How to Hire a Freelance Transcriptionist to Convert Speech to Text

With 2020 coming to a close, one excellent resolution you can make to free up your time in 2021 is to hire a transcriptionist. A professional transcriptionist can convert speech to text on your behalf to improve your productivity, job satisfaction, and more. But not all transcriptionists are well suited to every project. If you’re considering transcription outsourcing, here are a few questions to ask your transcriptionist applicants:

1. What relevant experience do you have? A common misconception is that anyone who can type can be a transcriptionist, especially if they type quickly. Converting speech to text is a skill that requires training and practice to do well and perfect over time. Prior job experience, or at-minimum training, is an essential factor.

2. How do you ensure quality? A proven process to ensure accuracy is critical when it comes to transcribing audio to text. For a high-quality document, transcription must entail more than typing and reading along as words appear on the screen. Plus, what terminology is in the applicant’s wheelhouse? Not all typists have the same skillset.

3. What turnaround time can you deliver? If you’re working with a freelancer already committed to other projects, how available will they be to you? What will happen if they get sick or take on another project? What if you need a file back in a hurry? Will they be able to complete the entire project or only part? Consider all scenarios.

4. How do you ensure security and privacy? What protections does the transcriptionist have in place to protect your sensitive data? Email and Microsoft Word won’t cut it for most people with critical data to protect. Especially if you need to comply with regulations like HIPAA or CJIS, your typist will need to comply too.

5. How will you bill me? Will your transcriptionist accept payment by credit card? Can they invoice you for their transcription service? Will they accept payments monthly, or will they bill you weekly or at some other interval? Will they bill you hourly or by another metric? And, will they offer discounts for late delivery or quality issues?

6. Can you offer me a free sample? Prompt the freelancer to type one or more files for you. Transcribing 30 minutes at no cost is a reasonable request. A sample will help you gauge their capabilities. Can the freelancer understand your terminology and deliver as promised? A sample job can help inform your decision making.

7. Can you provide references? References are arguably the most important qualifier. Who has the freelancer transcribed for in the past? While the typist can tell you anything, insight from a former client can help confirm. If you contact two or three former clients, you can get a sense of what it will be like if you hire the freelancer.

Interviewing transcription freelancers, testing their ability to transcribe audio to text, and checking references is time-consuming, especially when you have several candidates to compare. However, not carefully vetting speech-to-text freelancers can prove to be an even bigger headache once you realize that you need to hire one or more replacements. Plus, shoddy work will further delay your project and increase your costs.

An alternative to hiring a freelancer is to consider transcription companies. Transcription services, like Athreon, have teams of highly-qualified transcriptionists that they have carefully qualified to save you the hassle. The best transcription service for you will be the one that takes all the staffing, technology, quality, and security issues off your desk. So, if you’re ready to simplify speech to text for yourself in 2021, contact us to learn more. Happy New Year!