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Need a US medical transcription company? CLK Transcription does that too!

Although I have a deep and profound love for the journalist, ghost writer, and others who need non-medical transcription, my roots are in the medical field beginning many years ago with insurance verification, medical records, home health care administrator, and then on to medical transcription with another company, I do enjoy the medical client as well.

I treat each and every one of my clients as my only client.  Each one has their preferences, demands, and expectations.  I could never cookie-cutter their work.  Especially the medical reports.

I know that when a client needs me, they need me, and I give them everything I can.  I work with their deadlines, their requests, and their sometime outrageous expectations with a smile and always try to meet even their hardest challenge.  I haven’t had problems yet, because I have a great team behind me and we love the challenge.

Medical transcription is even more difficult – with accuracy and format being most important for strict legal and continuing health care concerns.  I worked with JCAHO and state agencies during audit periods and know that reports should always follow format throughout the practice of a physician.  When there is a difference, the agencies auditing sometimes feel those reports could have been “amended” to pass an audit, rather than original reports. Many other transcription companies think they know best and make changes because it works for them, without consideration for the client’s demands

The TAT for medical reports is extremely tight and must be met.  There are times that a patient’s care is on hold for the return of reports. And if there is any question of the information within the report, this too can hold up patient care. There is no guessing with medical reports.  The difference between b.i.d. and t.i.d. is costly and could mean a life.

A physician is under extreme pressure to ensure that all information is documented accurately and timely.  Many hospitals even require physicians to dictate every change in medication and other items that used to be documented in the chart, but not in report format.  This requirement is to lower the risk for malpractice claims. I think it is wonderful because it means better continuity of care for me – the patient.  It comes with a price though.

These demands placed on physicians has been a cause for increase in fees.  The physicians have had to hire in-house staff to handle the transcription, and in those cases, must offer all the benefits that employment calls for.  If they choose to send their work outside of the office, many have chosen to send it offshore to save money.  This is costly to the patient and the doctor.  Costly o the patient because their information – everything from name and address to family history, social history, and all medical information is now available in a country that does not have to answer to our regulations.  Costly to the physician because when you hire someone who has English as a second language, you will ultimately get a report with the same second-rate English causing second-rate information in reports that must be proofed and edited by another staff member – or the physician himself – which costs even more time and money.

Because I strive to keep the US transcription of all of our US-based clients within our borders I have kept my rates lower, hopefully to save the client, but also to allow the work to be transcribed within the US, safely and at the same time by US transcriptionists who have paid thousands to educate themselves in this field and thousands more to maintain their training and education – and understand the English language .

So, yes, I do profoundly enjoy the non-medical portion of my business, but the medical side is also my heart and a large part of the enjoyment of what I do.

CLK Transcription offers physician and other medical professionals an alternative to in-house staff and the cost of that employment and benefits, as well as allowing the physician the opportunity to help keep work here in the US and our personal information safe all at the same time, without worry about someone understanding the English language, saving even more money on editing and proofing.  And we offer a quick TAT saving time in a person’s care.

CarolLee and the ICs that are utilized by CLK  have had extensive training and education in all specialties of the medical profession, either through past/present full-time professions (nursing, PA, etc) or through extensive training through various educational programs…and of course, our own personal/family medical history, which at times has been the best form of continuing education of all.  We also offer every client a confidentiality agreement and live and breathe by it.

So, whether it is a GP, oncologist, dermatologist, radiologist, podiatrist, physical therapist, dietitian, endocrinologist, or other specialty of medicine – we can do that!

There is no contract, but we like to think that after you try us, you will come back to us and find out just how much we can save you – time and money.

We offer a line or page rate that is below the national average but our quality is priceless.

Contact carollee@clktranscription for details.  http://www.clktranscription.com

Check us out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/people/CarolLee-Streeter-Kidd/1234760098

and

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tobyhanna-PA/CLK-Transcription-Inc/100158850050342

Want to see our recommendations? Find us on LinkedIn, where they may be reviewed. http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription

Need a weekend warrior for your audio transcription? Dissertations, interviews, IEPs, meetings, and more. We can do that!

Many of us see the weekend as a relaxation period, or at least we would like to.  Most times however, after all our professional responsibilities are complete, we need to use the weekend as our catch up time for household chores and personal responsibilities and needs.

We use this time to do our household chores that get pushed aside during our hectic workweek.  We look at Friday night as our date night, and a time to chill with friends.  The weekend is our time to spend with family and friends we do not have time to catch up with during the workweek.

Then of course there are the special weekends.  Those that have things like the Super Bowl, weddings, reunions, and other special functions that we want to enjoy.  Of course, lately, many of us need the weekend to clean up after all the snowfall of late.

 

CLK Transcription appreciates your need and desire to enjoy the weekend and be free of the “homework” that many journalists and students and other busy professionals find is carried over to the weekend.  We never close.

 

If you have audio files or hard copy conversions that you find yourself working on during those precious weekend hours, why not check out a transcription company to assist you with them.

Here at CLK Transcription, we have helped hundreds of journalists, educators, students, physicians, and other professionals by working through the weekend so they don’t have to.

We can turn around your audio, usually within 12 to 24 hours and let you enjoy your weekend and get done those other items on your to-do list.

Whether it is your dissertation audios, interview audios, patient records, meeting minutes, round table discussions, IEPs, or things like a conversion of your diary to an electronic copy – we can do that!  Whether you are a ghost writer, journalist, publisher, student, parent, educator, physician, or other professional, we have the experience you need to give you the quality you demand.

We have experience with all ranges of topics – from banking and brokerage, entertainment, technical and obscure, health and beauty, family life, to all specialties of medicine and more.

We also have many ways to save!  Our prices are already below the national norm, but we like to work with our clients to meet their other demands – budgetary.

We offer educational discounts for those with projects focused on furthering their education or for the parents and educators dealing with IEPs or other educational material.  We offer referrals discounts to our existing clients who make referrals of our services, and extend a referral discount to new clients who connect with us on Twitter or FB.

 

So, when you face a weekend with “homework” and are trying to fit in all those other personal items that are just as important – why not let us assist you with your transcription needs?

 

There is no minimum, no contract, and always a confidentiality agreement for EVERY client.

 

Find out what hundreds of others have discovered – CLK Transcription can save you time and money.  Most importantly – we love what we do!

 

http://www.clktranscription.com

 

 

 

Thinking about transcribing your own audio/video? Why not let us handle that for you and save you time and money?

When journalists, authors, doctors, etcetera, begin to think about having their audio/video transcribed, the first thought is probably cost. Many attempt to do the work themselves, or hire in-house staff to do the transcription.

When hiring an in-house staff, you have to consider hourly pay, benefits, and keeping that person busy with “busy work” when no transcription work is available for them to handle. They have to consider days off, sick time, vacation…not just the cost, but who handles the work when their “transcriptionist” is not around?

If you are handling the transcription task yourself, I have to ask you – how much is your time worth? How long does it take you to transcribe the audio? What does it breakdown to in terms of hourly wage? Are there other things you would rather be doing? Interviewing another person? Organizing the data for your article/book? Managing other tasks? Taking time out to do personal chores?

For those who hold weekly, monthly or annual meetings or conferences – having those events recorded and then transcribed allows you to share this information with more than those who have been able to attend the function personally. Sure you can share the video, but what happens when other’s busy schedule precludes them from sitting and watching a video?

Having the transcript allows them the freedom to move around and tackle their day, and you the knowledge that they have a true concept of what occurred and something they, and yourself, can refer back to when necessary. How many times have you wished you could replay a meeting for what was said?

For the educator, or those seeking higher levels of education – your class audio can be transcribed for sharing as well. Those interviews and other audio developed for your paper can be transcribed for reference.

CLK Transcription offers a discount for educators and students alike. We feel education is THE most important thing a person can have, and love the opportunity to help you reach your goals. We have been proud to handle transcripts for professors or students of UCLA, Bloomsburg University, Wilkes Barre University, King’s College, Illinois State University, Minnesota State University, Wisconsin State University, Harvard University, and others.

Having a transcription service handle your audio/video projects allows the freedom to do what it is you must do to meet your TAT. Freedom to continue your other work to bring the project together. Freedom to share information in a manner that fits everyone’s schedule. Freedom to develop the best end-result you possibly can, without the stress, time or money you may have been spending in the past.

A transcription service can be the cost-effective and cost-efficient tool that you are looking for to allow you more time to get your project done, to share important information, or just to get your personal chores tended to.

When using CLK Transcription Service, you only pay for the audio/video assigned. No sick time, no vacation time, and certainly no overtime or benefits. We have individuals who have special skills to research terms and information, skilled in listening and hearing the most difficult audio and transforming it into a quality transcript.

CLK Transcription can handle multiple audio, in varying lengths, and can meet or surpass your expected TAT in most, if not all, cases. We have transcriptionists all across the United States and we never offshore, EVER. We also never use speech recognition. We feel the nuances of your audio deserve the extra care given by a human ear and human hands.

CLK Transcription has been recommended by the best journalists and by many of the Universities in the country, as well as large publishing companies and other professional corporations – from the medical research industry to the business and finance industry. We also have handled many motivational and teaching seminars by many of the world’s most well-known speakers and coaches. We have handled files as large as multi-day conferences and seminars to the few minute audio of a journalist, on a wide variety of topics. Yes, we even do voice mail transcription giving you the freedom to step away and know your important calls will never be missed again. We have clients all over the world, and have transcribed many, many ESL audio as well. We love what we do and take the time to do it right – for YOU!

Check out our recommendations today at http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription and find out what CLK Transcription can do for you. Let us transcribe your next audio/video and show you what you have been missing. It may just be the time and money you have been looking for!

I believe we can be, so much so that I stake my name on it.

We also love to retweet our favorite journalists and organizations tweets to share your wonderful ideas and projects with others. Join us @CLK_Shortcake or on Facebook – look for CarolLee Streeter Kidd or CLK Transcription. Join us! We would love to have you as part of our team!

CarolLee Kidd

President/Owner

CLK Transcription, Inc.

Voice Recognition – Not For Me. I never speak in fluid sentences all the time without changing thoughts or ideas.

How often do you stutter, forget the question, start to say something and then find a better way to say it?

 

Using voice recognition may seem easy for many, but if you want clean, clear reports there is nothing that can replace a human ear listening to your words and knowing what you mean/meant to say.

 

Voice recognition may seem easy for many, but you have to train the software to your voice.  Are you saying PRN or pee are in?  Is your audio always clear enough to know the difference?

 

Do you ever speak slowly and clearly all the time for a person to understand all the time?  Imagine a program listening.

 

How many times have you heard ‘can you repeat that’?  How many times have you said ‘okay, okay, right, right, right” during an interview and if transcribed every time would make you appear as a valley girl?

 

Do you want your ers, uhms, and the multiple yeah, yeah, yeahs transcribed in your report?

 

Do you want to have to reread the report multiple times when finished so you can be sure to catch those potentially unprofessional comments from being left in your report?

 

When someone asks me how I feel about voice recognition I tell them this – I speak fast.  I change my thoughts mid sentence, I may even forget where I was for a moment.  I make strange noises when I get lost in thought.  I don’t say every word perfectly.

 

Your time and money is too precious to have a program type your words, just to spend more time correcting and perfecting them.

 

Let CLK Transcription show you how a human ear can be used to listen to your audio and human hands to type your report, cleaning it up where you decide it should be. Your time can be spent on that next interview while the transcription is done in a professional manner, fast and accurately.

 

So when thinking about voice recognition – why not try using a human to recognize your voice to give you the best quality transcripts possible for a cost you can afford?

 

We may not be professional bloggers, authors, journalists, or webinar hosts – but our clients are!  Find out why they say we rock!

 

http://www.clktranscription.com

CLK Transcription, Inc. is a USA-Based and Operated Transcription Company with expertise in all specialties of the medical profession.

Oncology          Orthopedics     Hematology     Pediatrics          Rheumatology     Infectious disease  Psychiatry          Physiatry     Radiology     Pathology          Dermatology     Cardiology     Pulmonary          Plastic Surgery     Ophthalmology     Chiropractic, Clinical and Acute Care, and more.

We assist professionals with their professional needs transcribing audio from:

v  CONFERENCES / SEMINARS v  TELEPHONE CONFERENCES v  BROCHURES v  STATIONARY DEVELOPMENT v    MEETING MINUTES     INTERVIEWS v   VOICE MAIL v ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE DEVELOPMENT, and more.

 

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.

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.

Yes, I am behind on my bills but that doesn’t mean you can be an ass!

I got a call from a bill collector today.  Yes I deserved the call.  After 10 years with this company, I am behind for the first time ever.  When I saw the number, I was ready to put my embarrassment aside and take whatever “discipline” I had coming.  Like so many others, I too have had difficult times managing to stay on the edge of the hole without falling in, because once in, digging my way out is much harder.  Full disclosure here – how much I owe this company – $500.00 total, but it is not more important to me than my mortgage, my utilities, and my worker’s paychecks, which I struggle to make at times due to…well see below.

What I was not expecting was the tactless and extremely rude remark from someone who doesn’t live in our country, to me, someone who has been on top of the game for some time, and has recently fallen behind like so many other Americans in this wonderful economy of ours.  An economy I have called – the check is in the mail economy before in this blog.  http://wp.me/pLEiA-39

The conversation started out with:

“Hello Carol.”

I kept my cool, even though I think it is unprofessional to call me by my first name as if we are friends, and even worse, calling me by my mother’s name.  I did not even correct him, I let it go.

It continued nicely for a bit, even with this man noting that this is the first time I have been in arrears ever with this company and that he understands I may have just had a difficult time lately.

He then noted he understood I owned my own company, and wondered why I could not pay this particular bill and wondered if I treated all my bills in the same manner.

I started to get heated, but still kept my cool.  I was after all late and did owe money.  I explained that being my own boss and company owner does not mean I am rich, and that unfortunately many of my clients pay me 30 plus days, but I have to pay my workers every two weeks.  I understand I am behind, but am working to bring myself back current ASAP.

Then he did it.  He took all the time in the world to do it and took me to the place I did not want to go.  He brought out the truck driver in me.

He says, and I quote, “Don’t you own your home and have a mortgage?  Why don’t you take out a home equity loan and pay your bill with us?  You could sell some of those clothes you buy, or maybe even stop going to restaurants so much.  Maybe you should consider having your family pitch in to help you or go on welfare to assist you with your other bills”

If I were a splurging type individual, maybe that would have shamed me.  But it made me mad.

My reply was to the point, and I will get as close to a quote as possible, removing the words that only truckers should hear.

“I do not go out to eat – in fact the last time I went out to eat was over three years ago and dinner was bought for me.  I do not buy clothes often, and my last purchase was over a year ago for sneakers, which by the way replaced a pair bought 7 years ago.  The money on this credit card was used for my business when a computer blew up, and not on luxuries.  I do not need welfare; I earn my money and work hard for it.  I do not ask anyone for money, much less my family who are worse off then I am at times.  And as far as my home goes, I do have a mortgage that I fight to pay every month, like most other Americans, and because I am behind in some bills, who in their right mind would loan me money.  Why would I ask if I already know what I have is not enough to pay what I owe already?

Speaking to me this way will not get you payments.  Speaking to me this way will not make you a bigger person to me.  Speaking to me this way just makes me more angry that a US company would use off shore idiots to do a job that an American can do, probably better, and work toward fixing our economy instead of paying our dollars to some __________ person who has nothing better to do than to belittle and anger the very same people who ensure he gets a paycheck.”

I then told him to have a nice day and hung up.

Do I feel bad – absolutely not.  Do I know I still have to pay this bill – absolutely, yes.  Will it be the first one on my list when the checks come rolling in – NO.

They can come take my TV set for all I care.  Better yet – take my phone.  I won’t be answering it for him anymore.

Happy Anniversary CLK Transcription, Inc.

It was the month of April when I left my job after some personal and personality differences.  During subsequent conversations with the past employer, it was said that I left to start my own business.  That was not the truth, but it gave me a thought.

I was scared.  I knew that I had the experience to handle it.  I knew I had the contacts to work with.  I was scared but I knew I had potential and I knew what clients wanted – Quality transcriptions, quick.  They wanted to be able to send audios in many ways, many formats, and they did not want stress when doing so.  They wanted communication – open and honest communication about how the work they gave me was going because if I screwed it up – it screwed them up.  I knew what they wanted, knew I could offer it, but was scared out of my mind.  My family depended on me to perform and succeed.

When I realized how scared I was, I knew I was dedicated enough to any potential client’s needs that I was ready to put all my fears aside and go for it.

That May I obtained my first client on my own through mass mailing and face-to-face contact.  It was a major medical publisher and we worked with tapes, picking them up in a local pub’s parking lot.  More joined on using different forms of audio mediums and different forms of transfer allowing me to obtain the necessary programs to handle their work, and learn what others were asking for and accommodate them as well.

I became busy enough to bring on my first independent contractors.  After growing the business as a freelancer handling medical clients, seminars and conferences for large corporations with the assistance of other freelancers, I decided to take another step for myself and become an incorporated small business owner.  This was something that many potential clients had suggested I do, as they dealt with larger contracts and could only work with corporations.

In July 2007 I became CLK Transcription Incorporated.   I was so excited.  I knew because I was still so scared, I still had the fire to learn what my clients wanted and do everything I could to meet their demands.

Many of the corporate clients I had been transcribing conferences, seminars, and webinars for began referring me to the very journalists and authors they relied on to speak at their functions. The very same individuals they relied on for their articles or books.

I continued my marketing, meeting people face to face, online, through various other means that I researched or was suggested to me by the very clients I had been assisting, and I was able to grow and took on more very interesting and fabulous clients.

Now my client list includes non-professional individuals with IEP meetings, physicians of all disciplines, corporations, motivational speakers, personal trainers, journalists and authors.  We transcribe topics ranging from educational, business and finance, health, all medical disciplines, banking and brokerage, entertainment news – you name it, we have transcribed it. (And if we haven’t, we can do the research to provide you with the quality project you demand.)

I respect each of our clients and their work.  I transcribe their audios, proofread their work or personal documentation, convert PDF to Word documents and vice versa, convert their audio,  develop electronic signatures, develop spreadsheets, even transcribe their voice mail.  We never stop the search for new services to offer and new ways to offer them.

I am still scared, and again, that lets me know I am doing exactly what I should be doing.  And now I am able to bring on other US transcriptionists to assist me in getting the job done right – the first time.  I have been training individuals in this field and love it because the great work we do earns respect for the US transcriptionist.  Many of these transcriptionists have been able to grow their own business and I am so proud of them.

Seeing that May is CLK’s anniversary month for the first private client I wanted to take this time to say thank you.  Some clients I may hear from once a year.  Others on a daily basis.  Some refer others and some even blog about us.  I appreciate them all.  We all do here at CLK Transcription, Inc.   Transcription is not just what we do – it is who we are!

Most especially, I want to thank those journalists and authors who have become the backbone of CLK Transcription, Inc’s client base.   Thanks for your confidence in me – in all of us here at CLK Transcription, Inc.  Because of you, CLK Transcription continues to grow!

You are appreciated, not just for the work you do, but for who you are!  THANK YOU ALL!!

http://www.clktranscription.com

Freelancers, Independent Contractors and Small Businesses – Oh My!

The work of a freelancer, independent contractor, and true small businesses have been in the news a lot lately.  From taxes levied and proposed, to payment of bills and collections, to credit available, and everyone who is not a freelancer or independent contractor or a true small business has something to say on the issues. (I say true small businesses meaning those who have owners doing the grunt work right along side the worker bees, and not on vacation or off-site playing tennis. Owners who put their name, finances, heart and soul into the work as well as the business.  In my mind, every freelancer and independent contractor is a small business too.)  The independent contractor, freelancer and true small business are those who every big business has turned to at one time or another – more frequently the past few years – to get a job done and get it done right with quality – the first time.

Well, as a true small business, who began as an independent contractor and then freelancer, who works with freelancers and independent contractors on a daily basis, I felt the need to air my thoughts.

Taxes – for those who think taxing us more will help us grow – you are nuts.  If you think it will help the economy – again, find the fruit bowl and jump in.  You are taxing the small business, independent contractor, freelancer to death. We are working hard with big business and helping them grow – leave us alone so we can grow too.  Leave us alone so we can keep the jobs here in the good ol USA!

Available credit – There is not enough available credit around when you take into consideration, many of us need the credit because our bigger clients are paying slower and slower and we have personal and professional bills to pay.  If we give 30 days for a client to remit payment and they take 45, the mortgage, utilities, and the payment date for the independent contractors used on our jobs have been passed, and we dig into savings and personal accounts, and well there is never a full “catchup” once we get behind. Decent credit is not available to someone who is behind already.  Decent credit is only available to those who, quite frankly, don’t need it and have a credit score over 680 IF you are lucky.  Probably more like 700 or above.  In this economy, find me a freelancer, independent contractor or true small business that has a credit score that high since 2007 and maintained it.

Which takes me to the payment of our invoices, turning us into collectors ourselves.  As a small business who uses independent contractors, I pay my IC’s every two weeks.  I bill my clients every two weeks and give them 20 days to remit.  Tack on the 15 days before a late fee is tacked on, and it is 45 days for payment to come.  Oftentimes, clients will take 60 days before payment is made and disregard the late fees altogether. The great clients (other freelancers, independent contractors and true small businesses) who we understand are in the same boat we are, we tend to forgive the late fee anyway.

Continue that through months and months of billing and payments, and the quarterly tax payments due the moment you seem to get caught up, and there you have it.  The downward spiral of small business, freelancers, and independent contractors.  The most important aspect of USA if you ask my opinion. I know you didn’t, but you got it anyway.

Now many will say, just don’t accept work.  That is not good business when a small business, freelancer, or independent contractor is trying to grow.  If we did not accept the jobs, even knowing that payment could/would be late, we would not have an eventual income.  Worse yet, we show a disloyalty to other freelancers, small businesses, and independent contractors who relay on us to help them earn their income as well.  Even worse – many of the larger companies will find someone over seas to off-shore to, costing the US economy in so many more ways.

The small business typically works with freelancers and independent contractors who in turn are working for other bigger businesses, who also take that 45 to 60 days or more to remit payment.  If you want to tax someone, tax those bigger businesses who are costing us little guys our homes and our livelihoods.

No, not all clients are slow payers.  Some of us are lucky to have those clients that work hard to make sure we are paid.  We all understand the trickle-down economy and how patience is needed. We all know how hard it is when we are waiting for the “check is in the mail” economy (http://wp.me/pLEiA-39) to turn around.  We value our clients, but more, we value our work.  And we continue to do the quality work that our clients demand.

So, please, to all you high paid suits who feel the need to continue to financially harass the true small business, freelancers, and independent contractors – think about it.  If you kill our business, who are you going to turn to the next time you want the job done right?

http://www.clktranscription.com

The Check is in the Mail Economy

I am tired of this “check is in the mail” economy struggle.

My clients have work.  I have plenty of work.  My IC’s have plenty of work, and we are diligent in our invoicing and billing.  We work hard and generate the income.  But when the check is in the mail economy rears its ugly head every month, it makes taking care of our own very difficult.

That money we had saved has been used to cover expenses.  That 401K has become grocery money for many.  The only market we check out is the grocery market.

All because of the check is in the mail economy.

If all of the checks in the mail were to show up tomorrow, we all may just be able to pay our mortgage, buy our groceries, take care of our utilities and other bills, and possibly put a little back into our 401K or other retirement plan.

Until then, when the phone rings and it is our credit card company or other bill calling us – we just tell them that we are working hard, we are cutting costs, we are eating macaroni and cheese five nights a week and the other two its eggs (they come in bulk you know – 12 in a carton) and that because of our wonderful economy we have a legitimate excuse – the check is in the mail and we are waiting for it too!!

www.clktranscription.com