It can be said with certainty that dictation and transcription as we know it has been transformed in the last decade. We find ourselves permanently in "contact me" mode via cell phone or email. Access to the internet is ever easier and soft VoIPs (voice over internet protocol) like Skype have narrowed geographic boundaries. Now with greater work pressures, digital dictation means you can generate work in any location to be transcribed remotely. So what is all the hype about going digital and what exactly are the benefits over analogue dictation?

1. Immediate file delivery. Sending digital recordings via the internet means no delay between dictation and transcription turnaround, saving your business time and money. Files can even be emailed from your mobile phone!

2. Clarity. Digital technology allows you to control the speed of dictation without causing pitch distortion, making dictation easier to understand. This improved clarity ultimately aides transcription accuracy.

3. Sound Quality. Digital sound is superior to that of analogue recordings. Digital technology eliminates background noise making it easier to understand and thus reducing the likelihood of error.

4. Faster turnaround. Because error reduction is achieved through enhanced sound quality and clarity, Transcription Specialists can work faster. A quicker turnaround time is a cost saving for your business. At the same time, Transcription Specialists increase their earning potential as they can deliver higher volumes of work to many clients as a result.

5. Easy editing. Need to insert additional comments? No problem! You can add to, edit or delete voice recordings with ease without overwriting previous recordings. You can even insert a piece of text or a digital image from another location to your digital file.

6. Bookmark. Transcription Specialists can skip to any section within a file to find a particular piece of dictation, so no need to fast forward through an entire cassette tape to find something specific. You just place a marker on the digital file for ease of reference.

7. Easy transfer of work. Whether you are in the office or working offsite, you can plug the recorder into a PC and download your recording.

8. Superior recording quality. Digital recordings do not deteriorate over time. The quality is retained and the original can be copied with no adverse affect on quality.

9. No limitations. A traditional cassette is usually only 20 or 30 minutes each side, digital recordings are as long as you need without the need to change sides! There are no length restrictions. No cassettes required! Just press record and go!

10. Dictate and go! No need to wait to fill up a tape before sending it on for transcribing. Dictate as you need to and send on immediately. Just re-record your next piece of work as a new digital file.

11. Length of recording. A digital file states the how many minutes and seconds a voice recording is once the file is opened, so no more confusion about the length of a recording.

12. Important information at a glance. File headers can incorporate important information like the name of the person dictating, work priority, case name (for legal transcription), patient name or chart number (for medical transcription), date, etc.

13. Space saving: voice recordings are digital files stored on a PC, no valuable office space is required for storage.

14. Portable: Handheld digital solutions allow you to dictate anywhere, just stop and start whenever suits until you are done!

15. Productive workflow. Digital transcription increases output efficiency and streamlines the process from dictation through to the finished transcript.

16. Reduced risk of loss, damage or deletion. When you download your recording to a PC files are less likely to be lost, damaged or erased in the way traditional cassette tapes can be.

17. Original dictation untouched. Your original recording is stored on your PC, not erased like cassette recordings. Invaluable if you need to revisit a piece of work! Files can be backed up on CD or stored on a network for added protection.

18. Retrieving the dictation. No searching for the cassettes to retrieve dictation, use the -Find File- facility on your PC for instant retrieval.

Still not convinced? The initial expense to reinvest in digital technology is outweighed by the obvious gains in productivity. Digital technology streamlines the entire process of dictation and transcription. What does that mean for you? Going digital means your business is time efficient, cost effective and is guaranteed a highly accurate end product.