 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Transcription Transcribing Transcription Transcribing
Transcription Transcribing Transcription Transcribing
Get It Transcribed Now!
6 Secrets To Know Before You Hire A Transcriber
Thank you for your interest in my services, and
welcome to the wonderful
world of the “Virtual Assistant.” Having an assistant in cyberspace can
be extremely efficient and cost-effective. Not only do you not need to
provide office space, computers or supervision, you also don’t have to provide
benefits like paid holidays, vacation time, or health insurance.
First, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself.
I have been working for professionals around the country since
1995. I have worked with a wide variety of word processing and other
computer software packages since 1982 and have transcribed for
engineers, attorneys, and marketing professionals since 1987. I type each minute of a good-quality
audio in about 3 minutes. That means it normally takes about 3 hours to transcribe a 1-hour
audio file.
I can transcribe audio from almost any format, including DVD's, mp3 files, wav files, as well as standard size cassettes and printed or handwritten text. I do not accept micro-cassettes.
Feel free to request a sample transcript page, so you can see what your transcripts would look like, or you can submit your own formatting template and I'll be happy to accommodate it.
Because poor-quality audio files and faxes take longer to transcribe, I bill
hourly (broken down into 6-minute increments), instead of by the word or page as
many secretarial services do. My rate is $50 per hour. For
comparison, my fee generally breaks down to less than $.02 per
word (yes, that's less than 2 pennies per word!) or $2.50 per minute of audio. So,
a one-hour interview would cost approximately $150 to have transcribed.
I normally send the transcript files back to you by e-mail; however, I am more than happy
to include printed copies and on a floppy disk or CD for a small fee. The following is a list of those
charges:
» $3 for each diskette or CD that I send with a package
» Actual postage charges incurred for returning materials, plus
$3.00 for packaging and preparation time
» 20¢ per page for printed copies of a document
A prepayment of $100 is required with your first project and will be credited to
your first invoice. When I complete your project(s), I will mail, e-mail or fax you
the invoice.
You may pay invoices by checks made out to:
Oasis Office Support
249 Tia Trail
Lowell, Michigan 49331
My turnaround time is generally a day or two for a one-hour audio file, but you can certainly call ahead and reserve time.
You can ship materials to me at the address above using the U.S. Post Office,
United Parcel Service, Federal Express, Airborne or DHL, or you can fax
documents to me. Or feel free to email me audio files.
SendThisFile.com and YouSendIt.com both work great for sending large audio
files, and both offer a free membership.
I look forward to helping you with your transcription and word processing
projects! But if there is any other type of service that you need
help with, talk to me and see if I can be your one-stop shop. And since I welcome new clients
mainly on the basis of
referral by other satisfied clients, I would greatly appreciate if you would
refer anyone you might know who needs the services I offer.
Due to the amount of telemarketing calls we get, if you would like to call me or have any questions at all, please email me and I will give you my telephone number.
I sincerely appreciate your business! Oh, and by the way, everything I do for all of my clients remains completely confidential.
Warmly,
Sandi White
e-mail: SandiWhite@getittranscribed.com
MY
MISSION:
Helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses by
providing satisfaction-guaranteed office support
that frees them to focus on strategies instead of details.
The
6 Secrets You Should Know
Before Hiring A Transcriber
1. How do they charge? The best transcribers don't charge by the word or by the page, they charge by the hour. This assures the transcriber that he/she will be paid fairly for the job, especially if the tape is of poor quality and hard to understand. They will be able to tell you approximately how long each minute of tape takes them to complete. If a service charges by the page, you pay double the fee just for having a document double-spaced. And if they charge by the word, you may find additional, unnecessary words in your transcripts where they "completely misunderstood" what was said. Some services that charge by the word will even take "shortcuts" and leave out information or make something up just to avoid spending time deciphering a hard-to-hear tape. And they should leave underline characters (which are much easier to find) to show you where they couldn't hear or understand what was said.
2. Do they know your niche? Most transcription services don't understand direct response marketing, the terminology, or the people involved in it. I have been working exclusively with direct marketing experts since 1995 and am intimately familiar with the "gurus" in the field and the terminology. That means there's less chance of any misspelled names or terms in your documents.
3. Do they offer suggestions or business ideas that may come up after listening to your tapes? With my many years of transcribing for niche marketers, I occasionally think of an idea to improve or add to an idea discussed on a tape. I always pass those ideas along to you, which could add hundreds or thousands of dollars to your bottom line. I can also refer you to the experts in direct response marketing, because most of them are my clients.
4. Will they notify you when they receive your materials? With the flaws that exist in delivery systems, it is important for you to know that your material arrived in good shape. A good transcription service will also give you an idea of when you can expect to receive the transcript back.
5. What will your transcripts look like when you get them back? Some transcribers will send you a transcript that contains lengthy paragraphs that are hard to read. Worse yet, some will send you the entire transcript as one long paragraph. A good transcriber will break text up into sensible, 3- or 4-sentence paragraphs, making it easy to read and edit. There should also be a new paragraph and a notation when a new speaker begins speaking. A nicely formatted transcript means it will take you much less time to prepare it for your final product.
6. How can you find the best transcriber to do your projects? Like any other services you need, it's always best to ask other people you know who they use. A personal referral is like a "seal of approval" when it comes to finding the best people. You can get the opinions of those who have used the services before you, along with a detailed description of what kind of service they received.