Here at Outsource Typing we don’t just type, we support people to help them to thrive. We take away the stress of regular tasks and just get them done! Not only do we work to your deadlines, we excel at providing the best quality of work out there, whether it be a simple one sentence letter or a full verbatim transcript.

We regularly receive enquiries from businesses and individuals asking for help with their typing (and admin tasks):

• as secretaries retire or leave
• as businesses downsize and look to cut costs
• looking to get ad hoc support, or to fill in for holiday/absence cover
• when changing providers because they’re unsatisfied with the level of service
• when starting out for the first time

Also, many are looking to cut costs or achieve the best price (of course). We know cost is important, but rates are very similar across the industry (with reputable providers), and so choosing a company shouldn’t come down to cost alone. Beware of those desperately trying to offer you a bargain price that doesn’t align with the standard. 

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Benjamin Franklin 

Whatever your circumstances, it’s a good idea to take a deeper dive and do some prep so that you can be 100% sure you’ve selected the service that’s the best fit for you, and we can help you do that – read on below!

Promises, promises

Be cautious of services offering blind promises.

Did the provider or freelancer say yes immediately or a little too quickly? This could be a red flag.
Do you feel like they showed genuine interest in finding out about your business or project, asking lots of questions along the way about what you might need or want? If not, it could be another red flag.
Could they offer any examples of similar work they’ve completed in the past on a freelance basis? If not, it could be time to keep looking around.

Our best practice is to always make thorough enquiries to ensure we work together as effectively as possible. Making hasty promises about service level and rates without first drilling down to obtain the full scope of the work is a recipe for disaster and is not serving you well. Be prepared for reputable providers to ask you lots of questions about the work you have for them!

Horror stories we hear from others using unsuitable providers include:

• Providers biting off more than they can chew, finding themselves swamped when the project or workload is passed over to them and is much more difficult than originally anticipated because they didn’t fully appreciate the scope
• Providers find when the project or workload arrives it doesn’t match their skillset and they’re not skilled enough to provide adequate support and do a shoddy job
• Providers don’t take the time to find out enough data, and when the project or workload arrives it doesn’t match the cheap quote they’ve offered and so they subsequently raise their rates 

Getting into business with providers who behave in such a way can waste your time, energy, and money. Don’t leave yourself open to prospective services leaving you high and dry because they’ve tried desperately to outbid the competition and promise the world. There are often no contractual obligations, so abandoning workload or projects can be quite common.

Further, inevitable communication breakdown may cause you to miss deadlines, and the challenges of trying to find another provider at the last minute to step in can have a detrimental impact on your business.

“Do more than just talk; act. Do more than just promise; deliver.”
Dr Steve Maraboli

Skills and professionalism  

I recruit only the best, most skilled audio typist/transcribers for my business. It’s worrying to me that I encounter so many unqualified and inexperienced freelance transcribers and VAs out there who are advertising services on the daily.

Your work should be produced professionally by someone who is highly skilled not only in transcription but also proofreading. We have a team of fully qualified transcribers who are time served in professional industries such as medical, legal, and property, and who hold qualifications in typing, transcribing, proofreading and editing. Your work is also always double-checked by our qualified proofreading team to ensure it is as accurate as possible. We produce a high quality professional transcript so you don’t have to worry about hidden errors or embarrassment because of inaccurate, incorrect, or missing data content.

“The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.”
The Economist

Having been long established, we know only too well that most audio files require specialist, highly skilled staff to process them. Interpreting audio recordings can be challenging, and only a professional should be engaged to assist you with extracting the important data or conveying accurate communication. We cater for every eventuality and have a full suite of formats in which your work can be professionally presented. If the service is unable to provide you with options or guidance and hasn’t attempted to find out exactly what’s important to you, it’s definitely another red flag.

We listen and understand

Other things to consider are a provider’s skills in specialist areas such as handling strong foreign accents, industry terminology, business speak. Many freelancers or services will turn this type of work away. We are comfortable with and accomplished in transcribing non-native English accents, and work across many different sectors such as finance, medicine, law, technology, research, the arts, and many more.

We’re based in Scotland, with a perfect mix of Welsh, Irish, English, and native Scottish staff. We specialise in transcribing files containing all British accents and dialects. For example, we’ve had many clients come to us over the years with Scottish accent files after other services have failed to satisfactorily extract the data in full because of the nuances and colloquialisms that only a Scottish speaker can truly understand. We are confident of our skills in this area and are proud to advertise this on our website. 

Availability 

Last but not least, will they even be available when you need them? They may say they can turnaround the work for when you want it, but when it actually comes down to it have they done the research, asked the right questions; can they actually deliver? We always offer a trial so that you can see if the way we work fits in with your schedule.

Our typing team are available almost 24/7, 365 days a year. We can do this because of the dedicated, dependable team we’ve built over the last 11+ years. This is definitely another question you should be asking potential service providers, particularly solo freelancers.

Hopefully the above has helped you consider more about who you’d like to place your trust with, be it with us or with another service who you know will be able to provide you with the assurances and skillset your work deserves.

If you’ve been using a provider but have encountered the types of difficulties highlighted above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out how we can support you to get back on track.