Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What makes your service stand out from the rest? Or put another way, why should we use you when we've been quoted a cheaper price?
In short, you get what you pay for and cheapest doesn't necessarily mean best. We are professional transcribers who have been in business for more than six years and we are now the preferred supplier for a number of institutions. Our reputation is paramount and we undertake to protect client confidentiality and go that extra mile without being asked. We do not restrict ourselves to 'normal' office hours. If your project is urgent, we are pleased to offer a flexible service to meet your needs, not our convenience.

All recording are run through a second time and all transcripts are proofread at no extra cost, to ensure that our high quality standards are maintained. We never compromise those standards by taking on more transcription than we have the capacity to deal with. Too many transcribers accept large projects without the project management skills to complete them. This results in transcripts not being proofread (other than by the outsourced freelance transcriber typing them), and there is no single guiding hand overseeing all the transcripts which results in a very uneven service. Project management of large assignments is provided as standard, and we believe we have the requisite skills, experience and attitude to provide a first class service.


Q. Who does the transcribing?
We use only a highly experienced transcribers based in Australia. We will never outsource to agencies outside Australia and we are finding this an increasingly important consideration for clients. We believe the standard of transcript can't possibly be the same as that provided in Australia by transcribers whose mother tongue is English. We believe the outsourcing should be in one direction only - from you to us and certainly not from us to all and sundry.


Q. Do you proofread and check transcripts?
That would be a YES! ALL recordings are run through a second time, Internet research is carried out where necessary to clarify any names, places or terminology etc, and all transcripts are proofread at no extra cost to the client, to ensure that our high quality standards are maintained.

Too often clients end up with rushed transcripts, completed by numerous outsourced transcribers and, due to the sheer volume of material that the transcription company has taken on, not everything in that project will have been checked by any supervising hand. It horrifies us that sometimes transcripts aren't even proofread. Not only are mistakes not picked up, but any missing or unclear words aren't clarified as the recording is rarely, if ever, run through a second time. We don't regard that as providing a professional service.


Q. Should I go digital? 
Yes please! Digital recordings are far superior in quality to any analogue recording. This reduces transcription time and costs significantly and the improved recording quality results in fewer inaudible sections. Digital files have many advantages - they can be copied without losing quality, they're easily stored, they don’t deteriorate over time and they're easily transmitted to your transcriber

Q. Will you tackle poor quality recordings?
We are more than happy to attempt to transcribe any recording you may submit. But clients should be aware of the extra time it will take to transcribe poor quality recordings and the extra costs involved. We will do our best to produce an accurate transcript. The only limitation is what your budget allows. If we are told a recording is of good quality but after listening, it becomes obvious that this is not the case, we will re-quote, give you our professional opinion on how much longer it will take to transcribe and request your permission before we proceed.


Q. How do I find out more information or get a quotation?
If you have any specific queries, we'd be more than happy to answer them - please call (0243 427242) or email.

In order to provide a detailed quote and a turnaround time, we need the following information:

  • How many recordings do you have (number of tapes / digital files)?

  • What format are they in? Standard audio tape, mini tape, micro-cassette, or digital

  • For digital audio what digital format is the recording in?

  • How long is each one and, therefore, what is the total recording time?

  • What type of recording is it - i.e. interviews, dictation, conferences etc?

  •  How many speakers or participants are there?

  • What is your deadline?

  • How good is the recording, and are there any potential issues such as background noise or strong accents?

  • What is the subject matter and, therefore, is there is any complex terminology involved?

We will then provide you with a detailed quote and an estimate of turnaround times based on our current schedule.


Q. What is your standard turnaround time?
This is very much dependent on the volume of work you have and our current schedule. One hour of a one-to-one interview will take 24 to 36 hours to complete from receipt, depending on the quality of the recording and our schedule at the time. For larger projects we recommend that you contact us in advance so that we can reserve space in our schedule. Most professional transcription companies have a long list of regular customers and to suddenly find a large block of free space can be difficult. So book your transcription company in advance, in the same way as you would the venue or the speakers. Our schedule does fill up very quickly so any advance notice is appreciated. Having said that, if you do have urgent work, we will do our best to accommodate you.