Looking for a good transcription company on the Internet is a difficult task. Whether you perform a general Google search for "transcription services" or a specific search such as "conference transcription" or "interview transcribing", you receive thousands of website links. Once you find a transcription company you think can handle your job, you then have several elements to consider aside from the price of the services. How the company answers the questions will tell someone the level of professionalism and experience the company has, which will help in the decision making process.

Who does the transcribing? - Many times companies hire people with audio typing experience, but fail to recognize that audio typing is not as detailed as transcribing. Highly experienced transcribers have a wide range of proficiencies that include superior language and grammar skills, accuracy, excellent proofreading skills which include spotting contextual errors, distinguish inconsistencies within the text, ability to identify and transcribe from different accents and dialects, recognize voice inflections, and be able to maintain the style and meaning of the speaker.

How much time will the transcriber spend on research? - Unless a list of names, locations, and other potentially difficult words is provided by the client to the transcriber with the recording, there is a certain amount of research that must be done to ensure spelling and grammatical accuracy. The transcription company should already know this and be prepared to build the research costs into their price quote for services. However, the price for research should not be too high since information is usually easy to find on the Internet.

Are the transcripts proofread? - After completion, every company should provide a proofreading service. Without this service, there is bound to be some form of error that passes through to the final product - from typos to areas that are confusing within the complete context of the transcript. If the company does proofread, make sure to follow up with the question of who does the proofreading. If the transcriber also does the proofreading, there are bound to be mistakes that are not caught. A fresh pair of eyes is essential to the task.

Do they have enough transcribers? - Some transcription companies accept large projects without realizing that they do not have the staffing to ensure the project is completed by the deadline. This could lead to outsourcing parts of the project to companies that may not hold the same standards the company you choose maintains. Also, if they do not realize they are in over their heads soon enough, that causes them to rush the project and not be as detailed as they could be.