I've tried to simplify the Categories to make it easier to determine where your audio fits in.  Below are a few tips to help, just in case you get stuck.

Category A - Clear, professional quality audio; one speaker or one interviewer/one interviewees.  In this category, the audio is clear, no background noise, and the speakers are clear and concise.  There is not a lot of technical jargon, no time stamps, or significant research and the content flows smoothly.

Category B - In this category, there may be minimal background noise, perhaps one person is in an office where there are occasional interruptions such as the phone ringing, or someone coming in to ask a question.  This audio is not professional quality, but it is fairly clear and easy to understand the speakers. One or more speakers may have a slight accent, but it does not require too much effort to understand them.  There may be up four people in total for this category. 

Category C - In this category, the audio quality has background noises that interfere with the sound quality.  This can be static, loud setting, bad telephone reception, etc.  One or more speakers may have distinct accents that require listening more than once to transcribe the recording accurately.  This audio may have technical terms or unusual words that require extensive research. 

Category D - In this category, the audio quality is poor, speakers may have distinct accents that require listening more than once to transcribe accurately. 

This category also covers focus groups and panels.  If there is no introduction (each person says their name), there will be an additional charge.  Focus group recordings should be accompanied by a name list, if possible. 

RUSH - This category is self-explanatory, based on the turnaround time.  The above Category descriptions also apply to RUSH jobs. 

Determining Cost - Since we bill down to the second, the easiest way to determine the cost is to take the per audio hour rate, divide it by 60 minutes and multiple it by the actual total of minutes and seconds.

Example:  A 35 minute audio file in Category B.
$55 (per audio hour) divided by 60 minutes  ) x 35 (actual number of minutes) = $32.08.  

If you round down $0.91666666.... to $0.91 x 35 minutes = $31.85, you will not have the correct total and the final payment will be different.

I hope that helps clarify the Categories and pricing.  If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

There are two common questions asked when inquiring about transcription services. The first is, "When can you have it back," and the second, "How much will it cost? " Discovering how to get cheaper transcription rates just takes a little lesson in what transcriptionists look for when quoting a project.

Quality of Audio

The quality of an audio file plays a major role in the cost of the project. Of course, clear audio is welcomed and many times will cost less to transcribe. However, audio with background noises, multiple unintelligible sections, and speakers who are cutting each other off or too far away from the microphone may result in higher per minute/hourly rates.

Cost-Saving Recording Tips

Some individuals don't mind paying more for transcription, but for those money conscious people, here are a few tips to keep the cost of your next transcription project down.

Every business owner is on a quest to increase sales while keeping operating costs at a minimum. If I told you that you can increase online profits and reduce stress with the help of a transcriptionist would you believe me? Well let me show you a few ways this can be done without breaking spending a whole lot of money.

Video Conversion

Everyone knows that visual learning is popular and with all of the video sharing sites available this is a fantastic way to brand your business, but what about the audience that prefers reading? By taking a video tutorial and converting it into a transcript or PDF, you have just expanded your audience for the cost of a transcript.

While video is the in thing, not everyone has time to watch videos or listen to audio. Some people still enjoy reading so why not tap into that audience?

Copywriting

Contrary to what many believe, copywriting is not just sitting down and throwing together a bunch of words to make copy. In fact, it requires skill to produce quality content that sells.

Everyone loves a bargain, but sometimes what seems like a deal will end up costing more in the end. Determining how much you are saving with cheap transcription is just a matter of doing the math; it is not rocket science.

Let's say you found a great company advertising less than half of what you are currently paying. Most reasonable people who think, it's worth a shot and they try it. When the transcript is returned is when the fun starts.

Do you notice minor typos right away? No problem, you can fix those, after all you are getting a great deal. As you skim through the transcript you notice that some sentences just do not make sense. This wasn't what you heard during your interview or speech. Now you pull up the audio and decide to listen again. You could be wrong.

Upon listening to the audio you realize that complete sentences are missing and some don't even fit into the context of the conversation. What the heck is going on here!