as collaboration tools, they are multilingual, export and importing of files of various formats, speaker identifier, real time translation and so many more. All you need is to have a quality recording device, work in a silent environment, and choose the most suitable payment plan.

There is a caveat however. Automated translation services have a shortcoming as their programming is limited as compared to a human. This means that these features have limited vocabulary which may compromise the intended message. As you opt for these tools, ensure you have personnel who counter check to avoid passing wrong information.

Manual Transcribing services- The term manual is used to mean that the speech-to-text conversion process as carried out by a human being. With this, you can get access to enterprise transcription service such as GoTranscript, where individuals are assigned these tasks at a rate per audio file. Outsourcing these services from these sites may prove affordable, especially if you require translation services occasionally.

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How do businesses benefit?

Now back to the elephant in the room, how will you as an established enterprise benefit?

Increased output- on average, a human being will take four hours to convert a one-hour audio/video file into text. It may take longer when the individual has no special training. To increase output, time is a big factor. You may want to relieve your office assistant of these duties so that they may get productive somewhere more important. Where benefits are being mentioned, money must factor in;and time is money! Keep in mind that the average overhead rate of your business is directly dependent on time.

Expanded content for your audience- Any business should aim at making their services and products universal. To do so, all potential clients must be accommodated. Translation will serve individuals from various ethnological groups, while transcripts will serve all individuals, including those who cannot depend on audio or video files.

SEO as a marketing strategy- Your transcribed work may feature a number of keywords which may earn you a good SEO ranking.Having these materials in written form can also feed your online presence. You may want to look at how well PR and SEO marry to create a solid marketing strategy. Maximizing on transcripts as well as translated work will help fill this gap in your online presence, such as websites, and blogs.

Favors formalities- Anytime a meeting, conference, or seminar happens, minutes need be taken. In most cases minutes do not suffice. Having transcripts of the meetings and conferences that can be distributed to all parties involved will earn you as a business transparency and accountability.

Budget-Friendly- Again where money is concerned, time is definitely concerned. You also get to choose what rates work best for you. There is a wide variety to choose from.

Speech-to-text conversion is a resource that if well tapped into, will yield so many benefits for your enterprise.

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