At least once in your life you could have used a great transcriptionist! Did you find it at the grocery store?

I get asked all the time, “who needs transcription services besides doctors and lawyers?’

I am always amazed at the amount of “wow, I hadn’t thought of that” responses that I get when I tell them.

At one time or another everyone needs transcription so they can have an electronic copy to edit, share and save.  Having a transcribed version of their audio or hard copy material allows them to do all of that, plus having someone else handle that part of their project, allows them time to complete the other pressing aspects of their project or life.

I am equally amazed at how many send their work to a medical transcription company when their project is not medically related. 

CLK Transcription is a TRANSCRIPTION company, specializing in medical and non-medical projects of all topics and specialties.   You wouldn’t take your transmission concern to a quick lube joint, or your horse to a pediatrician, or shop for a contractor at a grocery store would you?

Parents:

  • IEPs held for their special needs kids.
  • Their grandma’s diary, recipes, and old love letters to be shared with others.
  • Their grandpa’s stories that made them sit in wonder on his lap while he told them.

 Students:

  • Interviews for your Masters / Doctorate projects
  • Student’s senior projects
  • Reports and presentations

Freelancers / Authors / Ghost Writers:

  • Interviews
  • Hard copy of older articles
  • Notes for the book being written
  • Telephone communications

Physicians:

  • Medical notes / exams, Op reports. H&P, IMEs, procedure notes
  • Telephone communications
  • Letters of medical necessity

Lawyers:

  • IMEs
  • Depositions
  • Telephone communications
  • Meetings

Corporations:

  • Meetings
  • Roundtables
  • Brainstorming sessions
  • Material for office in-services / training / employee handbooks
  • Material for mailers
  • Correspondence
  • Seminars
  • Telephone communications
  • Multi-day events and ceremonies

Trainers / Educators / Mentors

  • Webinars
  • Radio shows
  • Seminars
  • Meetings
  • Telephone communications

Elderly / Physically handicapped

  • Correspondence to our loved ones
  • Things to remember / lists / important items.

Everyone:

  • Voice mail
  • Poetry written on napkins
  • Recipes only found in our memories
  • Thoughts to be saved for future sharing with loved ones
  • Master Lists for chores, receipts, shopping, auto repairs, home repairs, important insurance inventory lists, etc.
  • Electronic Signatures developed – Go Green and Save a tree

We also proofread items already transcribed. 

All of these things and more can be easily transcribed and saved electronically for editing, burning to disc, sharing, and prep for that very important project.  When you think about the time saved when someone else does the transcribing, and you can get on with every other aspect of your project, or just spend time with loved ones  – you find how very important you time is.

So when you think you don’t need a transcription company, or feel you can do it yourself – I just have to ask “how much is your time worth?  How long does it take you to transcribe those notes, memos, audios – and what else could you be doing?”

CLK Transcription can help you find the time you need and help you meet your deadline and get on with other personal concerns.  Whether it is recorded audio or hard copy (scrap paper, receipts, hand written or old print), we can develop it into an easy to read and edit document for you.

Our rates are competitive, reasonable, and below the national norm – and we work with you on your budgetary concerns.  We offer an easy to read invoice as well as yearly invoice recaps for your tax filing.  Most importantly, every client receives a confidentiality agreement signed by us, and if you have other documentation needed, we have no problem supplying it for your records.  We never off-shore our projects and we do not use speech recognition – have you seen the errors made by use of this program?

Throughout the year we offer savings programs so that tax season and the holidays don’t take a bite of your work, or vice versa, and we offer payment plans for those who may need it.  We truly understand how your project is important to you even when the economy can slow us all down.

Contact us today to find out how we can save you time and money.

www.clktranscription.com

The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! Do you need more time?

Just when you think you have it all figured out and get into that groove of starting and completing your projects, the holidays sneak up on you, not to mention the end of the year, preparing for taxes and possibly new marketing of your own.  There just isn’t enough hours in the day, days in the week, or weeks in the month to finish everything you need to accomplish.

 

Whether you are a journalist, author, or ghost writer with interviews, student or parent with educational projects or IEPs, business professional with round tables and meetings, speaker or presenter with webinars, conferences, or audio blogs – this is the time of year where time to complete all of your projects AND meet family and personal demands is so difficult to find.

 

You clients, editors, and educators want and demand more and more of your attention, because they too know the end of the year is coming and there is so much to do to prepare for that and the coming holidays.  And your family – they just want you and your attention so you can celebrate with them.

 

Some may be able to juggle their projects and personal demands, but why juggle?

 

The team at CLK Transcription works through the holiday and allows you the gift of time to do those things that in the minds of your family and friends can be more important than your project .  We also offer gift certificates for that important person in your life that may be hesitant to let go of some of the workload.

 

Yes we do voice mail, so you can be on the road and still not miss that important call. It can be transcribed and sent right to your cell phone.

 

Yes, we do medical transcription of office notes, Op reports, narratives, etcetera – so even if you have in-house staff to transcribe, when your staff is on vacation, we can cover for them.

 

Yes, we convert DVDs, CDs, Cassettes, to MP3s.  Yes, we convert hard copy media to electronic Word documents.

 

And for those that want to save a few trees, yes we can develop electronic signatures for you so you do not need to print every document for a signature.

We offer a confidentiality agreement to all of our clients, and have handled project files from 12 seconds to 80 hours. We never use speech recognition.

 

So, if  you need to find some time to take on additional work, spend with family, or celebrate a holiday and get your project done all at the same time – and could use some money saved in the process – check out CLK Transcription.  We would love to assist you with your transcription needs.

 

We have a team of transcriptionists that can handle your audio transcription on a wide range of topics, utilizing our knowledge base and research abilities to offer you quality transcripts at a cost that is well below the national average.

 

We are owned and operated here in the US.  ESLs are welcome however we do not off shore our work, ever.   Many of our team are Veterans or family members of Active Duty Servicemen and women. We support our troops.

 

We want to save you time and money and allow you to enjoy the season and prepare for the New Year.  So come on, check us out and find out why we come so highly recommended.

 

We are an e-mail away from assisting you with your next project.

Carollee@clktranscription.com

Twitter = @CLK_Shortcake
Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/CLKTranscription
and
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CLK-Transcription-Inc/100158850050342

LinkedIn = http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription

 

 

 

Getting the most out of your child’s IEP evaluation

IEP: Individualized Education Program.

 

An IEP is meant to help meet the educational needs of children with disabilities.  An IEP is supposed to help children reach educational goals.  What happens when parent and educators do not agree on what those goals should be or the process in which they are being achieved (or not achieved)?

 

If you find yourself wondering if the program your child is enrolled in is right for him/her, and you don’t seem to be satisfied after the IEP evaluation process, maybe you or a service provider is not hearing the same information provided at these sessions.

 

Consider recording the sessions and having them transcribed so that you, the educators and other service providers have a record of the conversation.

 

No more I said / they said when it comes to your child’s educational development.  No more wondering if you understand what exactly is being done.  No more being told “you misunderstood”.  Not when it comes to your child’s future.

 

Many times, the transcription of your IEP evaluation is helpful to any legal team working with you as well.

 

CLK Transcription has been involved with developing quality transcripts of IEP evaluations, and we are available to help with yours.

 

We offer a discounted rate for IEP Evaluation transcription projects, because we know and understand our youth are our future.

 

Contact us today and find out how we can help.

 

CarolLee@clktranscription.com / www.clktranscription.com

That time of year again…are you ready for the ‘hard to buy for’ freelancer in your life?

Every year there is that one, or two or five people on your list and you just have no idea what to get them.  They seem to have everything or not to need anything.

Why not give them the gift of time and money? 

CLK Transcription offers Gift Certificates for the freelancer in your life that may just need a little time and money this year.  There is never a contract.  No project is too big or too small.  And we offer the same quality to all of our clients, whether they are a one-time only or a frequent submitter.

You can purchase any denomination gift certificate up to $1000.00 to give to that special freelancer and save them time and money.  CLK Transcription will handle the transcription of their audio, or other services they require, while they take that time for the special things they have to do.

And here is a little secret, you can get something for yourself too, free!  When you purchase a $100.00 certificate and get $10.00 certificate for yourself. Purchase a $500.00 certificate and get a $25.00 certificate for yourself.  Certificates of $100.00 or more do not expire and available balances are tracked with the invoices generated. 

CLK Transcription offers more than just transcription of your audio, too. 

We do WORD to PDF conversions and vice verse, hard copy to WORD document, conversion of your tapes or other audio to MP3, voice mail transcription, and electronic signature development, FTP hosting, email services – just to name a few.

Contact carollee@CLKTranscription.com for additional details or visit our website, www.clktranscription.com, for additional information about our company and services offered.

Find out why we come highly recommended.  Our recommendations can be viewed on LinkedIn = http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription

Join us on social media networks – we love to share a good read.

Twitter = @CLK_Shortcake

Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/CLKTranscription
and
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CLK-Transcription-Inc/100158850050342

Unused gift certificate balances are not refundable.  Certificates good for CLK Transcription services only.

Yes! I Said it. Not everyone is cut out for transcription, but…

Being able to do transcription, for me, is a joy.  I look forward to work every day.  I enjoy what I do and love the idea that I can continue to expand my skills every day.  I do not know everything, but this is the job that can teach me every day.

I believe honesty is always best.  I don’t pull punches when it comes to my job and the assistance I offer my clients, or what I expect from my team.  I expect their best.  Whatever their best is.  I expect that if they do this job, they want to continue to learn how to do it better.

Not everyone is cut out for transcription.  This may not be a surprise to many, but it is  a surprise to many of those who spent countless hours and unimaginable amounts of money to attend ‘schools’ for training, graduate ‘with honors’, and then find that what they learned in school is not even half the battle.  They may last a day, a week, or a month, but then they realize it isn’t for them.

They can type, yes.  They know medical terminology, yes.  They listened to hours and hours of audio recorded specifically for classes.   And they did well.

What they didn’t learn was that real doctors, or anyone for that matter, do not speak into recorders the same in real life dictation as they do when reading a script for tapes to be used in a class.  They did not learn how to utilize the programs, many, many programs, that are used by hospitals and other companies to receive, play, transcribe, and return audio recordings and reports.  They did not learn that hot keys and templates do not always save time when working on transcripts and yes, sometimes they are a waste of time.

They did not get the whole speech recognition software that they downloaded to be super fast would mean that either they train that software to each and every client or they listen and repeat each and every audio they receive if they work for themselves and not a company as either an IC or an employee.

Now, there are many transcriptionists that are great with all of the programs.  They can do their job without a worry in the world, but they didn’t start that way.  Many, if not all, learned by the seat of their pants AFTER spending time and money in school.  Others, well they are self-taught, and kept their mind open to the many possibilities and challenges that every client gave them.

I have found after working with newbies, that they wanted this so badly they put everything they had into learning the trade through a school, and then have no clue how much more there is to learn.

I can’t tell you how many times I can give a template and be told ‘that’s not how I did it in school’ when I ask why their reports do not look anything like what I asked them to look like.

I do not blame the transcriptionists.  I blame the schools who train only the very basic and make it sound as if they got it covered.

Before you put money out for ‘training’ as a transcriptionist, do your research.

  • Do they train you in different FTP or other transfer programs?
  • Do they train you in different pedal/player programs and options?
  • Do they train you how to set up your spellchecker to properly check your transcription jobs?
  • Do they train you in grammar as well as the medical language?
  • Do they train you in multiple formats and templates?
  • Do they train you to type without the use of templates?
  • Do they train you in proofing your work thoroughly?
  • Do they explain the ‘minimum 2 years experience’ that is required for most medical transcription companies?
  • Do they offer internships with transcription companies to allow you to get the minimum experience other companies require?
  • Do they explain that it is never a bread and butter career choice to start, but can be with hard work and an open mind?

Transcription is a great career if you have the patience to learn.  And when I say learn, I mean every day. I tell my team don’t limit yourself.  Take those difficult audios and do your best, eventually they come easier.  Take the time you can to research.  Blanks are okay, but what you type must be accurate.

And proof, proof, proof. 

For my newbies I suggest they transcribe and then listen and read along to catch their errors, clean up punctuation, and research those blanks to see if they can fill them in.  Give me their best, no matter how bad they think it is.  That’s what makes a great transcriptionist and that’s what gets then the increases, both in workload and in rates.

The flexibility that transcription as an IC offers is a wonderful thing for those who have young children, need extra income, have personal responsibilities and obligations that do not allow them to hold a regular full-time job.  But what many do not learn in school is that many transcription companies ‘hire’ them as an IC, but expect hours of availability, minimum daily or weekly line counts, and that flexibility they thought they would have is out the window.

Many feel that with a typing speed of 80 wpm will make them more money, but in this business speed is not an option, accuracy is.  Your availability and willingness to learn is what makes you the money – not how fast you can type a report that may need more work than it’s worth when complete and returned to the client.  Speed comes with time.  The respect you have for your work – that’s what is priceless, because your work will be respected ten-fold.

The best transcriptionists will tell you, even they reach out to others in this field for help, guidance and support.  (http://www.facebook.com/groups/mtwords/).   No school can even come close to the sisterhood/brotherhood that is transcription.

So, yes, I said it.  Not everyone is cut out for transcription, but if you think you are, know that you belong to a family that is growing and is in great demand.  It is the one career where every day is an education and that graduating with honors is achieved with every report you complete.

www.clktranscription.com  Medical and non-medical transcription services.  We love what we do!

So much work, so little willing workers? I don’t think so.

Many have heard this and many use this as an excuse to send their work offshore.

It may be true for some industries.  In others, like transcription, it is not.  What may be true is that there are so many workers who have become accustomed to demanding rates and salaries that are no longer feasible.  Now that does not mean they don’t deserve the pay they wish to demand.  So what does it mean?

It means with the economy the way it is and the ability for so many to take the easiest, cheapest way and send their work offshore – even if the American people find the results sub-par – the workers have to adjust their way of thinking about work.  Where five years ago you could charge someone $70 to 100 for an hour of audio, no one is making enough money to be able to pay that now, especially when off-shoring has become an option.

Do you want to work and earn money in one of the fastest growing industries, where you can prove your worth and work up to a level that is doable for both you and the client?  Or do you want to sit at home and be able to view word boards, transcription forums, complaining about no work, low pay, and the demands of the clients that you do have?

In an industry where the majority of the workers are independent contractors, in essence their own business, the fact that many feel they can bash, dismiss, and essentially burn bridges with those clients that are allowing them to earn any kind of income is astonishing.  In an industry where the quality of work is essential to the client, yet the IC transcriptionist will question the work requirements or ignore them totally, is simply not acceptable.  Not to the private client, and not to the small business that utilizes ICs, such as myself.

Where once an IC could charge X amount for transcription, it just isn’t possible anymore.  You are dealing with physicians who are being bled dry by their own economic drama and journalists, educators and other persons who may develop audio for transcription that are a cog in the economic wheel that turns slowly as well.

I have heard the IC blame clients for the lack of pay and lack of work, but in reality it is the idea that no matter what the economic situation on the world, some in the transcription industry feel they can demand a rate and have no understanding of what clients must do to stay within their budgets – and when I say clients, I mean the smaller transcription companies, the journalists, the educators, the students, and the doctors.  Those that have the potential to work with us to bring back and keep the transcription jobs here in the US.

No one should work for peanuts.  But when a newbie, someone just starting out, or a seasoned transcriptionist wants to keep working and earning money – taking a dip in the rate they may have asked for years ago while maintaining the quality they demand, is one way to insure you will remain working and the transcription needs of the client kept here in the US.

As a company that could easily offshore every bit of work I get and probably make more money than I do by not, I prefer to work with my clients to meet their budget demands, and as we prove ourselves, when the situation turns around, those rates will pick up – but until then, we are working, we are honing our skills, and we are growing.  Sure my rates are a bit lower than the national norm to my clients, but they are on point with the national norm to the IC – even if on the lower level of that norm, and there is work to be done.  It is the ICs that look back to even just five years ago, and think those rates are still obtainable.

I know that by being true, honest, and accommodating to the clients I have, they will be appreciative and be around a while.  I find the same can be said about the ICs I utilize.  I also know that without clients there is no work, and without the assistance of some absolutely wonderful ICs, I have no business.  Being able to juggle the needs of both can be difficult.  I do my best.

Having work today, in my opinion, is much better than having time to sit on web forum boards complaining about having no work, or the rate of pay you can garner from doing it.

Here at CLK Transcription, I would like to think that the respect I give my clients and those ICs that assist me with the workflow would come back to me two-fold – and it does.  I love what I do and helping others find their way to loving it too, is a wonderful feeling.

There is lots of work, and there are lots of wonderfully talented, capable US transcriptionists willing to handle it.

Check us out.  Find out why we come highly recommended.  You will not be disappointed.

www.clktranscription.com

Are you an IC Transcriptionist? Why it’s important to be honest. Happy Anniversary to CLK Transcription

Working with independent contractors is tricky enough with all the regulations about what is an IC and what is not.  Utilizing ICs, I am well aware of the limitations, and still I enjoy doing so because I know it is helping someone build their business.  I am their client.

There are many pitfalls to hiring IC’s too.  My biggest pet peeve is the inability of some to be honest about what it is they want from this business, what they want for their business.

For example, when someone comes on as IC and says things like “I am available all day every day” and then they are only on to work maybe one day a week.  Or the ever familiar “I can handle difficult audio” and they can however they turn away every variation of audio except clear one-on-one interviews because it may take a bit more research or time.  They just don’t understand this limits their ability to grow.

There are moments when I am so busy that I can send out e-mails asking if anyone is available and there is no communication at all in response.  But send out one e-mail saying a higher rate project is available and everyone comes out of the woodwork. As an IC, it doesn’t matter when you are available or what you can handle – it’s my job to monitor my workload and the ICs I use and who has proven what t me as far as abilities.  But honesty does matter to me and when an IC is not forthcoming about availability, to me, it calls to question every aspect of their professional ethics.

When I discuss this business with newbies to CLK Transcription, I am very specific as to what the work assignments will be, what is expected, and how as an IC, I cannot guarantee workloads or how much money they make – that is up to them – their abilities and their availability, yet I find that some just don’t get it.  They don’t get that the most important part of a person’s professional reputation is honesty.  Honesty about abilities, capabilities, and every other aspect of their working relationship with their clients.

Don’t get me wrong.  I have an awesome team.  I have a team that is in constant communication with me and knows their own abilities. Whether they are on-call only or daily warriors for CLK.  But I also have those who I deal with, still peripheral teammates, who never communicate, never respond to e-mails, never available on any kind of regular basis – but when I say “more money is available for these project files” they jump on and wonder why I can’t assign them that project.  Here is why I can’t:

If I have teammates that put their best forward whether every day or once a week, communicate with me, and do their best consistently, how fair would it be for me to overlook them to assign a larger project file to someone else who never communicates and is never available during those periods where I have limited coverage and request additional assistance for my projects.  Ultimately, everyone gets work, but it is good business sense to keep those people busy who help me stay busy.

It is just common business sense that one takes care of those who take care of them. Those that communicate and those that step up all the time, not just when more money is involved.

Some ICs do not last with CLK.  Although they are not available, can’t turn around a ten minute audio in three hours, and do not communicate, they complain that there is no money or no work.   (This is especially interesting when I look at my schedule and see that we average over 200 files every two weeks, and over 500 hours of audio a month on average).

Some leave to go to “better” assignments.  I wish them well.

I know that for every two that may leave, if they stay in the business, one always comes back.  They realize other companies have expectations as to weekly line counts or just time they should be sitting at their computer waiting for work.  They realize that with CLK, they have flexibility because they are an IC, not an employee, and although other companies say they are ICs and responsible for their own taxes, they must be there ready for work, whether the work is there or not.  Some find that their family obligations are more involved than they thought it would be and a 9-5 IC job does not work for them.  Or they find they weren’t ready to move on because although CLK works with those with limited skills by utilizing a two-proofer review and offering training through an earn-while-you-learn internship, other companies do not.  They find that although I use newbies, fresh out of school, other companies want two or more years experience.

Some leave to be able to do just medical transcription, and CLK is a Transcription Company, not a Medical Transcription Company, and if they can’t handle the regular straight transcription of everyday conversations, medical is not going to be easier.

Those warriors who have been with CLK for years are transcriptionists, able to transcribe anything and everything that comes through our offices.  They have great research skills, great professionalism, great communication, and are able to work with others to get the project done right.  And we all know when one of us drops the ball, we all feel it, so we work as a team to make sure balls don’t get dropped often and when they are, we make darn sure our clients are satisfied with the “fix” offered.  We know we are not perfect 100 percent of the time, but boy do we want to be.

I guess I am on this rant because I love what I do.  I enjoy working with others who want to grow in this business and I love to know we are doing our part in making our own money, handling our personal business and taking care of our families at the same time, and we can be the best we can be assisting our clients in what they do as well, all the while being honest with ourselves and our clients about our professional abilities. We are Professional Transcriptionists

To my team I say THANK YOU for your hard work and dedication to making each and every one of our clients feel as if they are our only clients.  Without you, the IC transcriptionists, CLK could not be the highly recommended transcription company it is, averaging 5 new referrals a week.  Six years ago today CLK became incorporated and we look forward to growing and enabling even more ICs to grow into their own as well.

Happy Anniversary CLK Transcription.

www.clktranscription.com

From Transcriptionists, to Transcriptionists, about CLK and the general task at hand…

From Patricia J.
We partner with the authors and journalists to provide them with a written transcript.  We work to make them look good and to make the transition from verbal communication to written word as seamless and clean as possible.
We are language specialists who enjoy the opportunity to learn about new fields, other people’s life experience, et cetera.  We enjoy the opportunity to research things we don’t know so that we can return a polished, professional product to the clients.  We’re committed to being available to get the job done.  It’s important to follow-through and to be a good communicator with the “Home office”  to make sure that what we do represents them well and helps to establish client loyalty.      The more work the home office gets, the more work we get.  It’s a team effort, and we all have a part to play.

We may be anonymous to the home office clients, but we’re essential in getting the work out in a timely, professional, and polished way.

From Ruth C.

Patience, Determination, Willingness, Self-discipline, Curiosity, Teachable, Cooperative

These words come to mind immediately when I think about the work I do.

I’m supposed to be retired.  How do you retire when you’ve only known work your entire life?  Working with CLK gives me the opportunity to work even though my body tells me “not any more.”

It isn’t easy work.  It is worthwhile work.  It is on-going education paying while you learn. 

Research is an important part of our job.  If you don’t have a great curiosity about anything and everything…well, you probably want to choose another profession.

If you are flighty and can’t sit still, if you are easily bored…find some other way to earn a living.

If you don’t want to accept constructive criticism…this isn’t the job for you.

If you like to play alone…well, we are a team at CLK.

I have typed files that I found to be objectionable material.  Because I had committed to the files I completed them.  A discussion with CarolLee assured me that any subject that wore on my conscience should have been brought to her attention immediately and the file would have been reassigned.  CLK is all about fairness to the IT, not just the client.

CarolLee and CLK have seen me through some physically and emotionally critical times in the last three years.  When I’ve told her of a situation her response was, “Keep me posted.”  Just be honest and forthcoming with CarolLee and CLK and she will work with you (and pray for you) all the way.

If you’ve never owned a headset or operated a foot pedal, well, just be honestly willing to learn and CarolLee will guide you every keystroke of the way.

Although few of us have met face to face, at CLK we are more than a team.  We are a family …sometimes dysfunctional but a family none-the-less.  When one of us decides to try our talents in business for ourselves, that sibling is encouraged and wished great success by all.

So, if you are willing to work hard, determined to learn, curious about all the things you didn’t know were out there in the world, crave the joy of being responsible or your own welfare and not worrying about going to work and finding the doors chained, need flexibility to accommodate life’s demands, well, please join us at CLK.

Dear Interviewer. Part two in a transcriptionist’s quest to better serve you…

I believe a transcriptionist is a journalist’s/writer’s/physician’s/educator’s/student’s best friend.  We are able to transcribe your audio and provide you with quality documents, and in doing so, save you time and money.

Thee are some tips that you can keep in mind, as someone who has the need for audio transcription, that can make it easier for the transcriptionist to provide better service to you.  Some have been mentioned here in a previous post – http://wp.me/pLEiA-6B

Here are a few more that some of my team would like to share.  These tips, I am sure, are echoed throughout the transcription community.

There are a lot of times that researching things like, spelling of people’s names, cities, special drugs like cancer research drugs, technology terms, sometimes even acronyms can be tricky.

What is interesting is some people will go out of their way to say a word, and then spell a word like Apple Sauce, but names like Anna Koolakokaloma are just said, usually real fast and not spelt – except graciously they will say Anna with two ‘n’s.

If the audio is not the best, or the person speaking is difficult to understand due to background noise, cell phones being used, ESL, etcetera, it can take even longer for the research to be done and we all know “time is money,” both to the client and the transcriptionist.

So, please help us produce the most efficient, accurate, and professional report for you by providing as much information as you can regarding the interview or project being transcribed, even a website that we can reference for information can sometimes be helpful.

We pride ourselves with our research skills, but there are times that having that information beforehand can save us both time and money.

If there is more than one speaker being interviewed, having them say their names when they start talking is so helpful.  You’d be amazed at how most people sound alike on a recording.

Chances are if the person you are interviewing is sitting across the room and you are sitting with the recorder it will be impossible to hear them.  Move it by them or have them speak louder.  Consider sitting still if you are using speakerphone with the recorder sitting next to it.  When using speakerphone, noise on your end cuts out what the person being interviewed is saying.  So instead of hearing them, I’m hearing the papers being moved, you walking around, etcetera.  I even had one where the interviewer was taking notes with paper and pencil and the writing was louder than the person.

Naming your audio file is one thing that can help you in the future.  I have had clients send files that are automatically named by the device they are using to record and save the audio.  When they send the file to me, I will usually put the interviewee’s name in the file name going back to the client, but if unknown, we simply use the audio file name as a report name – so the client can match up report to audio file.  Occasionally a client will ask me ‘do you have the interview I did for John Smith?’  Unfortunately they do not supply names of interviewees and do not name the file in such a way that it is easily searchable.  (Probably why they are asking me if I have it).  So, it is important to name your file with something that is pertinent to you – or to give me the information so I can name the report accordingly.  This absolutely saves the client time when they are searching for their audio and their work in the future.

Of course there are times that difficult files or the arena of the interview cannot be controlled.  CLK Transcription prides themselves in being able to handle even the most difficult of files.   There is no extra charge for difficult files, for multiple speakers.  We consider them just regular routine work for us because we deal with so many great journalists.  

We understand that the profession you are in is demanding, and we work hard to meet your needs.  Contact us today to find out how we might save you time and money – even with the most difficult of audios.  www.clktranscription.com

E-mails can be overwhelming, but they don’t always have to be.

Okay. Fun with emails is fun with emails, and we all joke about the spam – you know the Viagra, the “send me money and I send you millions’, etc – but lots of times they get us all a bit crazy, or if we are lucky, the e-mails giving us work information and contacts overwhelm us but are welcomed.

In my business, email is 90 percent of the communication I have with clients and potential clients, and organizing my email is important as a backup of sorts of their important information.

Accordingly, I have mastered a method where I never have more than 25 emails at one time, and it never takes me more than ten minutes four times a day to keep up with the nonessential, non urgent, family oriented, friendly “non-spam spam’.

I do check my e-mail throughout the day, all day, every day for my professional, business email.  I have to. I have clients who send me work constantly and consistently all day every day, and they all need immediate attention, whether I find the subject important or not.  Every email I receive is usually responded to within 15 minute without interrupting or interfering with my day-to-day business chores.  Because, to me, email is a day-to-day business chore.

Have you ever checked your email at night and seen that “can you do this by end of day’ and missed the opportunity for a business project or professional connection?

The method I have developed for myself has helped others I have worked with in the past keep up with their professional and personal email and  still get “everyday’ work done on time and professionally.

I chuckle sometimes when I hear people say they have hundreds of emails to sort through when they wake up or even worse, when they are trying to wind down for the evening. They find themselves up for hours sorting and responding to the email making their day longer than it should be.

It wasn’t easy for me to figure it all out, but now I go to bed with an empty email box and wake up and within 20 minutes of opening email, my in-box is empty, every email responded to, sorted, saved or deleted. And my deleted items is empty and most often, my sent folder is empty.

It drives me crazy when others ask me to sort and organize their email and everything they have ever done is sitting in sent or deleted items folders.

How do you ever find anything?

Yes, I get about 500 emails a day to just one email address and I have 7 I use daily for both personal and professional business. No, I do not just delete them, I read every one and sort accordingly.

It is not that difficult.  It does take some discipline and some great organizational skills that for some must be learned – the same skills we use every day to organize the other aspects of our life.  I give email the same ‘respect’ I give my clients work, and in the end, it respects me back.

I call it ADHD OCD email procedures. 

I think of it as being like an exercise. You have to want to really commit, but once the routine is established, it is just that routine. And when you think about it, your email is just as important as your weight, your health, your clients, and your projects. So why treat it as a secondhand, unwanted, terrible thing?

Of course it can be a headache, more like a migraine, if you let it go and put it off, or don’t use the email programs in the best way possible.  No one ever teaches us how to do anything but set up to receive, read and delete.  That is what the problem is.  We began using this great tool thinking it is just a means of receiving/sending electronically what we would have mailed by way of snail mail.

It is so much more than that. It is a social networking tool that allows us that in, that even the best social networks sometimes cannot give – but they do allow you to inform others of your email address.  So what would they be without email?

And think about this…the better you are with handling your email, the more likely your email will be read and handled quicker by others when they receive it. 

It’s all in the organization.

I have organized many client’s email and once organized they have stated it is easy to keep up. When they slip up due to vacation or other personal or professional dramas, they call me in and I clean it up again. I don’t even have to be involved in they day-to-day operations of the business to know how to do it, the clients just have to know their day-to-day business – how easy is that?

I consider e-mail an important part of any business.

It is the first social network ever developed. It is also the first electronic filing system, in my opinion, and a great backup system to some pretty important information.

If you don’t keep it organized, you can and will miss something.

I am working on putting my personal system down step by step.  It is a bit hard for me to do because every person’s email is in need of personalized organization, and well, as you can tell by the name of my blog, I have kind of random thoughts and not as great a writer as many of my clients, but as a self-proclaimed organizational freak, I will get it done and be sure to post.

If you are interested in having a bit of electronic organization done – or your office organized specifically for you – let me know. I enjoy a challenge that at the end of the task, you see a difference not just in the space but on the face of the client.

How do you handle your email?

www.clktranscription.com