Australian Digital Dictation & Transcription Blog

Australian Tax Office - Help Don't Hinder Small Business

2011-08-12T14:26:00.000+10:00

Tax, a subject we all love to hate, unless of course you are an accountant or ATO employee. Dealing with the ATO is always frustrating, long long delays just to get to talk to someone and then when you do finally get through having to go over yet again the extensive history of a small/medium (SMB) business relationship which unfortunately never ends.

In our latest blog post we use our blog as a platform to rant about an ATO experience today. More frustration, plenty of anger and some disappointment in the total lack of help and understanding for Australian SMBs who continue to stay afloat in these uncertain economic times. Forget the fact that we continue to contribute to the Australian economy, continue to employ Australians and continue to not receive benefits of any kind - some slack needs to be cut.

Managing Cashflow In Business - Sometime You Have To Sack The Client

2010-06-09T20:47:00.004+10:00

Cashflow is essential to any business. Often certain clients can regularly affect your cashflow which in turn can cause a detrimental effect on your business. Are these the kind of clients you want and need? We recently had to let a client go, click here for our story:

What Exactly Is Transcription ?

2010-02-24T09:22:00.002+11:00

"What is transcription?" is a question I am constantly asked when I meet people. So I thought I would blog the answer.

Essentially it is the transcription of spoken word to text. Sounds simple? Well there are great number of factors involved in a) recording the audio correctly and clearly and b) having it transcribed. Recording it clearly is handled by our sister company Dictate Australia Pty Ltd advise and supply the best quality digital voice recorders in Australia from Olympus and Philips.

Transcribing audio requires specialist skills and specific software. The Transcription People transcribe a wide range of audio for a diverse range of businesses. From financial report briefings for Coca Cola and AMP to individual patient reports for doctors, to focus group meetings for market research companies, interviews for journalists and podcasts so that a transcribe can be placed on websites.

Read more about what is transcription on our main transcription blog.

Olympus Australia Digital Dictaphones - All .ds2 Recorders

2009-08-17T11:15:00.003+10:00

Olympus Australia have been active this year following the lead of Olympus US and Europe by re-vamping both their notetaker (WS series) and dictaphone (DS series) range of digital voice recorders. The revamp of the digital dictaphones has just been completed and the range now comprises:

Olympus DS-5000 & DS-5000iD (replaced the DS-4000)
Olympus DS-3400 (replaced the DS-3300)
Olympus DS-2400 (replaced the DS-2300)

The biggest point of difference with this new range and one that affects transcription businesses the most is the recording of audio in the new DSS Pro digital audio format which produces .ds2 audio files instead of the older .dss audio files. This can cause problems for some smaller transcription businesses who rely on free transcription software like ExpressScribe. As DSS Pro is a licenced audio format it can not (yet) be played by the free transcription software, instead you will need and official Olympus transcription kit like the AS-2400 or AS-5000 or you need to upgrade your older kit (AS-2300 or AS-4000) to the new DSS Pro transcription module.

The Transcription People use a mix of Olympus transcription software and Express Scribe.

The complete range of Olympus digital voice recorders and transcription kits are available from our sister company Dictate Australia - along with free, friendly advice.

What Does A Proofreader Do In A Transcription Business?

2009-08-03T12:54:00.003+10:00

The Transcription People, one of Australias leading outsource transcription companies utilises a large team of Australian and New Zealand typists and a small proofreading team. Often we are asked about our proofreaders, why do we need them if we have transcription typists?

We see proofreaders as an integral part of our business and one of the key ways we manage our quality control. Having two separate people review the audio, the typist and the proofreader we dramatically reduce any transcription errors and maintain a consistent feed of transcribed documents back to our clients.

Read the blog post from one of our proofreaders, Anne.

Virtual Assistants Taking Care Of Business - Guest Post

2009-05-06T09:32:00.002+10:00

Alexandra Popovic is one of Australia's better known Virtual Assistants or VAs. Alex has kindly written a guest blog post for us explaining exactly what is a virtual assistant?

Click here to read Alex's post on our blog.

My Guest Post On The VIP Virtual Solutions Blog

2009-04-09T12:28:00.003+10:00

As Director of The Transcription People Australia and avid user of the Twitter micro blogging phenomenon I was pleased to be asked recently by one of Australia's top 100 influential Twitterers Alexandra Popovic (aka VIPvirtualSols) to write a short blog post on her site about the difference between transcription typing and general typing.

Alexandra is a Virtual Assistant, they help their clients virtually, i.e. generally from their own home office with tasks that a P.A. would generally perform in office. VA's make up a large number of job applicants at The Transcription People the article on the difference between transcription and typing should be most relevant.

Which Digital Voice Recorder suits me? Lectures, conferences and on the run interviews.

2009-01-21T11:52:00.009+11:00

This week we will look at small compact digital voice recorders that are light weight but still pack a punch when it comes to audio quality and sound pickup.

These recorders would typically be used by students to record lectures, attendees at conferences who want to record conference speakers, journalists to grab sound bites or market researchers doing out in the field interviews or focus groups.

Below is a brief summary of what this typical user needs:

I want to record single speaker (i.e. only me talking) recording my notes.
I will be recording interviews and meetings with a few people both in my office or out and about with background noise.
I am a journalist and need to grab sound bites while out and about.
I am a student and want to record lectures I attend.
I am going to a conference and want to record the audio at a conference.
I want the ability to record directly to my computer hard drive bypassing the inbuilt memory.
I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what I just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.

The best recorders for you would be the WS-311M, WS-321M or WS-331M.

All three units function exactly the same way, the only difference is the unit colour and the amount of onboard memory which effects the total amount of audio recording time.

All voice recorders come with multiple recording modes, we always recommend that you use the highest quality recording mode for your audio, in the case of these recorders that is STXQ (STereo eXtra High Quality). The maximum recording time for these three units on STXQ is:

WS-311M - 512Mb storage - 8hrs 45mins
WS-321M - 1Gb storage - 17hrs 40mins
WS-331M - 2Gb storage - 35hrs 30mins

These recorders are not just all round excellent recorders but they can also store your files and photos on their inbuilt memory and even have the ability to play back MP3s.

For more information on the WS series recorders from Olympus please contact the team at Dictate Australia - sales@dictate.com.au

Which Digital Voice Recorder Suits Me? Focus Groups & Meetings

2009-01-15T14:50:00.006+11:00

Each week The Transcription People will be giving advice on digital voice recorders that would best suit certain individuals and circumstances. Last week we looked at a digital voice recorders that suit a single speaker, note and letter taking professional, these types of recorders are commonly known as digital dictaphones.

This week we are looking at a digital voice recorder that can be used to record focus groups or meetings. The key with recorders for this type of scenario is that they have to pickup large numbers of speakers spread across a fairly wide area. Maybe five ors six people around a table, 14 people in a boardroom or a large number in a classroom o lecture hall.

Below is a summary of what this typical user needs:

I will mainly be recording large meetings or focus groups.
I may want to record single speaker notes and letters but I do not require a rewind/review function. I record in one take.
I am ok using a recorder with batteries but I also want the ability to plug my recorder into mains power.
I want the ability to record directly to my computers hard drive bypassing the inbuilt memory (Windows only).
I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what was just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista. I use a Mac.

Then the recorders best suited to you are:

The Olympus DS-30, DS-40 or DS-50 all offer outstanding audio quality and pickup and are perfect for focus groups and large meetings. They record in .WMA (Windows Media Audio) format which can be easily played back on any Windows or Mac computer.

Any questions about the Olympus DS-30/40/50 can be directed to the friendly people at Dictate Australia who are always happy to help with advice an information.

Which Digital Voice Recorder Suits Me? Single Speaker Note Taking & Letters

2009-01-06T12:31:00.007+11:00

It is difficult to find a Digital Voice Recorder that best suits you and your needs as there is so much information and the choice can be very overwhelming. At The Transcription People we receive audio daily from a range of clients all with different needs when it comes to their audio.

Each week we will blog post more information on Digital Voice Recorders to suit the needs of various individuals.

In this post we will look at professionals who need a digital voice recorder for individual note taking and/or letters. Traditionally these are doctors or lawyers although professionals from other industries are now embracing note taking. These types of individuals usually have alot of experience with older analogue or tape dictaphones and therefore need similar functionality in their digital recorder. Making the leap from trusty old tape dictaphones to the digital world can be very daunting. Here is a typical summary of this users needs:

I am a professional, I need a digital dictaphone to record notes and letters.
I need to be able to rewind what I have just said and add audio on the end. I stop and start my dictation due to interuptions like phone calls or clients.
I will be mainly just recording single speaker audio and the occasional interview.
I want to be able to power my recorder by battery or mains power.
I want to put my recorder into its dock and have it automatically recharge itself and send the audio to my typist or online transcription business.
I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.

The best recorders for you would be the Olympus DS-2300, DS-3300 , DS-5000 or DS-5000iD models.

The functionality of the above recorders differs. For free, no hassle, information and advice contact the team at Dictate Australia at sales@dictate.com.au

Finally Foot Pedals For Express Scribe In Australia

2007-08-29T22:45:00.000+10:00

If you are anything like me, making the transition from the old tape transcription systems to digital was easy, well almost, using the function keys instead of the trusty transcription foot pedal took some getting used to with Express Scribe.

We have been looking for good quality transcription foot controls in Australia for some time. Now that we are linked with Philips Dictation on our online store, Dictate Australia we are now able to provide just that - sturdy, well made, USB transcription foot pedal controls sourced here in Australia.

The Philips Digital Transcription USB Foot Control is what we have been waiting for. Easily installed, just install the supplied driver, plug into a spare USB port and away you go, a foot control for Express Scribe.

The USB transcription foot pedal is selling for AU$150 plus $16 postage. Next day delivery is possible down the Australian East coast for orders received before 12pm Sydney time. So if you need one in a hurry you know where to go.

Use Your iPod As A Digital Voice Recorder

2007-08-07T08:59:00.000+10:00

We recently discovered some very neat accessories for owners of iPod Nano's and the bigger video iPods. A couple of innovative companies, Griffin Technology and XtremeMac have created microphones for these iPods allowing the owner to record audio and in effect turn the iPod into a digital voice recorder.

When compared to the cost of a new digital voice recorder the microphones for iPods can give you a substantial cost saving, both the Griffin iTalk Pro and the XtremeMac MicroMemo retail for less than AU$100.

We recently added both the iTalk Pro and the MicroMemo to our Australian digital voice recorder store, Dictate Australia and in the first month the MicroMemo is prooving to be very popular.

So, if you own an iPod and are looking for a new digital voice recorder you might want to consider a microphone for your iPod as an alternative.

The Transcription People - USA

2007-07-14T20:31:00.000+10:00

This week marks another milestone for The Transcription People. We launched our American website www.TheTranscriptionPeople.com

Our geographical location makes Australia the perfect place for the USA to send audio for an overnight transcription service which can be back the next working day. Not only that, with a country of native English speakers clients in the US know the service they will receive will not only be fast and accurate but also grammatically correct.

Our physical location is not the only benefit. Value for money is also another driving factor bringing business from the USA down under.

Now that we have opened our doors in the US we look forward to welcoming more international clients to our growing list of very happy customers.

Happy New (Financial) Year !!

2007-07-08T13:10:00.000+10:00

Passing quietly into the new financial year 07-08 in Australia on 1st July we officially dropped our old trading name "AMC Professional Office Services" to become "The Transcription People" and to officially launch our new website www.thetranscriptionpeople.com.au

We started from humble beginnings with just one typist back in 1998 and have since grown to over 20 experienced transcriptionists located all over Australia and New Zealand. We originally started out as a Virtual Assistant business, offering a full range of outsourced secretarial services but we quickly found that transcription was our niche.

With our new name and new image we plan to continue to grow our client base and expand further into the US and Europe with transcription franchise opportunities now available in the UK, USA, New Zealand and China.

For our existing clients and prospective new clients we hope you like our new image and can rest assured that we continue to provide the very best in transcription quality and customer service.

Olympus Release New Digital Voice Recorders

2007-05-09T15:13:00.000+10:00

Olympus Australia have just released a new range of digital voice recorders. Not only do they have a great new look but they come with a huge increase in memory meaning longer recording times. They also boast a very nice detachable stereo microphone which produces a crisp and clear recording for your dictation.

The news models are the DS-30 (which replaces the classic DS-2 model), DS-40 and the DS-50 in the pro and advanced pro models. The DS-50 has a massive 1GB of storage !

In the budget range they have introduced the VN-2100PC and VN-3100PC.

Come take a look at these new digital voice recorders at our online store.

Looking For Digital Recorders - www.Dictate.com.au

2006-11-13T14:50:00.000+11:00

We have been providing Olympus Digital Voice Recorder equipment for some time now for our clients. So it was only a natural progression that we create an online store for everyone to be able to enjoy our great pricing, advice and service.

Looking to make the change to digital ?

Come take a look at our new online store - www.dictate.com.au

Confidential Dictation ? - We Keep It Secure

2006-07-18T09:11:00.000+10:00

Many of our clients require that their dictation remain confidential.

This can be a problem for some transcription businesses but not with AMC Professional Office Services - The Transcripton People.

We have our own dedicated secure server allowing our clients to easily upload their audio files to our server. The data sent from our clients PCs and MACs is encrypted as it travels across the internet ensuring its security.

Always look for the padlock in your browser before sending any secure data across the internet. We make full use of SSL secure socket layer encryption when our clients send files to us.

Beware of FTP. This is not a secure method of transferring data across the internet !

Your dictation is not only secure getting to us but stays secure when it is with us. All our transcriptionists have signed and adhere to a strict confidentiality agreement, a copy of which is freely available to all our clients.

Looking for a safe, secure, fast and accurate transcription service, look no further than AMC Professional Office Services - The Transcription People.

Product Review: Olympus WS-320M Digital Notetaker

2006-07-07T15:09:00.000+10:00

This model is fast becoming one our most popular digital dictation notetakers. Small, lightweight and versatile this model has many useful features.

In essence it is a one gigabyte memory stick with a built in mic. So it not only records and stores your dictation it can also be used to store a multitude of other files, your .mp3's, photos, documents etc and these can easily be transferred from PC to PC or uploaded to our secure server for transcription. It even doubles as an MP3 player.

The WS-320M is perfect for single speaker dictation or across desk one-on-one meetings. It can record upto a massive 277 hours of audio on the LP (Long Play) function.

We have sold a few of these and are getting great feedback from our clients.

Contact us if you would like to know more.

Product specifications can be found on the Australia Olympus Voice website.

AMC Professional Office Services are Olympus Communications Resellers.

Digital Dictation - Which Products Do We Recommend ?

2005-12-19T11:44:00.000+11:00

At AMC Professional Office Services we receive dictation files from a variety of sources.

From analogue tapes, these can be standard or micro cassettes.

From streaming audio from our client's websites.

But by far the most common dictation comes in the form of digital audio from digital notetakers. We see this as the future of digital dictation and from the number of our clients taking up the use of digital equipment it is easily the most popular way of dictating.

So that we can understand our clients better we have recently become a vendor for, what we believe, are the best digital notetakers and dictaphones on the market, the Olympus brand.

We now stock the complete range of Olympus digital voice products so can help you with installation and use of your digital dictatphone right through to the transcription process itself.

If you would like to know more about our range of Olympus digital voice products please email as at info@amcpos.com

New Website Coming Soon - TheTranscriptionPeople.com

2005-12-08T09:09:00.000+11:00

TheTranscriptionPeople.com

Some exciting news for our transcription services business. We will soon be renaming our business to TheTranscriptionPeople.com

We will still be offering our high quality, fast, accurate transcription service under our original name until the new website is completed.

In the meantime, if you have digital dictation to be transcribed talk to the professionals, AMC Professional Office Services.

Example Businesess Using Our Transcription Service - Realtors & Real Estate Agents

2005-12-06T11:43:00.000+11:00

We provide a fast, accurate and secure transcription service for professionals all over the world. We work with a wide variety of professionals. Here is an example of one:

Real Estate Agents & Realtors

Another booming sector taking up outsourced transcription services. We have real estate clients in Australia and the USA who utilise our transcription service.

Now its easy to capture a property's features and selling points whilst at the property. Many agents like to dictate what they see as they peruse the property to their digital dictaphone. They can spend a productive day looking around properties and then from the office or home simply upload the digital audio files to our secure online server.

As soon as we receive the digital dictation audio the typing team instantly get to work typing the dictation. The typed transcription is returned back to the client within 24 hours. The typed transcription can then be used for in an advertising feature, window display, flyer or online property site to describe the property.

No need for an in house secretary, save on IT costs, training, taxes and desk and office space. Outsource your transcription services now and save your business money.

Example Businesses Using Our Transcription Service - Doctors

2005-11-29T13:38:00.000+11:00

We provide a fast, accurate and secure transcription service for professionals all over the world. We work with a wide variety of professionals. Here is an example of one:

Doctors

Doctors tend to be traditionalists and many continue to dictate using tape dictaphones.

That is what they are used to, what they understand and what they like.

There is also a growing number of the mainly younger doctors that are embracing technology and recording their dictation digitally. Recently we helped out a forensic psycologist whose regular secretary went on extended maternity leave. He was not keen to employ a temp and wanted someone dependable and reliable. Using our secure file server this doctor fully utilised our transcription services and daily uploaded his patient meetings for us to transcribe.

Our transcription service meets the needs of all professionals, no matter how long our services are required. Be it a one off project, support during existing staff leave or as an outsourced alternative.

If you would like more information on our transcription services, outsourcing or converting from tape dictation to digital please contact us, we are here to help.

A Good Debt Management Website

2005-11-28T11:13:00.000+11:00

I found a great resource today for debt management. Check out their site map to see all the resources.

Example Businesses Using Our Transcription Service - Financial Advisors

2005-11-25T09:26:00.000+11:00

We provide a fast, accurate and secure transcription service for businesses all over the world. We work with a wide variety of businesses. Here is an example of one:

Financial Advisors

This sector is quickly taking up digital dictaphone technology to record their client advisor meetings.

This meets a key requirement for any financial advisor business, compliance. It also frees the advisor from note taking allowing the advisor to concentrate fully on his clients needs and financial goals.

It's a simple process. Advisors digitally record their client meetings then upload them to our secure server for us to transcribe.

Click to see how easy it is to upload a file to our server.

The transcribed document acts as a written record for both the advisor and the client. The audio and transcription are also both stored on CD for the advisors records, a free service we offer with all transcription.

Find out more about our transcription service.

Transcription Service For UK & USA Businesses

2005-11-24T11:23:00.000+11:00

Why our UK & USA clients like outsourcing their transcription to AMC Professional Office Services in Australia

Here are six good reasons why our USA and UK clients use our down under transcription services:

1. Time Zone. We are perfectly placed to offer an overnight service. Send us your digital dictation by your close of business and it will be in your email the next morning when you start work.

2. We offer a fixed price transcription service. You will know the cost of your transcription from its audio length, so no nasty surprises when the bill arrives.

3. All our transcriptionists are English speaking Australians. There will be no issues with accents meaning a faster more accurate transcription than some other non-English speaking countries.

4. Are your digital dictation files confidential ? Or maybe too large to email ? We run our own secure web server for our clients to upload their digital dictation files to. Click the link to see how easy it is to send us a file: Secure Upload Demo

5. Our transcription service is fast, accurate and secure. Click to see some of our client's comments.

6. You are dealing with Aussies. Got to be some of the friendliest and straightforward people around. Hey, any country with kangaroos and koalas has got to be good !

So why not send us an email to find out more about our transcription services.

We are THE Transcription People.

The Top 5 Tips To Good Dictation

2005-11-22T22:12:00.000+11:00

When submitting dictation to be transcribed there are a number of factors which increase the transcription time. By applying the following five tips you can decrease the time taken to transcribe your digital dictation and save you money.

1. Ensure all speakers sit an equal distant from and speak towards the microphone.

2. Keep mobile phones well away from the recording device and if possible turn them off.

3. Record your audio in a quiet office with the doors shut. Eliminate as much background noise as possible.

4. Only one speaker at a time. Speak clearly and spell out any names, unusual words or terminology specific to your business.

5. Advise your transcriptionist of speaker names, their roles and the dates of the dictation.

We are transcription specialists and can help with with all your transcription needs.

Welcome To The Australian Transcription Blog

2005-11-22T13:20:00.000+11:00

Welcome,

This is the place to find out how to get the most out of outsourcing your transcription needs. This blog is maintained by AMC Professional Office Services, a Sydney based transcription business specialising in the transcription of all audio including dictation, seminars, conferences and meetings, be it digital or analogue.

We plan to use this blog to give advice and information about the benefits of outsourcing your transcription, how to improve your dictation to increase transcription turnaround time (TAT) and updates on new transcriber technology.