How Court Reporters and Their Teams Can Work Better Together

Are you feeling like there are not enough hours in the day to get transcript pages produced?  Is your inbox full of requests to move this transcript ahead of that one because someone just realized they have a hearing coming up?  Are you simply fatigued from being overworked because there’s more work than reporters?  Here are some thoughts on a strategy you may wish to consider to lessen the stress and keep your clients happy and impressed that you can always come through for them.

Stenograph and Advantage Software both offer a solution that is revolutionizing how busy reporters keep pace with the demands of transcript production.  For Stenograph the product is called RealTeam; for Advantange Software the product is called ConnectionMagic.   Both vendors have created a product that allows your scopist and/or proofreader immediate access to your live file, including your audio backup.  Have you considered how your transcripts could look, whether or not providing realtime, if your scopist is editing as you are writing a job?  Not only are you looking like a fabulously organized and professional reporter, but your transcripts are produced much more timely and efficiently.  Additionally, your scopist has the ability to ask you a question on the spot about a spelling or a technical term which, in turn, you may clarify with the witness or counsel at the next break.

Let’s go one step further:  What if your proofreader could be proofreading the same job right behind your scopist?  Can you even conceive of this possibility?  Well, it’s reality!

How might your life change if at the end of each day your job was already scoped and proofed and ready for you to finalize and turn in?  Suddenly, that backlog that has weighed so heavily on your mind for months is a thing of the past.  Now you are free to write every day knowing that your support folks are working in the shadows, and at the end of the day when the client asks how soon the transcript can be delivered, you’ll proudly say, “I can deliver it in a few hours.”   Not only have you made a client very happy, but you now can charge expedited rates.  A win for everyone!

If you would like to learn more about these products, please visit this link for information about RealTeam and this link for ConnectionMagic.  And watch your e-mail for an upcoming Planet Depos webinar showcasing realtime reporting teams who have mastered simultaneous transcript production.