Why Digital Dictation Works Best
At many small insurance firms, investigators still record reports and interviews using analog devices, namely portable magnetic tape cassette recorders.
As recording technology has evolved from analog to digital, however, cassette tapes and tape recorders have become harder to find, and they are much more expensive. Firms need a new way to record and manage their interviews and dictated documents, without severely affecting their productivity or budget. In short, transitioning from analog tape to digital dictation is long overdue.
Firms should also not be concerned about digital dictation disrupting current analog tape-based workflows. The resulting workflow is more efficient because it removes wasteful steps, and it allows investigators to complete more reports in the same amount of time. They are also able to eliminate the expense and inconvenience of analog tapes.
Inconvenience of Analog Tape
A reluctance to switch to digital dictation could be based on unfamiliarity with the technology and the potential investment in new recorders and transcription software. Maintaining the status quo with a firm’s current analog tapes and equipment, however, continues to become more expensive.
Maintaining magnetic tape is also a nuisance because it deteriorates after several years, degrading in audio quality and voice clarity. In addition, insurance regulations and a firm’s internal policies may require the retention of cassettes for a variety of time periods – as long as 20 years for a case involving a child, for instance.
As a result, insurance firm offices have storage cabinets filled with thousands of archived tapes, each affixed with a label describing the case and the recording content. On the rare occasion a firm needs to retrieve an old recording at the request of a carrier or attorney, finding the specific interview or dictation is time-consuming and tedious.
The transcription workflow also improves efficiency for the entire organization. With digital, instead of passing tapes affixed with paper notes around the office, investigators can upload recordings from their handheld devices through a docking station that attaches to their computer. Transcriptionists then access the dictations or interviews from a centralized folder system automatically routed into the transcription software. Recordings are individually identified by the report and investigator. They are also time-stamped and prioritized.
Typically within less than a few weeks, investigators and office support staff find the new workflow is more intuitive, so managing and sharing recordings is faster and more efficient.
Highly mobile investigators will enjoy that many of the handheld digital recorders are powered by a rechargeable battery and some manufacturers even facilitate charging the recorders with your smart phone charger.
The ability to upload recordings when on-the-go or from home also helps improve productivity. Traditionally, creating reports is a longer process because tapes need to be copied and mailed, or they are delayed until the investigator brings the tape to the office. With digital, if a carrier or attorney wants to hear an interview, investigators can attach it to an email or electronically transfer it to a secure server.
Audio recording clarity from a high-quality handheld digital device is also far superior to magnetic tapes and the audibility never degrades over time.
For adjusting firms of all sizes, the switch from analog tapes to digital voice technology will improve the efficiency and convenience of their work, while eliminating costly cassettes and antiquated devices.