Transcription workflow software is a powerful tool that streamlines the transcription process from beginning to end. By automating your transcription workflow, you can increase efficiency, reduce costly errors and ultimately enhance the overall productivity of your team. These platforms offer a cost-effective alternative to hiring a virtual assistant, allowing you to focus on tasks that generate more income for your business. In this article, we’ll explore the best options so you can choose the one that works best for you.
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What is Transcription Workflow Software
Transcription workflow software is designed to streamline the transcription process by automating tasks and providing a centralized platform for collaboration and management. These software solutions make it easy for you to assign transcription and editing projects to your team; maintain audio files and documents; and manage deadlines and invoicing, all in one place. Most of these platforms also integrate with other programs and services, like cloud storage, accounting software, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
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Why Use Transcription Workflow Software
Saves Time – Anytime you automate a process, you end up with more time for other tasks. Even if your team is small, every minute saved is an extra minute you didn’t have before. Transcription workflow platforms can automatically make projects available for transcriptionists to claim, notify editors when transcripts are ready to be proofread, send completed transcripts to your clients, and so much more!
Saves Money – Time IS money! Once you’ve opened up time in your schedule by automating your transcription workflow, you can spend that time on tasks that produce more income, like acquiring new clients and following up on overdue invoices. Additionally, these software solutions are usually less expensive than hiring a virtual assistant to handle all of the tasks that these platforms can do.
Increases Efficiency & Turnaround Time – Transcription workflow software makes it easy to prioritize tasks and communicate effectively with your entire team. This keeps everyone on the same page and ensures that your team has everything they need right at their fingertips. Turnaround time increases because all of the automated processes occur instantly without any human involvement.
Decreases Errors & Missed Deadlines – These programs can automate the quality control process and catch errors that may have been overlooked by human transcriptionists. Additionally, the collaboration and review capabilities enable transcriptionists, editors, and reviewers to catch and rectify mistakes collectively. The features for task management and prioritization ensure that tasks are properly scheduled and prioritized, reducing the likelihood of missed deadlines. Automated reminders, notifications, and real-time progress tracking help identify bottlenecks or delays and take appropriate actions to ensure timely completion.
Recommended Transcription Workflow Software
Trello
Trello is an online project management platform, not specifically for transcription workflow but it is very easy to customize. I have been using Trello for over a year now and it’s been a great asset to my entire team. Trello’s free account offers more than enough features to get you started. I love the ability to create checklists and assign a due date to each item on the list. I’ve set custom notifications so I can keep a close eye on high-priority tasks and ensure that my team never misses a deadline. And, if my processes change as my company grows, Trello is extremely easy to modify as needed.
My Transcriber Workflow in Trello provides my team with everything they need, including links to essential resources, a detailed description of our processes, our style guide, and templates. Each job assignment contains a link to the audio, instructions, the due date, and a checklist. I’ve also built in automations. For example, as soon as a transcript is complete, the job automatically becomes available for one of my editors to claim.
In addition to a transcription assignments workflow, I also have several other workflows in my Trello account: a client management workflow, a hiring and onboarding workflow, and a transcription project workflow. If you usually work alone or have a very small team, you’ll definitely want to try my Transcription Project Workflow template in your own free Trello account. In addition to the checklists and automations, the template is filled with tips and resources to help your transcription business grow.
Scribe Manager
Scribe Manager is a cloud-based transcription workflow management system developed by Tyger Valley Systems, the maker of the popular The FTW Transcriber. It offers a range of features to simplify the transcription process and improve productivity. Their pricing structure is a bit complicated, but I found it to be quite affordable compared to other online platforms. Take advantage of the 30-day free trial to see if Scribe Manager is a good fit for your team.
One of my favorite Scribe Manager features is the ability to choose whether to assign specific files to individual transcriptionists or to allow your transcriptionists to claim the files they want to work on from a list of available jobs. I also like that I can set internal and external deadlines, which are extremely helpful for prioritizing and staying on track. Additionally, I received excellent customer service from the company when I trialed the software. You can watch a seven-minute overview of the software at https://youtu.be/iDozACs-Tik
Web Shuttle
Web Shuttle is a transcription workflow software developed by Bytescribe, Inc., which focuses on the healthcare industry. However, their software is versatile enough to be used for any type of transcription. Web Shuttle provides a comprehensive platform for managing the entire transcription process. They also offer a 14-day free trial and four pricing tiers.
One key feature of Web Shuttle is the ability to assign files to specific transcriptionists based on their availability, skills, or specialization. It also allows you to set priorities and deadlines for each assignment. And I absolutely love the reports on productivity, turnaround time, and other metrics to help with performance evaluation and business insights.
Philips SpeechLive
Philips’ online transcription workflow software, called SpeechLive, offers dictation and transcription solutions in one platform. The system is easy to set up for an individual or a team. And if you ever need to outsource, you can also order speech-to-text or human transcription services directly from the software.
In addition to uploading audio files, Philips SpeechLive’s mobile app allows for dictation directly into the software. This is a unique feature that only a few transcription workflow platforms offer. This system also includes an in-browser player with foot pedal compatibility and variable speed settings. Their 14-day free trial allows up to 10 users and includes 600 speech-to-text minutes.
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Streamlining your transcription workflow with one of these platforms will help your business grow quickly. All of these transcription workflow solutions aim to simplify the transcription process by centralizing tasks, automating processes, and enhancing collaboration. The specific features and capabilities may vary between different transcription workflow software, but their primary goal is to improve efficiency and accuracy in the transcription process. The cost of most of these platforms is minimal compared to what you would spend on a virtual assistant who manually performs the automated tasks that these solutions offer. Give these platforms a try and comment below which one worked best for you!
