A transcription business is as good as its employees. Transcribers are the soul of a transcription business. Having gone through the process of setting up your transcription company and the initial capital investments - equipment, necessary paperwork, registration and permissions - entrepreneurs tend to hire haphazardly, rendering their capital investments at great risks.
It's often due to hiring the wrong people transcription companies fail to take off ground. They are often caught in this never-ending circle of hiring and firing because they fail to determine the right employee that fits the company's philosophy and work ethics.
Before hiring, determine the kind of transcription company you want to run. Set in place the company's philosophy and work ethics. Do you want to run an innovative and creative company? Assess and determine the right kind of transcribers you need. Determine the kind of attitude and personalities you are looking for or that are preferred. How many hours of audio dictation do you expect daily? Determine the number of personnel you require to get the company up and running. Set goals for the company. Determine short and long term goals for the company.
How to hire your first group of transcribers
First, let's note that there are basically two types of transcribers - typists and proofreaders. Typists are transcribers with average to excellent typing speed. They are usually capable of typing 70-120 wpm. However, they lack the experience and skills needed to provide 100% accurate transcripts or at least something close to 100%. They usually get less salary and therefore are cheaper to hire for a transcription company.
Proofreaders are transcribers who have the skills, experience and ability to produce 100% accurate transcripts all on their own. They are usually paid well and are the backbone of a transcription company. Without their expertise, the typist's version of transcript is not good enough and will not make the company money.
Both typists and proofreaders are important because typing is a time consuming task and by having designated typists, proofreaders can concentrate on quality instead of quality and thereby maintain the standard and quality of the final transcripts.
Most transcription companies I've seen at close quarters have the habit of hiring typists and proofreaders simultaneously 1:1 or 2:1. That is, for every typist they hire they also hire a proofreader.
As a start-up, I think 1:2 is ideal. Because initially you should focus on quality; not quantity. Quantity is good; it pays the bill. However, quality is what will sustain your company and build your brand. In fact, instead of hiring 5 typists I'd hire 2 proofreaders to get started. Remember that proofreaders can type too.
Hiring a Transcriber: Dos and Don'ts
- Think lean; hire lean.
- Hire only excellent transcribers with other useful skills like writing, designing, humor - anything that can add value to the business in future.
- Hire transcribers who love new challenges.
- Hire only those fluent in English - spoken and written (assuming you're into English transcriptions)
- Do not hire by experience; in fact, 10 years experience as a typist tells me he doesn't improve as a transcriber!
- Pay them well.
- Keep the good ones; even if it means more costs.
- Facilitate their personal growth and improvement.
- Be there for them when they need you - you will need them more often.
- Treat them as partners in the business - ask them for new ideas and solutions to the business.
- Evaluate personnel and business all the year round.
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