Tips for Newbie Transcriptionists

PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY TRANSCRIPTS

I suggest that you join a forum aimed at VAs and transcriptionists. For South Africans I would recommend TAVASA. Working from home can be a lonely experience and trying to sort out technical problems can be very daunting. By joining a forum you will be in contact with people who understand exactly what is required and can assist with questions.

Best of all, this is where the more established people post their requests for assistance with overflow work. Having secured a shot at subcontracting this overflow work bear the following in mind:

• Obtain a template from the contractor and STICK to it – every comma, every underlining, every space. Do not get creative and do not try to improve on the template.

• Often the contractor will send a sheet through with his or her typing preferences and requirements. Read it carefully before you start typing and again before you proof your work and ensure you abide by the instructions.

• Communicate – if you are having problems with the recording it may be a bad recording. On the other hand, if you are the only typist experiencing problems then it is probably an incorrect setting or your equipment may be faulty. The only way to find out is by asking the contractor about the recording quality. Do not go merrily ahead and turn in a transcript littered with [unclear], [inaudible], etcetera.

• Make notes as you go, especially for names and words that you are not sure of. Should these become clear as the transcript progresses, it makes it easy and quick to do a global replacement.

• Proof your work thoroughly. Put those earphones on and go through the whole transcript – this is time-consuming and quite often expensive – it takes a long time to type your very first transcription and it can be quite discouraging in terms of your hourly rate, but you would be amazed at what you pick up on the second run-through. Words previously indecipherable will be clear once you are familiar with the context of the transcript.

• Spell and grammar check – spell checking is an absolute requirement but adding the grammar check function is very useful in picking up mistakes other than typos. Bear in mind that transcription is usually rendered verbatim and the most common grammar mistakes are made in speech. Do not be tempted to tidy up the speaker’s grammar unless specifically requested to do so.

• Google is your friend. If, for instance, you pick up a name and a designation but not the company name, chances are you will find it on Google. Many terms are industry-related or, in the case of medical transcription, the names of patent drugs, etcetera, are unfamiliar to most people. It is not enough to spell a word phonetically, add a question mark and move on. In the long run your efforts will be rewarded.

• Ask questions. We were all new at this once and I believe we would rather answer a dozen seemingly insignificant questions rather than receive a badly-typed transcript.

The above steps are very, very important. It is as well to remember that not only do contractors offer the jobs that will get you started as a transcriptionist but that they often recommend – or not – typists to other contractors. Shoddy work will put a halt to your career before you start. Commit to producing high quality transcription from day one.



Michele Johanson is based in Cape Town and owns Good Hope Transcription and Typing Services http://goodhopetranscription.weebly.com which offers general and legal transcription, typing, article and content writing and editing/proofreading functions. Recently we have added recording of small meetings to our profile.

How to collect Overdue Payments by Damaria Senne

Word Count: 745 Words

One of the problems facing small business owners is the issue of collecting payments for services rendered. The small business owner may find that while the clients are eager to use her services, their enthusiasm tends to lag when it comes to paying the bills. The following are some of the strategies which could help ensure that your don’t have this problem in the first place:

1. Bill effectively

One of the most effective methods of ensuring that your customers pay in time is to bill them effectively. Every invoice you send should be very clearly marked as an invoice should include a unique invoice number, the name of the person who authorized the purchase and their company order number. Your invoice should also include when payments is due (for example, payment due in 30 days or something). You may also want to offer an incentive for paying earlier. For example, offer a 5% discount for payments within 15 days.

2. Know your customers accounts staff

It’s to your advantage to know who is in charge of accounts payable at your customers company. That way, you know who to send the invoice to. Call them three days later to confirm that they received. During this call, ask whether the invoice was received, if there are any queries regarding the items purchased and the prices, and then ask when you will be able to collect the cheque. Your conversation should be friendly queries, they should be addressed immediately.

3. Review your ageing report on a weekly basis

Your reports should specify your current debtors, those over 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. Should current client not have paid you within the 30 day period, call and enquire about the cheque.

Despite your best efforts there are clients may lag in payments, allowing their account to be 60 days, even 90 days overdue. Here are a few strategies which may help you collect from them:

Call clients who are over the 30- day period

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to have conversation deteriorate to:

‘Hello, its Jill from Craft Planet. I wanted to find out if our cheque for $750 is ready?’

‘No, it’s not. Sorry.’

‘Okay. Tell me when it is.’

You could be very lucky, and they would call you in a day or two to tell you that the cheque is ready. But if you dealing with a troublesome client, you will wait for a very long time.

So, when you make your call, establish whether the cheque is ready (no it’s not), when it will be ready, (ask for a specific date. An answer like we normally issue cheques on the 25th of each month will do) and then make it clear that you will call the day after to confirm that it is ready. Should they tell you that they pay by electronic transfer check the day after the payment was supposed to be made, and should there be a discrepancy, call them again to find out why. Yes, it’s work, but persistence is the only thing that will help you get your money.

Keep detailed records

For each customer call, enter the collection (or accounting) notes recording who you spoke to, and when they said the cheque would be ready. Where possible, set the recall date for the day before the cheque is due.

Stick to your guns

On the surface, negotiating with a client whose payments are overdue seems like offering him an incentive to pay his bills fast and thus, you get some money in. However, you are in effect, setting a precedent, and next time he buys something for you, he may let the account become overdue again, knowing that in your desperation to get money in, you will give him another discount. Also, you will acquire a reputation for your willingness to bargain payments down. Can you afford it?

Returned (undelivered) invoices and/ form letters

These must b investigated as to appropriate address. If a more appropriate address can be found, the customer master record must be changed to reflect it. In addition, the return of the mail as “undeliverable” and/ or “change of address” should be noted in the customer’s collection notes

Use outside collection services

If all else fails, use an outside collection service. Many are willing to work on a commission bass.

Working from Home as a Transcriptionist in South Africa Ebook - R130

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This E-book is packed with everything you need to know about working from home as a transcriptionist in South Africa. I started out as a transcriptionist in 2005 and I’ve included everything I’ve learned along the way that I wish someone had told me.

How do you get that first client, how do you keep your clients, how do you invoice, and quote? What about where can you find support? What equipment do you need? All this information and more is available in my E-Book. Buy it today. This is information I wish somebody had told me – I would have been able to get going so much faster.

These are my tried and trusted methods. There are many American transcriptionist guides but “Working from Home as a Transcriptionist in South Africa” has challenges and obstacles all its very own and answers particular questions faced by South African Transcriptionists.

Buy my book today!! Much cheaper than other shorter publications on similar topics. gaynor@typewritetranscription.co.za or 083 442 4689.