Choosing a transcription partner can feel overwhelming. With so many options out there today, freelancers, AI tools, and big companies, how do you know which one is right for you? At Orate, we believe clients deserve clarity. Here’s a simple checklist we prepared to guide your decision.

1. Accuracy Matters Most

Look for providers who guarantee above 95% accuracy. Automated tools might be cheaper, but even small errors can distort meaning, especially in legal, medical, or academic contexts.
For context, a 2018 Johns Hopkins study showed that errors in medical transcription can directly impact patient care. The research revealed that medical records are an important and overlooked pathway through which bias can be propagated from one clinician to another, further entrenching healthcare disparities. The same can be said for legal transcription, where errors could affect judgment.

2. Security & Confidentiality

Sensitive audio, such as interviews, research data, and business meetings, requires strict confidentiality. Ensure your provider has clear data protection policies and secure file transfers. A journal by Washington University in St Louis agrees that hiring a transcription service introduces privacy and security risks. It is therefore important to continue with a provider whose contract specifies nondisclosure and its responsibility to secure the data.

3. Turnaround Time

Do you need transcripts in hours, days, or weeks? A good service should balance speed with quality. Ask upfront about delivery times, as clarity on this matter is the backbone of quality that will be delivered. Significantly, turnaround time improves client satisfaction as prompt services are a cause of happy clients. Consistency in timely delivery demonstrates reliability and hence opens avenues for long-term engagements.   

4. Industry Expertise

Not all transcripts are the same. A medical interview, a legal deposition, and a classroom lecture require different skill sets. Choose a provider with experience in your field. As you approach the providers, ensure that you get to know where they score best. If your files are of a medical nature, you ought to get a provider who highly appreciates such files with immense expertise

5. Pricing Transparency

Cheap isn’t always better. Look for clear pricing models without hidden fees. Value is in the mix of accuracy, reliability, and service quality. Additionally, when a provider is transparent with all their prices, it helps the client make informed decisions. With pricing ready, we see increased client trust, and providers eschew misleading practices such as surprising clients with hidden charges.

6. Human Touch vs. AI

While AI tools are fast, they often miss context, accents, or nuanced speech. Human review ensures transcripts are reliable and polished. Context is crucial in transcripts, and one of the Ai downsides is a lack of contextual understanding of language intricacies. Another snag is its inability to capture non-verbal cues; thus, human input after the transcripts interact with AI tools is mandatory.  

As a final thought, when choosing a transcription service, think beyond cost. Consider accuracy, security, turnaround, expertise, and the human touch. At Orate, we tick all these boxes, so you don’t have to compromise.

👉 Ready to experience transcription done right? Contact us today.