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In my opinion, here is what makes a good businessperson…

In the past several weeks I have been met with some professionals (and I use that term because they use it only) that I was giving my business to.  I was their client, their customer, their money in the drawer during this sucky economy.

 

The first was a professional who did construction, maintenance – you know the ‘all around handy guy.’  When asked to do emergency work that was being paid for by me, it ended up being a four-day job with no work and no communication.  I moved on.

 

Then it was the mechanic who floored me in a number of ways.  First I asked if the job could be done in two days, because well, I needed my vehicle back in two days, and I told him politely that if he couldn’t, I would have to find someone else to do the job, if possible, in two days.  (just a tire rod replacement and inspection, which I know only takes a couple of hours).

He was offended and told me I should show him more respect. What?  Am I not paying him?

Oh and the second way he floored me.  He called me to tell me it was done, and then said I am going to lunch at 12 so be here before then or wait for it.  Now I was on my way, about 20 minutes out, and it was 11:30.  You would think rather than putting me out, and making me wait to PAY him, he would hang around for a few minutes IF I were late – he does own the shop after all.

After paying, I was then harangued about how I should show respect for the good work that is done and not threaten to take the work elsewhere.  Well, I am a customer.  I pay for what I want.  If you can’t give it to me, then I will find someone who can.  That is the price you pay for calling yourself a professional.

I should respect him even though he can talk to me, a paying customer that way?  I think not.

 

Here’s how I treat my clients.  When they need something I either deliver it, or they go elsewhere.  I certainly wouldn’t tell them take it or leave it.  I certainly wouldn’t go to lunch and not accept a payment, making them wait to pay.  i wouldn’t put their work on the back burner because they had a rush job.  I work harder to show them I can do it, and do it the way they want.

 

Has this become a primitive way of thinking?

 

 

In this economy, I think the best way to maintain clients – not just get them and move on – is to treat them like paying clients.  because well, they are.  If I can’t give them what they want, why waste their time.  By being honest, they may just come back next time to me when I can give them exactly what they want.

They may just spread the word about how wonderful their interaction is.  They may even refer others tome. And I have found they do.

 

Now, I firmly believe that when you get crappy service, you should mention it.  And many will repeat the information about the crappy service over and over and over again.

But let’s not forget the good service.  As a client myself, when I like something, I share and share often.  I refer and promote and recommend all the time.  That is the respect they EARNED when I do business as a paying customer.  Notice, I haven’t shared the name of the crappy customer service companies.  I won’t give them weight!

 

That is the respect I try to earn as a business owner/operator for my clients.

 

So, if it is primitive thinking that gets me here, then so be it.  It works for me.

 
http://www.clktranscription.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

When a good client goes bad

We all have them.  Wonderful clients.  Clients who articulate what they want, what they expect, and keep us busy even through the lean times.  But what do you do when a good client goes bad?

I am not talking about those wonderful clients that seldom send work (hey they send work) or those leave us to our own imagination and expertise to solidify a projects completeness (It feels good to be trusted in what we do.)

I am talking about the client that sends work, communicates, and then out of the blue – all communication ends.

You begin to wonder did you do something wrong?  Did you make an unforgivable error?  If so, certainly you will make it up to them by way of discount or partial refund.  You ask the client for feedback – nothing.

Weeks go by.  The work comes in and you do it, figuring the economy is hurting everyone, you will give them time and in the meantime, you are generating an income for yourself – even if it means a late payment.  It is still an expected payment.

Eventually, the projects end.  Still no communication.  Even more important than communication is payment for the projects you worked so hard on never comes.

What do you do?

Here is what I did.  I sent an e-mail requesting payment with a read receipt.  I also sent this request certified return receipt.  I tacked on late fees.  I explained that “no payment” will cause me to go a step further and have my attorney make contact and pursue any legal means necessary to get payment.  And I followed through.  i got my payment, late fees and yes, even partial attorney fees.

He went elsewhere.  He went offshore.  He saved a few bucks.  He got less communication this time when he wanted it.  He got less quality and ended up paying more for an in-house person to QA all work returned from the other company, and ended up spending more money and time when all he had to do was pay his bill.

Here is the kicker.  Communication with me miraculously began again.  Projects began to roll in again.  Payment was received.  And now, the client pays in advance of receiving his completed project.  I don’t hold grudges, but I don’t forget either.

I do not mind being a bit lenient with my wonderful clients.  I have a due date.  I give additional time before late fees are added and if communication is there, I even waive the fees because we are all living in the same economy.  we all have our moments.  But when a good client goes bad, they can pull me down too.   I learned my lesson and learned it well.

So now I tackle another good client gone bad using the same methods as before.  This time not waiting as long before I move forward with the actions.  He has gone elsewhere.  Am I offended.  No way!  I know I will get payment and I know he will be back.  They always come back.

And I still give my all to every project they send.  That’s how I do business at CLK Transcription.com

Made in the USA

I remember looking for my first job and being able to go just about anywhere to start part time after school. A laundromat, a pharmacy, a sub shop.  I remember working full time in what I called a computer warehouse – where the receipts from major department stores were processed by hand.  My aunt worked in the Black & Decker manufacturing plant making the tools so many loved.  I had so many friends that had parents who worked in textiles, designing and sewing clothing.  I remember working on a farm during the summers as a young adult.

I remember when I was growing up watching the TV commercials telling us to “look for the made in USA label.  Everyone was proud to say they bought American.  From clothing to autos to tools and furniture.

I have to ask myself  – What Happened?

Today, looking for that first job is a job in itself.  More and more companies are off shoring work and if they think it helps our economy, they are sadly mistaken.  Many of you may have seen the video – how not to hire American seen here:  http://bit.ly/8aGx4

I again have to ask Why?

Could this attitude be the reason many young people starting out have the attitude – why bother?  Could this attitude be the reason we don’t see those commercials anymore?  could this be why so many have concerns over our unemployment rate and at the same time the rate of illegal immigration into our country?

Work being sent offshore even affects our education system.  Many kids nowadays feel they have no need to go to college because they do not plan on ever working overseas.  Why pay for an education when the jobs that require it are no longer here?

I mean even our pet food is made overseas.  Our toys are produced overseas.  Why?  Is it because of better quality – No.  It is because it costs less to produce, and in some cases, as evidenced by global recalls – less quality.

Why can’t someone somewhere put the money here to begin a business that will produce jobs that will produce quality products with a label – Made in the USA?  Why can’t every nation, use their residential resources to build their economy by using their natives to develop their products and be proud to do it? Why is the first place people look to save a buck off shore?

Now don’t get me wrong.  I am all for the best possible people to do the best possible job.  Just don’t tell me you can’t find it within our shores.

I am sure money earned is better than no money earned.  Ask those people on the unemployment line.  They would be proud to work  and earn anything and would be proud they produced anything that read – Made In America.  Don’t tell me you can’t find educated, skilled, reliable, professional and Proud Americans to work for you.  I know different.

I am proud to own and operate an entirely US company.  Many people may off shore their work to save a buck.  What they choose to do is up to them.  I prefer to be able to say – my work – it was Made in the USA.