Sometimes going cheap is good. But sometimes going cheap can cost you your career!

Sometimes going cheap is good.  Getting cheaper soap at the grocery store is good.  Getting cheap concert tickets is great.  But sometimes going cheap can cost you your business, your career…your livelihood.

I admit I am in a profession in which the workload is easily sent off shore to complete.  I also admit that it can be done cheaper.  I also know that doing so puts our medical, personal, and professional information at risk.

You get what you pay for.

I have stated before and will state again, that when our personal information is sent off shore, you are opening up the residents of the USA to identity theft, but you are also leaving the door wide open for other errors that can and do occur.  Things like hypoglycemic transcribed as hyperglycemic, known malignant transcribed as non-malignant, so many more…

Read more here http://wp.me/pLEiA-55 on how medical information is shared when transcribed over seas.  Is this where you want your information?  Even your insurance carrier may off shore their Workman’s Comp and Disability Claim Files.  Could that be why you have been denied benefits?  Was there an error in the medical report due to a language barrier?

Another example is legal transcription.  Allow me to share the following story:

I had a lawyer relay this to me to show the importance of commas that he found only AFTER a will reading.  One little comma can change a settlement of a case dramatically.

A man dies.  He leaves his estate to his three kids, which for the purpose of this example we will call Jack, Jill, and Jane.

His estate is worth a million dollars and it is to be divided in equal shares to Jack, Jill and Jane.

Now would you appreciate that inheritance?  Or if you were Jane and Jill, would you rather that pesky little comma so that it reads:

His estate is worth a million dollars and it is to be divided in equal shares to Jack, Jill, and Jane.

Without the comma Jack gets half, while Jill and Jane share the other half.  With the comma, they all get equal thirds.  Do you think someone who has English as a second language would understand the importance of that comma?  Jill and Jane sure found out the importance of the comma.

Imagine your comma missing in your important document!

For the journalist, ghost writer, and author.

You work hard to do your interviews, composites, and drafts.  Would you want your story transcribed by someone who then sells your hard work to a high bidder, with no possible recourse?  Confidentiality statements mean nothing when there are no ramifications for a breach.  When you search for the lowest possible bid, you get the lowest possible certainty that your hard work is safe.  Pay pennies…lose big bucks.

And yet another example:

Ever have your voice mail transcribed by an off shore vendor?  If you have, maybe it ended up on the blogs found when Googling “Funniest Voice Mail Transcription Errors.”

Now let’s get into another fact of life:

Big corporate companies off shore their work:  Manufacturers, tech developers, etcetera.  Sure it is cheaper, and maybe you even see okay quality with some products.  But have you thought about how we must share our trade secrets with the companies that we now send our work to, who then are under no legal ramifications if they share that information?  If they take it and run with it, now putting your business in jeopardy of losing it all?  What are you going to do?  Fire them, set up in another country, and pray it doesn’t happen again?  What about the money these businesses lose?  How do they recoup?  By increasing their costs.  By going bankrupt?  By a US Government bailout?

Keep US information, jobs, and resources where it belongs.  In the USA.  Our citizens are trained, they take pride in their work, and they need work – which builds our economy.

I do not dislike the other parts of this great world we live in.  I am just very proud to say that I am an American.  I live and work in the USA.  I am a proud US owned and operated businesswoman.

Have your audio/video transcribed by a human, in the US, by US citizens, and be proud to say it was Made in America! We honor your confidentiality at all times.   Do your research.  There are many great US transcriptionists and transcription companies right here in your own backyard.  It may cost you a few cents more, but you will save on quality and so much more.  But do your research.  Many large transcription companies off shore their workloads yet lead you to believe they do it all right here in the USA!

http://www.clktranscription.com – we never off shore your work.  We never use voice recognition.  We always respect your time and your confidentiality, and we give you the quality you demand.  Find out why we come highly recommended.

A Touching Transcriptionist’s Tale – Get Your Hankies Ready

I already know I have a fantastic team of transcriptionists here at CLK.  I already know that each of them have a story.  Here is another.  When you think that working from home is a luxury, I hope this gives you just a little more insight.  The only luxury is being able to be where our heart needs us most.

Why Transcription? ~by  Nicole Gennrich

Let me first say I love the work that I do for CLK.  Who knew you could never get bored doing your job.  It’s the same physical movement but the subject is always different.  I find it fascinating every day.  But I can honestly say that’s not what first drew me to the possibility of transcription as a career.

I’m fairly young and spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.  I had a daughter who I took to daycare every day so I could go to work.  I knew I hated missing so much time with her but knew, just like every other parent, that the bills had to be paid as well.  I was the marketing manager at a small water treatment company; liked my job but didn’t love it and didn’t really have any training to do anything else.  One day my whole view of my job, daycare, and the world changed.  My daughter’s daycare was closed that day so a “friend” of mine was watching her for me.  I received a frantic call from him that she was having a seizure.  I told him to call 911 and left work immediately.  When I got to my house the ambulance was still there so I rode to the hospital with her.  We had to stop a long the way because she was no longer breathing on her own and needed to be intubated.  After she was examined by the doctors they pulled me in a separate room and informed me that she had been shaken very violently and would probably not wake up again.  She was 18 months old.  They took her by helicopter to the best children’s hospital we have.  I knew if she could be saved they would save her.  Three days later in her ICU room I said goodbye to my baby and held her as they unhooked her from life support.  After spending a lot of time not being able to move I decided I had to figure something out.  I returned to my job but had been demoted and replaced because of my extended absence.  Understandable…life goes on for the rest of the world even when it has stopped for you.

Anyway, I had spent too much time and worked to hard to go back to where I started when I first joined the company.  I also realized I loved and missed being a mother and knew I needed to find something to do so I could be there if I ever had another baby – trusting someone would not be an option anymore.  That’s when I heard an ad on the radio for a seminar about medical transcription.  I went to the seminar and found out about going to school at home and working at home.  I started my medical transcription course with At-Home Professions and loved it.  It took me awhile to finish but I got it done.  In December 2007 I had a baby boy and knew I could be home with him.  I had a hard time finding work as a newbie to the medical transcription world.  But then I found the posting for transcription with CLK.  I wasn’t sure about the general transcription part but thought I’d send my resume anyway.  I can honestly say I love the general transcription more than medical now.  Why I choose transcription – it’s fun, fascinating, and I know my son is safe when I go to work every day.

Why I became a transcriptionist…Leticia W.

I asked the CLK team to jot done a few reasons why they became a transcriptionist and what they love about it.  Here is one story from one member of my team:

So, I thought, what do I want to be when I grow up?  I wanted a job where I could learn new things every day.  I wanted to have variety and some challenge in the work, throw in a little pressure or a deadline once in a while, and at the end of the day, be able to see my accomplishments for the day and know that I had done the very best job I could.  Also, I needed the flexibility in a job to allow me to be able to handle responsibilities at home that I had, plus, I love to type.

After careful consideration of my options, and the skills I had acquired through the years, I decided to become a medical transcriptionist.  So, I joined Career Step in December of 2007, took their medical transcription course, graduated the beginning of December 2008, with Honors, and started working with CLK at the end of December 2008.

Becoming a transcriptionist is one of the best decisions I could have ever made.  It allows me all the things I love in a job and then some.  I look forward every day to getting up and going to work. I found myself without a job in May of 2007 and I was completely lost.  I was in my early 40s and just didn’t think I could start over looking for a job and working my way back up the corporate ladder, especially the way the economy was headed.  It was time for a change.

LW

Visit us at www.clktranscription.com where transcribing isn’t just what we do  – it is who we are!

Working hard to meet the quality demands of our clients, and at the same time, the family and economic demands of the US transcriptionist.

Next time you visit your doctor, ask them an important question!

Where does your health care provider have their transcriptions done?  You may think that is a silly question.  One that is not important to you, but read on – you might just change your mind.

I believe the best people available to do a job should be those hired to do the job.  That being said, I believe that if there is work in the US, and a need for workers in the US, then it should be US workers filling that spot.  They are trained, they are dedicated, and they are familiar with the demand that is placed upon them.

I believe that to be true for all countries.  If you have jobs, and you have citizens, then offer training to your citizens, offer the job to your citizens…don’t send work somewhere else just because it is cheaper – you end up getting what you paid for – substandard work.  If your citizens need work and your economy needs help, why not spend time training and getting the work done within your borders by people who understand what it is you are looking for and who are dedicated to doing a fantastic job because they needed the job in the first place.

The US Transcriptionists are fighting for their jobs!

For example – the US Transcriptionist typically spends THOUSANDS of dollars for their training.  They live day-to-day searching for work, and are told they must have 2 to 5 years experience.  Yet gaining that experience is difficult because much of the work is sent over seas to be transcribed by others who do not have English as their first language and who are mills churning out low quality work in bulk, because they are “cheaper” than a US transcriptionist.

Where is the logic in that?  You send your audio over seas, you get it back and spend your own time correcting the transcripts, and at the same time, risk your information being unsecure and shared with others.  I would think your time is more valuable than that – having paid for a service only to have to edit because of language barriers.  Have you read the article about the women over seas who threatened her US client that she would post his information on the web because he was a little late in paying her?  Or what about the language barriers that cause major problems for doctors and their patients.  http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/it-strategy/2004/08/26/when-indian-transcriptions-head-awry-39164629/

Many US transcription companies state they do not offshore their work, but I am here to tell you that many, many of the larger companies do.  With a little investigation, just checking out their website, or even some of the transcriptionist forum sites, you will find that more and more of US work is being off shored, leaving these skilled US transcriptionists out of work.   It can be as simple as the contact page or e-mail address they set up on their website, or affiliations they note.  Many use off shore companies to subcontract their work to, but hide it from their clients.

Identify theft is a big problem!

In addition, identify theft is a scary situation.  A prospect every US citizen should be worried about.

Did you know that some researchers feel that up to 78 percent of identify theft begins off shore?  Criminals are finding more and more ways to get your information because more and more work is being sent offshore – http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/banking/financialprivacy/p90682.asp

Of course we have issues within our borders, but at least here, the laws are enforceable and we as citizens can demand protection from abuse and misuse of our information.

Why does it matter where your doctor has his transcripts completed?  Here are some scary thoughts:

When you go to your doctor’s office, you are expected to give them all of your information, including family, medical and social history.  Now maybe just having your social security number and insurance information is scary enough, but when you add-on the medications you use, the family history, your social history, it becomes easier for those with less than honest intentions to “become” you. In accessing credit card information, one of the questions a credit card company will ask you for security reasons is “what is your mother’s maiden name’.  when filing an insurance claim, the criminal has all the past information to validate who “you” are.

Think about what your doctor knows about you.  Think about all the information he obtains from you at every visit.

Lets not forget, that due to increasing malpractice suits and the ever rising cost of malpractice insurance, more and more doctors are dictating even more information to cover themselves and validate their care of your medical needs.  The fact that they have to do this is another blog – but imagine, every phone call you make to them, every illness you discuss, every change in address, phone number, insurance, etc – being dictated and transcribed off shore, where there is no legal recourse if someone were to take it and use it with malicious intent.  Even your child’s name and those of your extended family is oftentimes dictated by your doctor.

Do they know?

Some doctors, due to the ever-increasing costs to run their office have thought that off-shoring their transcripts can save them money.  Some are not aware that the hospital or facility they are affiliated with, or even the transcription company they utilize, sends the work off shore.  They just forward the audio and wait for it to be returned.

Those that off shore directly, typically have a person they pay to review and edit the transcripts – how is that saving money?  Paying sick days, holidays, taxes etc for an employee to correct what they already paid for?  Wouldn’t having it done right the first time by a person trained in the profession and who speaks your language be more cost-effective in the long run?  Those that send their transcripts to a US company who sends it off shore just have not researched enough to know any better.  They simply looked for the cheapest rate.

These US companies that off shore their work may be “saving” you money, but they do it for selfish reasons.  They charge you one amount, send the work off shore and pay pennies to have that work transcribed, allowing them to pocket a big chunk of change themselves.  In the long run, the only one who wins is them.

There are people all over the US looking for work.  Looking to make money.  Needing to make money.  Why not allow them to do the job they spent time and money to be trained for?  Think about how that helps that nation’s economy.   Your information will be safe and if not, they are legal ramifications that can be sought out.

Again, I am not against people working and earning a living.  I am for the people of a country that has work to offer being able to train and gain that position.

Transcription of medical and non-medical reports is a growing business with growing demand.  It documents conversations, and is used as ‘proof” of events.  It allows paperless tracking of events and discussions, and aids many individuals and companies every day.  your information is important enough to document, isn’t it important enough to safeguard and have accurate as well?

How not to hire American!

A few years ago I came across a conference, held here in the US at a Hilton Hotel.  It was all about how not to hire American – even if they could do the job – all in the name of saving a buck.  These were US companies, US jobs, at a US hotel discussing this topic.  SHAMEFUL if you ask me.  Here is the link to that video, still seen on the web.  http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/190607_avoid_hiring_american.html

Whatever happened to the days of being proud to display “Made in the USA”?

The next time you visit your doctor’s office or other health facility – ask them – who does your transcripts?  Even EMR information is being of-shored, so demand to know where your information is going.  Who has access to it?  Can they assure you that their transcription company does not offshore.  Does your insurance company offshore their medical reports?

The next time you have an audio to be transcribed – think American.  The next time you deal with a US company, ask them – do you off shore any information at all?  Safeguard your information.  Be proud to say your transcripts were Made In The USA.

www.clktranscription.com  We NEVER off shore our work, and we can show you how using a US transcriptionist can save you time and money. Contact us today for information on how we can assist you with your transcription needs.  The US transcriptionists will appreciate it and work harder to meet your demands.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Transcription Company

Having a transcription company transcribe your audio/video absolutely can save you time to handle other chores and business, in the long run saving you money, because how valuable is your time to you, your family and your business?    How can you be sure that you’re getting everything you can out of  the transcription company handling your projects?

Here are some tips for anyone who is thinking about recording audio for transcription, or has audio they would like transcribed:

When setting up for your recording, take into consideration your surroundings.  Background noise will interfere with the recording.  A good transcription company understands you do not record in a bottle and there will never be absolutely no background noise, but limiting the circumstances allows the transcription company to focus on the words of the speakers, and allows them to research any possible questions with the content.

Try not to place the recording device flat on a  desk.   This provides openings for echos of chair movement, glasses or other items on the desk being moved.  Even the keyboard keys or paper shuffling can interfere with the spoken words you are trying to capture. Keep in mind, whatever is on the desk is closer than the mouth of the speaker and will be the loudest thing on the audio.

Be mindful of the volume being recorded.  Be mindful of cell phone usage during an interview.   And most importantly, be mindful that the device is turned on.

When speaking, try not to cut the other person off.  This is not always possible, but even repeating your comment or question if this occurs helps the transcription company develop more complete transcripts for you.

When choosing a transcription company, there may be questions or concerns that you should have asked but were not aware of until AFTER you have assigned your project.  Be specific in what your demands are.

Do you want verbatim-verbatim – every um, er, false start and stutter transcribed, or do you wish the transcript to be cleaned up, removing false starts and stutters?  Do you want the speakers grammar cleaned up, or leave the transcript as spoken?  (In most cases, false starts and “sounds” are cleaned up automatically, but grammar, if spoken incorrectly, is not.  Many transcription companies understand that the way a person speaks is unique to them, and shows their personality.)

Is there a particular format you want?  Do you want the speaker’s names noted or just generic headings used?  Do you want contractions used if spoken?  How many spaces after a period would you like?  What font size or page margins?

Is there any portion of the audio that you do not want transcribed?  If paying per minute of audio, this is very important, and could save you money.  Is there chit chat before or after an interview that you do not need transcribed?

Is there a deadline?  Many transcription companies note standard TAT for a return of your work (24, 36, 72 hours), and may hold it using a first in, first out method to assigning.   If you need your audio the same day, next day or even a week later – let your transcription company know.  This not only ensures you that you will get it in time to meet your deadline, but will allow the transcription company better handle their workload.

Name your audio file before you send it to the transcription company, or tell them what you would like the transcript saved as.  Inform the transcription company of who the speakers are, especially when names may not be clear or have odd spellings. If there are topics or words you feel may be foreign to the transcription company, let them know.   This too, allows the transcription company to have a heads-up on potential research for terms and phrases if needed, or even decide to assign to a particular transcription with strengths in that area of topic.

Lastly, it is always a good idea to let the transcription company know how long the audio is.  This allows them to verify that your audio has been received in full with no disconnects on download or other problems.

Some questions you may want to ask your transcription company:

Is there a specific format that the audio / video file must be for them to transcribe and develop a quality report from it?

Do they off shore their work?

Do they utilize speech recognition?

Do they have a pool of transcribers to help with your workload so that multiple transcriptionists can cover your audio, all familiar with your demands?

Do they utilize independent contractors and are they all bound by confidentiality.  Having a confidentiality contract with a transcription company alone does not safeguard your projects if those actually transcribing the work are not bound by the same confidentiality.

Are their rates negotiable and what does their regular rates include?  Is the per minute rate for any audio, no matter the length and no matter how many speakers, and no matter the TAT expected on regular assignments?  What is their priority or stat rate?

If you do not communicate these things to your transcription company, you may not get what you were looking for.  If your transcription company doesn’t allow you to make these demands, then maybe you should review other companies and what they can offer you.

CLK Transcription never sends their workload offshore.  We never use speech recognition.  We know nothing understands the human voice as well as the human ear.

CLK Transcription uses independent contractors and each must sign a confidentiality agreement before any work is assigned.

CLK Transcription never holds work and does not use a first in-first out assignment schedule.  We have a team of transcriptionists that are each trained on every account so that your work never has to wait to be assigned.  This also allows us to work on those large projects of multiple hours simultaneously offering a quicker TAT for multi-day seminars, focus groups, and conferences.

CLK Transcription can accept all forms of downloadable audio, as well as CD, DVD and cassettes, utilizing the best of available programs to convert to MP3, and if you wish, can forward the converted file to you when the project is complete.  CLK Transcription can also transcribe hard copy white paper into a word document for you.

CLK Transcription offers standard proofing on every project received, and when a difficult audio is received, we have multiple people listen and fill in as many gaps as possible – at no extra charge.  Although we treat every client as our only client, we have found it necessary to charge a nominal fee for priority files (files needed back immediately ASAP), however in most cases, files are returned well within 24 hours, regardless of length of audio anyway.

CLK Transcription’s rates are below the national average, and we offer discounts for education projects, discounts for referrals, and many times throughout the year, we offer dollars off to our regular clients.  We review each new client and the projects they will be assigning to us and develop a rate that works for them.

CLK Transcription is servicing the world with professional, quality transcriptions.  We offer the quality you demand at a cost you can afford.  Contact us at CarolLee@CLKTranscription.com or visit WWW.CLKTranscription.com for details on how we can assist you with your transcription needs.  We are LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription where our recommendations can be viewed. Follow us on Twitter @clk_shortcake.

It will be our pleasure to offer a $5.00 discount to any new or standing client who mentions this blog or retweets on Twitter.