Do I spend a sum of money on a Transcription Agency or do I use a cheap freelance transcriber, is a question some businesses ask. However, the businesses who ask this are small businesses or start-ups, because the big names already know the answer. For them it is a no-brainer – a Transcription Agency.
There are many reasons for this, and all of them are valid.
With a Transcription Agency you know what you are getting – a professional, experienced transcriber. Any freelancer is a risk the first time you work with them. They may be good or maybe not. Even the second job they do needs carefully checked, as many make an extra effort to do the first job well to secure more work from you in the future, but then lapse into doing it as quickly as they can.
These days anyone can, and does, set themselves up as writers, artists, transcribers and many more occupations that they have never had experience or training in. There is no effective way to differentiate between a real transcriber and a person who thinks it only means writing down a few words that are said on a tape. Many will offer to transcribe 4 hours of recording in 4 hours, and that shows they have no idea what this job involves. Others will offer to do the 4 hours for $5, and while this does look like they are not professionals, there may be a valid reason why a real professional is offering their services for such a low price, (illness that costs money, so every cent helps, is a common one). Basically, you can’t really tell if the freelancer is any good or not, and you have to take a chance – not so with a Transcription Agency.
Should the freelancer become ill, they will contact you to say they are unable to complete the job, (in some cases they do not even do this), and you are left with a deadline looming but no work done. If you use an agency, such as Singapore Transcription, they will outsource the job to another worker so it gets done within your timeframe.
Transcription Agency workers generally have more experience than freelancers, and agencies have a range of workers with different skill sets, so a medical transcriber will do your health related work, while a legal transcriber works on your legal requirements. Freelance workers do not have this option.