It’s mind-boggling how poor communication costs businesses millions of dollars annually on the backs of misunderstandings, legal disputes, and even excluded team members who can’t fully access content. Although forward-thinking organizations invest in solutions like those provided by professional transcription companies to help solve this communication issue, many are still left behind. According to recent data, an average of $62.4 million per year is lost due to ineffective communication – that’s an eye-watering amount for business leaders. So, how can transcription improve communication and seal the gaps between processes?
Here’s how.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Transcriptions can help improve communication and prevent costly errors by creating reliable records.
- Transcribed content is searchable and accessible for people with hearing impairments.
- Human transcription provides significantly better accuracy than AI alternatives.
What Exactly Is Transcription?
Transcription means converting spoken words into written text, which can be achieved manually (listening to the audio and typing out what you hear) or through automatic transcription tools – though I don’t generally recommend the latter due to accuracy issues.
Beyond writing words down, transcriptions sometimes include notations for non-verbal elements like pauses, laughter, background noises, etc. These notations are typically requested to ensure an accurate representation of the audio source.
Moreover, transcriptions can also help improve communication, depending on how they are used – more on this later.
Key Features To Take Know About Transcription
Here are some of the most common elements in transcriptions that help improve communication.
| Features | Description |
| Verbatim Transcription | It means capturing exactly what was said, word for word. No edits. |
| Time-stamping | Marking specific times within the audio when statements occur. |
| Speaker identification | Labels are used for each speaker throughout the conversation. It can be their names. |
| Non-verbal notation | Sounds like [laughter], [sigh], [pause], etc. Found in verbatim transcription. |
| Punctuation | Adds appropriate grammatical structure to the language. Mostly found in edited transcription. |
| Audio handling | Means processing various audio qualities and filters background noise. |
| Format flexibility | Transcription output is available in multiple formats (TXT, DOC, SRT, etc.) |
| Confidentiality | Secure handling of sensitive information. |
How Transcription Can Improve Communication
You can’t possibly measure how transcriptions can help improve communications, so let’s tackle the most significant points for now. And again, its benefit largely depends on how it’s utilized.
Meeting Documentation
Meeting transcripts are as important as they can get in the corporate world, as it’s the only definitive record of what occurred during discussions. Without reliable transcripts, meeting participants often leave with different interpretations of the agreed-upon discussion points – a common issue, especially for those who don’t contribute much during the meeting.
That said, a detailed meeting transcription can help resolve these unsynchronized interpretations. The main purpose of these documents is to record not just the final decision but also the reason behind it.
Each of the participants can then be given a copy of the meeting transcript, so if they need to verify something. For example, for an agreed responsibility or deliverable, they can simply skim through the transcript themselves. There’s also no need to go through the entire recording or bother fellow participants for clarifications.
Content Searchability
Depending on the discussion, meetings can sometimes last for hours, making it difficult to take detailed notes without losing track. However, transcribing the meeting solves this problem—participants can focus and contribute, knowing they’ll receive a transcript afterward.
And this is where content search ability comes in. Instead of going through the entire recording to verify something, participants can simply search for keywords to locate the information in seconds. This is also quite useful for marketing teams reviewing customer interviews, as they can quickly find every mention of a product feature without replying to the entire recording.
For example, those who work in the legal field can also benefit from the searchable nature of the digital transcripts. You see, there can be a truckload of recordings involved in a legal case – and all of these must be transcribed and certified. From there, legal professionals can CTRL+F to find critical lines like contradictory statements within testimonies.
Accessibility for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Individuals
Recent data shows over 460 million individuals worldwide have hearing issues. So, without transcription or any text alternatives, these folks would miss a ton of valuable details from informative content like podcasts or videos. This also means missed viewership for content creators, like those who publish on YouTube. Here’s one point where you can use transcription to improve communication.
Moreover, transcription practices can significantly improve the engagement of hearing-impaired team members in corporate settings since they will no longer be excluded from audio-heavy discussions, like video presentations or virtual meetings.
Students with hearing issues also significantly improve their learning with transcripts. Since COVID19, educational institutions have adapted to remote learning, while some have even utilized content-based learning – where they used animations and other interactive video elements for academic content.
Fortunately, many of these educational organizations have implemented transcriptions, subtitles, captions, and other text-based solutions to help students consume the content, and those with hearing issues significantly benefit from this, as they now have equal access to the learning materials.
Also, NCAM research found that video contents with captions have 40% more viewer retention compared to those without. So, you’re really missing a lot without these text-based elements.
Language Barrier Navigation
In the U.S. alone, there are approximately 430 spoken languages, which makes transcription more valuable as it opens communication channels that audio alone can’t bridge.
Sometimes, even in English, companies with employees in other parts of the world struggle with accents and speaking styles during meetings, though I don’t think this is a big deal for casual company discussions.
For critical conversations, transcription would help provide clarity to prevent costly misunderstandings. For example, confusion about deadlines might compound into weeks of misdirected work, or a misheard budget could result in financial troubles.
Another reason is that professional translators can work efficiently with transcripts compared to listening through video recordings. They won’t have to deal with elements like background noise, overlapping speakers, quality issues, etc. Instead, your translators can streamline their craft and get things done – accurately translating your transcribed meetings or interviews.
Regulatory Compliance
Recording and transcribing important conversations can help protect your organization from potential legal issues, providing documentation to address compliance concerns or resolve unexpected disputes.
For example, a customer claiming promised deliverables that weren’t part of the contract – this is one somewhat common in the construction field. Now, without records of the conversations, it becomes a “he said, she said” situation, and worse, they might actually win if they file a complaint against your business.
Also, as a business owner myself, I make sure to record and transcribe critical negotiations or agreements to protect the business. Why? Regulatory auditors are very good at finding documentation gaps during investigations, so don’t sleep on recordings and transcription – it’s a way to stay compliant to regulations like GDPR, SEC Rule 17a-4, and others.
Why Not Use AI Transcription Tools?
Using AI to transcribe personal projects is perfectly fine, as long as you’re comfortable with the AI learning from the content you provide.
However, the primary reason why you shouldn’t use speech-to-text tools for crucial projects is accuracy – AI transcriptions can only get an average of 61.92% accuracy. And, the consequences of inaccurate transcription are heavy, far-reaching, and unpredictable.
Miscommunications, legal ramifications, loss of credibility, misinformation, operational errors, medical errors, negative financial consequences, damaged relationships, and time and resource waste are some potential effects of incorrect transcripts.
For all its speed, artificial intelligence still cannot transcribe with acceptably accurate results.
AI transcription can often be hindered by background noise, overlapping speakers, diverse accents and dialects, and poor audio quality. It cannot identify nuance and utilize context to create a more accurate verbatim transcription – things that come naturally to experienced human transcriptionists.
In a statement to IBM, Julia Hirschberg, a professor and chair at the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University, explained why voice recognition software isn’t as accurate as some may think. Hirschberg says, “The ability to recognize speech as well as humans do is a continuing challenge, since human speech, especially during spontaneous conversation, is extremely complex.”
Why Choose Ditto For Your Transcription Needs?
Don’t settle for low-quality deliverables or AI transcriptions that are only “up to” 61.92% accurate.
Choosing Ditto comes with many benefits; here are some of what you can expect:
- Accuracy: We guarantee 99% accuracy in every transcription project. All you have to do is focus on gathering crucial audio or video recordings, and we’ll transcribe them flawlessly – the first time.
- Human Expertise: Our team isn’t filled with robots – though they’ve become pretty good at cleaning our floors. We have professional transcriptionists who understand the subtlety of multiple speakers or the technical jargon. They’ll create transcripts that will reflect the natural flow of your conversation.
- Turnaround Time: We understand time is money, so we ensure that your transcripts are delivered within the agreed-upon timeframe. You can also choose the turnaround time. You can opt for a rush project or a standard one.
- Security: Not all recordings are created equal, and some may contain sensitive information. For that reason, Ditto Transcripts is HIPAA, CJIS, and FINRA compliant. Rest assured, your content is secure with us.
- Affordability: We acknowledge that recordings can be highly valuable for organizations, and transcribing them can be costly. So, we offer high-quality transcription services that won’t break the bank. We have options to fit any budget without sacrificing a single bit of quality.
- 24/7 Customer Service: Humans run our customer service, not chatbots. We take the time to understand your requirements and will gladly assist you with technicalities or answer any questions.
Improve Your Communications With Ditto’s Transcription Service
Our transcriptions can help improve communications. Get the full potential of your recordings with professional transcription services from Ditto Transcripts. With the highest level of accuracy, you can gain the benefits of improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and legal compliance.
Partner with us to enhance your workflow and drive your business forward in this data-driven world. Not convinced? Contact us today for a free trial.
Ditto Transcripts is a FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.