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Everyone Loves A Bargain… But At What Cost?
‘People know the price of everything and the value of nothing’ – Oscar Wilde
In this day and age, everyone loves a bargain. Whether it’s a BOGOF in Tesco or a last-minute sale item stumbled upon after hours of searching on eBay, it’s human nature to want to feel that we’re getting more than we’ve paid for. How many times, though, have we landed what we think is a fantastic deal only to find that after three washes, the cheap T-shirt falls apart, the unbranded TV breaks out of warranty, or the sale item from eBay doesn’t exactly match the description on the site? When it comes to clothing or consumer goods, such experiences leave us with little more than a sense of disappointment and chagrin at our unwise opportunistic gamble. However, translate this into the context of your business – and it becomes a little more serious.
Transcription is a service that is worth paying an honest price for
The internet is rife with providers claiming to offer professional transcription facilities with a meagre price ticket attached. With the ‘fire sale’ mentality of the eBay bargain hunter, it might initially seem tempting to cut corners and pounce on these cheaper options. What are you really getting for your buck, though?
- Reliability?
- Quality?
- A consistent level of service?
Most likely, none of the above. Something that may well have seemed like a smart cost-cutting exercise at the start of the year could quickly turn into a white elephant later, when you’re let down by poor-quality transcripts and missed deadlines. The inevitable consequence of using companies with very high turnovers of uncommitted, disengaged staff is that you will end up paying twice; being forced to outsource to another provider to finish the job that the originators started, but failed to complete.
Time is as precious a resource as money in business
A strategy that some companies adopt is to keep all their transcribing in house. This appears at first to be an economical choice – but there are implications. Unless the company already has trained and dedicated transcribers in their employ, it is likely that the work will be done by people for whom this is not their skillset. It may end up being squeezed in between their other daily task, often with some difficulty. As deadlines approach, the work might be rushed through after hours and under duress – almost certainly without the due care and attention that it would be given were it to be handled by a trained team at a transcription agency. It is no secret that we are all time-poor – and time is as precious a resource as money, in business. Therefore creating a situation whereby already-stretched members of staff have to also take on the burden of transcription is false economy indeed.
Relieve yourself of this pressure
The moment you decide to use a quality transcription agency, you relieve yourself of this pressure. You will experience the relief of knowing that you have a professional outfit to manage all of your transcribing, comprised of people dedicated to this work. At McGowan Transcriptions we are experts in our field; almost 28 years in the industry has given us a very broad scope. We are not new to the game, unlike some lesser-known agencies that might surface online only to disappear without trace tomorrow. We are a well-established and well-trusted brand, and our clients come back to us time and time again because they know we offer excellent value for money.
We only take on committed people, with appropriate capabilities and experience
All our transcribers undergo rigorous testing before we accept them on to our team. The recruitment process is so designed to ensure only the highest calibre of people come on board. This also deters any applicants who may perceive transcribing to be a casual, half-hearted top-up to their income. We only take on committed people, with appropriate capabilities and experience. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for some agencies, who may have very lenient entrance criteria – but suffer from high staff turnover and low quality and output as a result.
A happy team produces excellent work
When you do something every day and it is your passion as well as your job, it shines through in everything you produce. At McGowan Transcriptions our transcribers genuinely enjoy their work. This is evidenced through their enthusiasm to support and assist their team, as well as their selfless willingness to take on extra workload during busier times. These are not the actions of people who are just in it for the end-of-month reward – and herein lies the true value of our service. Such dedication and generosity is priceless. It has been cultivated through our company culture of openness, support and, importantly, fair remuneration for a high standard of transcription. We believe that our service is worth every penny – and we know our people are, too, which is why we pay them so well. All this makes our team feel valued and appreciated – and a happy team produces excellent work.
You have a choice to make
Do you go for the bargain-basement quick fix to just get the job done and off your desk, only to be plagued by quality issues and costly corrections later down the line? Or do you choose a high-quality transcription agency like McGowan Transcriptions, where you will have the reassurance and peace of mind, knowing that you are working in partnership with a trusted and capable provider? If you want to feel nurtured, taken care of and truly valued as a client rather than rushed through an impersonal and unreliable machine, choose wisely. Be prepared to pay a fair price for a job well done. As many a disillusioned bargain hunter will say and, with a sigh of bitter experience, caveat emptor.
by Li Collins, Team Mentor
