The Top Three Reasons Law Firms Are Not Using Digital Dictation Technology

In my profession, it is frequent to ask a good deal of thoughts. Really, it is important. A Virtual Assistant is an individual who has to know as considerably as probable about a specific client’s programs or way of doing factors in buy to ideal configure and make use of out there know-how to assist them do it much better, more quickly, for less value — regardless of what the client is looking to achieve.

I started my VA job nearly 8 a long time in the past and limit my observe to digital aid to the legal industry. Over the decades, I have questioned numerous attorneys, legislation agency administrators, paralegals, HR professionals, private investigators, IT administrators, taking care of associates, office environment professionals, secretaries and other people about the procedures used at their corporations. Some use document management software program, some will not. Some have web-sites, some you should not. Almost devoid of fall short, when questioned what the lawyers use for dictation, the most prevalent reaction: a tape recorder.

That’s superior, because dictating is a very economical system, even with a tape. In accordance to Dictaphone, in 1952 recorded dictation was recognized as “a time saver in excess of handwriting and stenography among the lawyers, physicians and other professionals”. The initially mini-cassette recorder was promoted in 1973. Do you imagine it? That exact little recorder even now in use at most firms in the US today is the technological equal of listening to music on an 8 monitor!

In any occasion, if your organization makes use of tape dependent dictation, then it is already comprehended that recording genuine agency operate solution is a very good way to get points carried out and if your organization does not use dictation, perhaps you really should be beginning with electronic so keep reading.

Why Enhance To Digital Dictation?

While not as old as dictation alone, electronic dictation has been around for very some time. The medical profession has been making use of digital dictation technological know-how (phone in and portable recorders) for more than a ten years. Why? Upgrading to a electronic dictation course of action presented hospitals, clinics, doctor’s workplaces and insurance policies firms with:

o the capacity for health professionals to operate remotely with almost nothing much more than a cell phone or portable recorder and web relationship

o centralization of document workflow for numerous person, many web site functions

o the capability to check perform in development and overall efficiency

o the potential to monitor and report a variety of metrics and requirements

o the capacity to employ distant transcriptionists and help save on personnel expenses

The way I see it, any sizing agency has as much to achieve as a comparably sized health-related practice by upgrading to a electronic dictation course of action – so the problem continues to be, with so a lot to get, Why have not they!? (Browse that record earlier mentioned once again – with your business in head.)

Why Are not Corporations Applying Digital Dictation?

The major rationale, I feel, is no a person has put 2%2B2 alongside one another however. Considering the fact that electronic dictation technology just isn’t “new”, not significantly notice has been compensated to it outside the house the healthcare business. Just not too long ago, however, British and other European legislation corporations have been in the news talking about how upgrading to electronic dictation has been much easier and far better than anticipated.

What About Here in the US?

Detailed underneath (in reverse get) are the leading three responses I have gained more than the years to the query: “Why hasn’t your agency upgraded to digital dictation?”

Range 3: “Electronic dictation, is not that speech recognition?”

No, speech recognition is not electronic dictation. Speech recognition is software program. It normally takes the human voice and converts it to text. Speech recognition computer software involves teaching to just about every unique user – hours of training for most apps, producing the implementation of this technological innovation not simple in most business options.

Digital dictation is the recording of your voice with software or gear that provides dictation capabilities – prevent, rewind, insert and so forth. With digital, on the other hand, the recording does not go onto a tape, it will get saved as an audio file (i.e., .wav, .dss). Not like speech recognition, digital dictation involves a transcriptionist and application to sort the recorded thoughts.

By the way, one cause why I firmly imagine speech recognition software program can never change a superior authorized secretary/transcriptionist – no matter how substantially you teach it, it can never ever catch when you say “defendant’ and you really should be declaring “plaintiff”! )

So, though you might have heard or read about the pitfalls of speech recognition technological innovation, digital dictation is a different animal entirely.

Variety 2: “If it ain’t broke…”

Certainly, it is genuine that tape dictation will work and has worked for many years, but so does a typewriter, an abacus, even a compass for that make a difference. Upgrading to digital dictation is not a resolve, it is an advancement to a known method. It is the organic evolution of dictation – from human staying (secy), to recorded (tape), to digital (seem file).

When upgrading to digital, what ought to be highlighted is that these earning the recording no longer need to be in the identical physical area as the man or woman doing the transcribing – or in present day lingo: can perform remotely! Based on how the capture system is established up, so lengthy as firm’s dictators have obtain to a telephone or the world wide web, they can develop billable time.

Considering the fact that the dictation file developed with digital is electronic in nature, it can be manipulated a great deal the exact as any other computer system file — saved, routed by means of networks and so on. This tends to make the dictation file alone a lot extra practical and person pleasant in modern digital ecosystem (networks, a number of places of work, doc administration program, retention requirements).

Together with distant work possibilities for firm dictators, upgrading to electronic dictation offers reporting and tracking on each and every file as it travels by the process or all of the metrics that a tape centered dictation program simply just can not offer. Keep up a tape and inquire an lawyer what’s on it and see what s/he says! If it ended up a electronic file, having said that, you often know the day and time a file was established, by whom, how prolonged it is, what shopper it is for, what subject it pertains, and much more.

So, from an administrator’s as perfectly as dictator’s perspective, upgrading to digital dictation offers really an enhancement for how the work gets accomplished.

and… my all time preferred reaction to…

“Why has not your agency upgraded to electronic dictation?”

Variety 1: “We never like modify.”

I am not kidding! I have heard this correct phrase much more instances than I care to admit!

Other than, of program, this reaction supporting me to recognize that corporations can acquire without end to arrive at a decision, it provides pretty a conundrum. Why? When upgrading to electronic, not substantially really variations in the course of action for the dictator. In truth, Olympus and other important brands even have moveable digital recorders in their specialist line that have a slide swap. Actually, a electronic recorder which mimics an analog recorder’s features.

Thus, when thoroughly configured, other than the point that an attorney does not have to get up from his chair to hand a tape to his secretary (or go away on her chair), when upgrading to digital, dictators do not “do” just about anything various.

Wrapping It All Up

At some position, each company has to weigh the professionals and downsides of any technology enhance. With more and additional machines and software package vital to stay aggressive, no surprise no a person is searching for an additional “up grade”. As opposed to so a lot of the know-how accessible nowadays, nonetheless, electronic dictation technology is not “new”. It is really secure and has been robustly tested, productively executed and utilized in different sized environments for around a decade.

This need to, IMHO, make an enhance to digital dictation a ought to for any firm’s 2009 know-how funds.