1. How long does it take to transcribe one hour of recorded speech?
In general, we speak four to five times faster than even the most experienced typist can transcribe the words. To give you an idea of the time involved, the industry standard allows 60 minutes to transcribe 15 minutes of clearly recorded speech. Consequently, a one hour recorded audio file, could take approximately three to four hours to transcribe. Extra time should also be allowed for proofreading, translating, emailing etc...
Accordingly, a clear recording of an hour in length could require a minimum of four hours of work (especially with three or more speakers). If the recording is garbled, damaged, or has a lot of background noise, it will take more time to transcribe, as the transcriber will have to go over the recording several times to produce a coherent transcript. However, we will inform you as soon as possible if the recording is proving difficult – so as to prevent you incurring additional charges.
2. Why do our clients stay with Totally Typing Online?
It is quite simply a way to save HUGE AMOUNTS OF TIME. There are none of the extra costs to our clients associated with hiring an employee. No PAYE. No maternity, holiday or sickness pay to consider. No Agency fees. No training costs. No overheads. No tax. No pension payments. You only pay for the length of your file.
You can focus on your business and leave the typing to us.
Working with Totally Typing Online offers the ultimate in flexibility. You only contact us when you have work available. We are ready to help out when you are dealing with illness among your employees, holiday times or when you JUST MUST MEET A DEADLINE!
It’s cost-effective, since you are only being charged for the length of your file(s).
We can help ease the stress of outstanding administrative issues so that you are able to concentrate on the more important things in your business, or your project.
By offering a high quality service that is tailored to your individual needs – you may only require a transcriber for a single project, or we can offer you a typing service on a daily, monthly or on-going basis.
3. What size jobs can the team at Totally Typing Online take on?
We are capable of handling almost any size transcription project. Please contact Joanne Jarrett, or Louise Hunt on 0208 761 7902 or email quote@totallytypingonline.com regarding your requirements for very lengthy files, or work over a long duration to obtain a quote and agreed time frame.
Totally Typing Online offers a ‘Large Volume Discount’ for clients who have an account with us.
Email at anytime, however the best times to call the office is between 2pm & 5pm (Mon – Fri).
4. How do I know that the details of my project will be kept confidential?
At Totally Typing Online we are familiar with the requirement for absolute confidentiality and would be prepared to sign a Non-Disclosure or Confidentiality Agreement on request.
5. What are our normal business hours?
Monday to Friday (8.00am to 5.00pm)
Saturdays (8:00am to 1pm)
6. Do you work on Sundays and Bank Holidays?
Yes, we can accommodate special requests for important/urgent completions, if a client needs us to work on transcripts outside of normal weekday hours.
In this case, there would be an added surcharge.
7. What information do you need from a client before starting work?
If you are a new client, we will discuss the exact nature of the assignment and what you expect from us. Our regular clients are able to upload files electronically to our secure upload facility with their instructions. We will only contact them if we need clarification on an instruction.
We require all clients to sign a Client Agreement Form, which includes our Terms and Conditions before we start working on an assignment.
8. Do you keep backup copies of your work?
Yes, all work is backed up externally daily to protect your completed documents and deleted from our system after six months.
9. What equipment and software are you familiar with?
At Totally Typing Online, we use various digital audio transcription software. They are chosen because of their compatibility with the Microsoft Office Suite, as well as a range of audio/video file formats and file conversion software.
10. What safeguards to you have in place to guard against computer viruses?
Our computers and mail server run anti-virus software to ensure that PC viruses are not passed on and our network is protected by a firewall to guard against unwelcome prying.
11. I am concerned that I won’t be able to forward a large file to Totally Typing Online. How can I get large audio files to you?
Standard sized audio files can be sent through our secure file upload facility here. It is designed to accommodate files which would normally be blocked by standard email systems. However, larger audio files can be sent to us via other file transfer services e.g. WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, DropSend, Send Anywhere, Box, Hightail, etc...
12. How do I receive the completed transcript?
All completed work will be returned to you via email. However, you can request to have the finished documentation sent back to you via any method that is most convenient to you, or your business; and that may include a hardcopy sent to you via Royal Mail (First Class Post, or Special Delivery). Work or files saved onto other electronic devices e.g. CD’s, USB's. Printed documents can be sent to you by courier. If you choose this delivery option – there will be a charge.
Occasionally, some businesses/individuals may require an emailed draft copy of the transcript for approval, and once they have seen it, we can then post/email the document directly onto a third party client.
14. What format will the electronic documents take?
We typically use Microsoft Word or, if you prefer, Adobe’s Portable Document format (.pdf). To view a document in this format, download a free copy of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe.com web site.