This is a very topical question especially since the release of the latest iPhone 4S with its built in personal assistant Siri which has firmly thrust voice recognition technology in the face of the masses. The answer has to eventually be yes but in my opinion not for a very long time for all types of audio/video transcription. Already we are seeing single speaker audio move away from a traditional typist and into the domain of Dragon – NaturallySpeaking on Windows, Dictate on Mac. Where Dragon currently falls flat and where traditional outsourced transcription...

Most people think of outsourcing for menial, repetitive or procedure-driven tasks. For a growing SMB this can also apply to more hands on roles too, one example of this for my business is Human Resources. Employing a couple of onsite full time staff and managing a large number of onsite and offsite contractors, HR is an essential part of my business but one that I detest and am not experienced in. However, it does not quite justify a single full time role and as Director I do not have the time or skills to manage all aspects of HR for my business. This is...

I have just come off the phone from yet another frustrating phone call with the Australian Taxation Office. I can get over the fact that I have to wait an excessive amount of time every time I call, but what I can’t get over is the lack of respect and understanding shown to Australian small businesses by the random ATO phone operator I speak to every time about my business. Like most small businesses times are tough. For me in particular my business has been greatly affected over the last 12 months by a whole range of factors which have restricted my...

My company as you will likely know offers transcription services, that is we take digitally recorded audio of people speaking (e.g. meetings, interviews, focus groups, company announcements, the list goes on) and we convert that to written text. Sounds easy right? To do this we employ a team split in two, we have the transcription typists, the people who actually listen and type and the proofreaders, the people who QA the completed document. In this post I am going to focus on the role of a transcription proofreader to give you an idea of what exactly they...

Perception is such a powerful thing, we are all perceived differently as people by our peers, family and friends – the same applies to your business and more importantly your website. Your website is often prospective customers first insight into your business so what they read initially determines how they perceive you. Make big claims, look important and generally people will believe what they read. But dig a little deeper and often you can uncover some truths that can knock a business down a peg or two. Like most in business we strive to maintain...

My business branding says it all, we are THE Transcription People, the people you go to for transcription in Australia, the transcription experts in fact. But the more I networked last year, the more I realised how many people just did not know what transcription was. All too often I was met with a glazed look and “Oh transcription” short pause “…and what is that exactly?”. To be fair most did have an inkling, something to do with typing, however it is much more than that as I have explained in an earlier blog post – What...

Like any business, 2010 presented The Transcription People with its fair share of ups and downs, and there were times where closing down the business and packing shelves at Woolies was quite an appealing idea, fortunately though, the ups outweighed the downs which is why we run our own businesses right? 2010 followed a similar pattern to previous years for The Transcription People, steady business growth and the continuation of lessons learned from a plethora of life and business experiences thrown my way, some of them very hard lessons, some of them on a...

Carol Duncan, Gordon Whitehead & Annalisa Holmes So how did I end up in a room full of 60-odd suits, sharing the stage with Gordon Whitehead and Carol Duncan? Two words – Iggy Pintado. Thanks to Mr Pintado I was the third speaker in the line up at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Hunter Briefing on The Board & Social Media. The event was organised to look at trends in social media and how online connections can benefit directors, boards and businesses. This group was the perfect audience for The Transcription People, so once...

Do you know the second verse to Advance Australia Fair, the Australian national anthem? If the answer is “no”, you’re not alone – as I found out recently when speaking at the A List Entrepreneurs October event at Vivo Café in George St, Sydney. This group is a network of clever business people who meet once a month to share war stories, have a few drinks and listen to some great speakers. I was flattered to be included in the line up. Let me backtrack a bit here to fill you in. I won the opportunity to speak about The Transcription People when my...

A few weeks ago I was honoured to be a presenter on the ABN webinar Increase Your Visibility as someone who has used social media to build business success. I was a bit surprised when Suzi asked me to talk about my online experiences in the webinar, but who am I to say no to an opportunity to talk about my business, Facebook and Twitter? So I jumped in and shared my experiences. After the webinar finished I started thinking about how far I’ve come as an ABN member since joining more than three years ago. When I first became an ABN member I wasn’t really...