There is a technology that every professional needs to be aware of. Called digital dictation, it's eons ahead of the traditional dictaphone cassette method (which of course was a marvel in its own time, dispensing with the need for a secretary taking shorthand dictation from the boss in person).
Digital dictation uses software so that the lawyer or doctor, for example, can dictate directly onto his or her computer network. Not impressed? Well, the dictation can be from within the office with either a handheld recorder or a headset; it can also be via a remote device such as a mobile phone or (for the technologically advanced) a personal digital assistant, also known as a PDA. Email, Blackberry and FTP are other methods in which dictation files can be transmitted. The sound file created is then instantly available for transcription and can be directly accessed by administrative assistants and clerical support staff.
We're not talking speech recognition, where the computer tries to transcribe audio (and usually comes up with some interesting, but often incorrect results). The conversion process through software is controlled by way of a foot pedal, a recognizable piece of equipment from the "old days", which allows the typist to play, rewind or stop the dictation. Sound quality is as good as you'll find on any CD and can help in both the accuracy of the transcription (thus saving on revisions) as well as the speed at which the work is done. Saving time is money in business, and those minutes taking the tape to the secretary or searching for a blank tape add up. Disasters like inadvertently dictating over a tape not yet transcribed are also a thing of the past.
The speaker can easily review or edit at any point within the file and even insert an extra point without erasing the text already dictated. If the file is large, the work can be shared among support staff, with an ease of prioritizing not readily available in traditional dictation and transcription methods. When a file has to be interrupted for a rush job, it's no longer a matter of physically juggling the new tape with a half-completed one, creating a real possibility for error. A separate electronic audio file can simply be accessed by the typist and upon completion, the work on the first file completed.
What has been gained by user-friendly digital dictation is efficiency. Because separate dictations are created and made available across the firm, the entire support staff can share the workload and transcribe the dictated documents and correspondence much more efficiently. Productivity levels are of course directly related to efficiency and the higher the productivity, the better the bottom line.
Big Hand (http://bighand.com) sells
digital dictation equipment. Art Gib is a freelance writer.
