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Old Tricks And Traditional Skills Still Vital To 21st Businesses

You would think, with this being the bright shiny and thoroughly wired 21st Century that the more traditional skills associated with the secretarial world would be thoroughly redundant. However, despite the fact that our lives are dominated by computers, tablets, Smartphone’s and a whole range of peripherals and apps that can be added to them, some traditional skills remain in high demand. From copy typing to audio typing and transcription services, traditional skills still remain in high demand. The latter, in particular, remains a crucial part of content creation for many industries, from humble minute taking to full scale TV transcriptions. Transcription services today are also an important feature for conference organisers and transcription offers a number of significant advantages.

The Bigger Picture

Recording and filming any event was, in the past, a difficult task which required a significant number of professionals and an equally large (and cumbersome) amount of equipment. Today any event, from a pop concert to conference can be (and is) recorded on a phone and the film is often uploaded to the web in seconds. However convenient this may seem it does not replace the need for accurate and professional filming or transcription. In large conference centres where a number of speakers may be talking at one time, or where question and answer sessions are part of the presentation, both professional filming and transcription still have significant advantages. Unlike audio or video files, fully transcribed events offer users a fast look up for significant points and sections. With transcriptions now available digitally, the simple use of the find function can take you straight to the point in a way that no amount of film footage can.

Old Skills and New Methods Combined

Post event publications of transcribed documents have a number of advantages. In terms of web publication, transcription offers a handy SEO tool. The broader the scope of your written content, the more opportunities for lead generation via search engines; again in a way which means that video content alone will not be as beneficial. Also the more traditional print press, while happy to receive audio or visual material, will often rely on transcribed versions of a presentation or conference to make their own jobs easier and making things easy for journalists means they’ll be able to find time to fit your piece in.

Applied Technology

Although transcription is an old skill, long pre-dating the internet, the technological revolution has made the process of finding reliable transcription services easier and more affordable. Most transcription services operate online and transcribers themselves can be located just about anywhere in the world. This has driven down the costs of professional transcription and can open up opportunities for these services. This means any content you need to promote in overseas markets can be quickly made available in a variety of formats or languages. The process is speeded up to almost light speed thanks to modern technology. This gives modern businesses a greater and faster reach than in the past, making it possible for firms of any size to go global.

New Opportunities

While transcription services offer advantages to a range of industries they offer specific advantages to conference organisers in any field. Post conference transcripts can be marketed alongside podcasts as part of a full package for both attendees needing to refer back to the conference and as a valuable product in their own right to sell to a wider market. Working with a professional and established provider makes sense in this context and planning ahead will also make the process run more smoothly. Contacting a transcription service provider well in advance and involving them in the planning of the event will help you both to create a package that suits your needs which will result in a quick and efficient turnaround on the end product. Despite the massive advances in technology and the opportunities that it has opened up for business it seems that some of the oldest tricks are still the best.

About the Author: Pipa Rose is a freelance writer who has a keen interest in business. While technology has made business presentations and conferences far easier and more accessible for many, she believes that many traditional skills such as transcription services still play a crucial role.

Transcription: The Great Unsung Hero Of The Business World

Speaking is (generally) a far more natural and less time consuming process than typing. This is an undeniable fact and as such, ‘typing up’ audio reports can be one of the most frustrating and tedious tasks that befall most of us in the business sector on a daily basis. There is however a select group of flash fingered wizards who can make their brains and their fingers work in tandem to the extent that the spoken word and the written word become almost seamless in their delivery; to them this work is as natural as breathing. These prodigiously talented individuals are known as ‘transcribers’ and they offer a service that has proven invaluable for millions of people in a variety of professions, all over the world.

The History of Transcription

Transcription has been used in various capacities since the early 1900’s, where medical stenographers were hired to document doctor’s work in text. Eventually (with the invention of cassette recorders and later computers) such documents were stored as audio records dictated by the doctors themselves but medical transcriptions are still commonplace. The actual act of transcription itself has over time, bled into many other sectors, primarily the journalism and business sectors where interviews or meetings are often transcribed in full. Before the invention of audio recording devices, transcription was an incredibly difficult process that required transcribers to use shorthand to write down speech as it was being spoken. The introduction of handheld Dictaphones in the 90’s made the job of transcribers immeasurably easier and now that most Dictaphones use mp3 technology, the audio data can quite easily be recorded and then emailed to a third party transcription service. Various ‘auto transcription’ software packages have recently started to reveal themselves online but they are largely unreliable (the intricacies of human speech are still beyond even the most powerful computers) and require absolutely crystal clear, perfectly pronounced speech to operate properly, which is very rare in most professional circumstances.

What is Transcription?

The job of transcribers is (literally) to transcribe. One of the most common forms of transcription is when transcribers are hired to take either an audio recording or live dictation and then transcribe the contents into text. Examples of where this sort of transcription might be used in the workplace include court hearings (court reporters are essentially transcribers in all but title), seminars and speeches, all of which can be converted from spoken content into text. Perhaps the most obvious use of a transcription service would be in television where transcription is required to produce subtitles. Transcription has only recently become a mainstream career option thanks to the advent of high-speed internet and the almost ubiquitous availability of personal computers. It is a job that is free of the restraints of traditional 9-5 office work and as such, most transcribers will either work freelance or will work for transcription companies but will do so from the comfort of their own homes. Transcribers will charge their clients either by time spent or work done so it will either be on a ‘per word’ or ‘per minute’ basis. Larger transcription firms will deal exclusively with private law firms, TV studios or government agencies but there are firms who will offer their services to anyone for a price.

What Goes into a Transcript?

The industry standard time for producing a transcript from a piece of audio is approximately one hour for each 15 minute chunk of audio. This means that live transcription is rare. In the few cases where it is used, translations tend to be unreliable at best as there is no time for transcribers to go back and check for errors or refine their text. In many situations however (such as live television) a broadcast might be delayed ever so slightly, to give the transcribers time to refine and correct their words before they are broadcast.

What else can a Transcription Company offer?

Besides straight English audio to English text, many transcription companies will employ staff members versed in a variety of languages so translation is usually an (incredibly useful) option. Post production work might also be offered, which is especially import for television work where specific time-codes, logs, musical cues and shot descriptions are generally necessary.

If you’re serious about your work then hiring professional transcribers might be the best decision you ever make. These workers have a number of valuable skills and their fingers can work as fast as their mouths (if not faster). What’s more, their lightning quick work (many companies offer 24 hour turnarounds) will save you countless hours as time is arguably the most important commodity in any business.

About the Author: Pipa Rose is a writer who understands that transcription has now become an essential part of industries such as television production. Television companies use from take 1, transcription services to help them produce professional and informative shows.

Is Outsourcing Fulfilment Services The Right Choice For Your Business?

Fulfilment Services

Order fulfilment and distribution is the life blood of any business. If orders are not filled quickly and effectively, and distributed fast and without incident, then you can wave goodbye to your customers. For a number of reasons, many companies find themselves unable to carry out their promotional services in their entirety. Many large businesses, especially multinational enterprises, choose to outsource promotional logistics to help out in promotion of their various products and services.

While outsourcing fulfilment to a dedicated logistics firm obviously incurs some significant initial outlay, it is a cost that a large company can well afford, when the cost of undertaking the promotional service themselves is taken into account. Relieved of the problem of promotional logistics and fulfilment, the sales team is freed up to focus on more important factors such as keeping the sales end of things running smoothly and effectively. It is primarily for this reason that so many larger companies and business entities choose to look for promotional logistics service providers.

What To Look For When Identifying A Fulfilment Service Provider

As the internet age draws on, we find ourselves more and more overwhelmed with information. Every decision is made both easier and harder by the sheer number of options we are presented with when researching a service provider online. It is essential however to devote a bit of time to establishing your fulfilment needs and researching the fulfilment services offered by various companies, identifying the ones which best suit the specific a, individual needs of your company. It may seem arduous to trawl through a lot of providers websites, but getting the choice of service provider right is as crucial to the success of the business as doing the promotion itself.

It is not only the costs attached to undertaking promotional activity yourself that your business is set to save when outsourcing fulfilment services; your company will also be able to redirect the man power and other resources that you would have used on promotional activities to other enterprises. The benefits attached to this decision must be equal or greater to the cost of having to outsource.

Adding value

Promotional activities are often an additional cost to the company and they can only be valued by the contribution they make towards increasing the sales volume and popularity of the products or services. The only way to ensure that the value of the promotion services is felt by the company is by ensuring the service provider delivers quality services that are both timely and very professional. Whether collecting various promotion requirements, delivering customs clearance services, or drop shipping promotional merchandise, the service provider must provide these services with ultimate professionalism.

The challenge then is for the service provider to offer a reliable service of the highest quality, so that your business will retain its customers in a competitive industry. If the service provider fails to consistently exceed expectations then you can quickly begin to seek better service providers or build your own promotional teams from your sales divisions. This puts you as a business owner considering outsourcing fulfilment services in a really strong position, as potential service providers are constantly striving to offer the best service they can in a competitive market. Likewise, of course, fulfilment service providers are assured of customers who will always need promotional services in order to stay relevant in very competitive markets and to retain their market share.

About the Author:Kate Parker is a blogger and SEO writer who has written extensively on order fulfilment. she has written this article on behalf of Vision Logistics.

Alcohol Addiction on the Job: Is the Company Liable for a DUI?

For both practical and legal reasons, employers cannot control the actions of an employee when the employee is off the clock. Employers may proscribe certain behaviors such as drug usage or speech that reflects poorly on the company, but employers can only react to wrongful conduct after it has occurred. Such is the case with an employee who is charged with driving under the influence. This unexpected development can be unpleasant for both the employer and the employee.

Alcohol Addiction and the Law

While an employer’s first reaction to an employee who is intoxicated at work is usually to terminate the employee, employees have some rights under the law. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers may not discriminate against employees with certain disabilities if the employee can perform his or her essential job functions with reasonable accommodations made for the disability. If there is a legitimate business purpose to exclude employees with a certain disability, employers may do so; for example, a trucking company looking for drivers may reasonably decline to hire the visually impaired.

The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to a wide array of disabilities, including alcohol addiction. If an alcoholic can perform the essential duties for which he or she was hired without the disability affecting his or her performance, the employer may not make hiring or termination decisions based upon that disability. However, if the disability affects the employee’s work and cannot be reasonably accommodated, the employee may be terminated.

Driving Under the Influence and the Five-Minute Meeting

An employer will almost certainly terminate an employee who is arrested for driving under the influence while on the job. The primary reason for this is liability. Employers are vicariously liable to third parties for the actions of their employees assuming that the employee was acting within the course and scope of his or her employment when he or she committed the tortious act. Intoxicated motorists are a hazard and a lawsuit waiting to happen for the employer.

Additionally, an employee who is convicted for driving under the influence will be unavailable to perform the essential duties of his or her job. While it’s true that, as offered by The Wilson Law Firm, “There are many possible defenses to a drunk driving charge,” in Virginia, persons convicted of driving under the influence face a license suspension for up to one year. If an employee is driving while acting within the course and scope of his or her employment, it is likely that the employee is involved in an occupation in which driving is an essential duty. In such a case, the employee may be released from his or her employment.

Assisting an Employee with a Legal Defense

Mounting a legal defense to a charge of driving under the influence can be expensive for the employee, and most employees should expect no assistance. Very few employers would even consider contributing to the legal defense of an employee charged with driving under the influence while on the job. However, it can happen. If the employee is particularly valuable to the firm and his or her absence from the company would cost the firm significant revenue, an employer may provide assistance to the employee.

If the employer does elect to retain and assist the employee, the employer must proceed carefully. A jury may consider an employer who knowingly allows employees accused of driving under the influence to operate vehicles for him or her to be negligent. If an accident occurs, the employer may be liable for negligence, which can result in an award of punitive damages. Punitive damages can greatly exceed the cost of the injury.

While employers can be liable for injuries to third parties for an employee’s act, the employer will generally owe no duty to the employee to assist him or her if he or she is arrested for driving under the influence. Employers have a strong interest in terminating such employees from employment and the few employers who choose not to will usually reassign the employee to a position in which he or she is not responsible for operating machinery. However, talented and highly trained employees are difficult to come by. Employers with an indispensable employee may consider providing assistance to the employee in the form of legal counsel or funds to pursue an independent legal defense.

Ann Bailey posts this research for employers with workers who are facing a DUI charge, particularly in Virginia. The Wilson Law Firm vigorously represents clients of intoxicated driving charges, aggressively fighting to keep their personal rights intact, within all boundaries of the law.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvissa/339081965/

Business Isn’t Always Glamorous

When many of us think of long-term, sustainable profits we may envision a large multinational import-export company or a banking conglomerate generating billions in revenue each year. While these sectors are all indeed vital to the economy and can pull in uncounted millions, an often-times overlooked area that offers the opportunity to produce a steady and dependable income stream is the area of waste management. Let us get a better understanding as to why this industry is one of the most profitable business sectors.

Trash Does Not Disappear

Whether we find ourselves in a booming economy or one where the word “crisis” tops the headlines more often than we would prefer, societies still generate rubbish. Simply because an economic downturn may grip a region does not mean that people are consuming less goods. In fact, there may actually be more trash and junk to collect as individuals and households relocate; leaving massive piles of refuse and goods on the street. Therefore, the fist advantage of junk removal is the simple fact that there will always be business.

Better Usage of Waste Materials

The days of taking a few tons of trash and depositing them in an unsightly landfill are quickly coming to a close. 21st century environmental policies now dictate that much of the waste generated must either be recycled or even used as an alternative source of energy production. Thus, the waste industry has rapidly “gone green”. The main advantage here is that this situation gives junk removal companies the ability to diversify their current operations. This allows waste industries to realise more profits as they now can offer a valuable commodity to other organisations. Many CEOs are highly aware of this, as seen in this article.

Government Subsidies

Another benefit not to be overlooked is the fact that many governments are now providing handsome subsidies to those companies who develop and maintain environmentally-friendly policies. This lower carbon footprint is actively encouraged and industries such as waste management have the ability to take advantage of this extra influx of funds. Also, let us not forget that these more ecologically-aware policies will help protect our environment for generations to come.

Turning Trash into Cash

While these aforementioned benefits are particularly relevant for larger corporations, let us not forget that smaller enterprises can benefit from other aspects of junk removal. Not only can one person’s trash be another person’s treasure (as in the form of antique furniture, copper pipes, etc.) but due to the fact that we live in what has been called a disposable society, older electronic devices are more frequently thrown away. There are many rare-earth metals in this equipment including silver, palladium and even gold. Many smaller disposal companies will actually reprocess these for the metals they contain and turn a considerable profit from what would otherwise be simply known as refuse.

So, it is easy to understand why waster disposal represents a significant income opportunity. Although not the prettiest of industries, the profits that can be generated are quite attractive.

About the Author: John is a freelance business feature writer working with Skip & Bin hire in the UK – a comparison site for waste management services who work with skip hire companies to help promote their best deals when availability is high.