If you are unsure whether outsourced transcription is suitable for you or you are uncertain as to which provider to use the following companies all provider a free trial so that you can test out the service at no risk.

Assured Transcription - 30 minutes free

Document Direct - 30 mintutes free

DTFL - 10 minutes free

Outsourced dictation -  half a dozen letters free

UKTyping - 3 days of free transcription

Voicepath

Guest article from Richard Phillips - Operations Director (www.outsec.co.uk)

The number of Internet support services for legal companies has increased dramatically in recent years. With the worsening economic conditions, all legal firms must now look to re-structure themselves in order to survive and the web offers a veritable smorgasbord of online business partners. Management needs now to concentrate on ‘core competencies’ and most other ancillary functions should be moved off-site. Greater efficiencies derived from using outsourcing will deliver a competitive edge and ensure that the company (or individual) will continue to be financially viable in a rapidly changing and increasingly volatile global market-place.

Automation of manufacturing and application of new technology has been on a steady upward path since Henry Ford came up with the conveyor belt principle, yet the outsourcing of basic office functions such as typing and general clerical work still seems new and unwelcome. The ‘global village’, coined by Marshall McLuhan in the 1960’s,  is open for business but still shunned by many in the legal world. So why are not more people doing it? The resistance to change occurs for a variety of reasons: logistical IT issues and associated costs, perceived de-humanisation and loss of individual control with associated security issues, or a simple unwillingness to adopt new working practices.

The main benefit of outsourcing can be identified in just one word: flexibility. More...

Outsourced transcription specialist, Voicepath, has demonstrated its commitment to providing legal firms with high quality and reliable outsourcing services by becoming one of the first companies in the country and perhaps the first in the legal technology and services sector to be registered to the new Quality Standard ISO 9001:2008.

The internationally recognised Standard, which ensures that registered firms follow a formal framework for monitoring and evaluating their internal processes, was upgraded in November 2008 as part of the International Standards Organisation’s periodic review and introduces a number of changes to the requirements of the Standard based on user experience. The requirements are similar to those that law firms have developed in order to gain Lexcel accreditation – the Law society’s practice management standard.

Voicepath’s outsourced transcription service, the success of which depends upon Voicepath securely transcribing high volumes of confidential client documents on behalf of a rapidly growing number of law firms, first gained ISO 9001 accreditation in 2007. Recognising that client firms need absolute confidence in their choice of transcription service partner Voicepath have chosen to stay at the forefront of general and industry specific standards..

Richard Bate, general manager of Voicepath, comments: “We are delighted to have received such early recognition of the enhanced quality processes and procedures we follow at Voicepath. When we first gained the ISO 9001 certification in 2007, we committed ourselves to driving standards as high as possible. This upgrade is formal recognition of this commitment. With many law firms looking at restructuring their support services to use outsourced transcription it is vital their users have well founded confidence in the service if firms are to realise full benefit. We have heard a number of stories where individuals have been let down by other service providers which stem from poor procedures in terms of technical set-up, transcription quality and customer service. The internationally recognised ISO 9000 certification means clients can be assured of a consistently high quality from Voicepath.”