4 Reasons HR Teams Should Invest in Live Notetaking Services: Beyond Transcription Services
It’s vital that HR departments are taking detailed, accurate notes to record the content of meetings — including dispute resolutions.
When most people think about modern transcription services, they think about sending a recording off to be transcribed by a faceless transcriptionist and getting their transcript back 12–48 hours later.
But, there are still transcription firms that will send a professional transcription to you, providing you with a live, in-room typist who can churn out 100+ words per minute, delivering professionalism to any setting and enabling immediate access to a transcript.
For HR teams, this delivers particular benefits. So why aren’t businesses taking advantage of transcripts for HR teams?
To our mind, it’s down to a lack of awareness. But, if you’re still on the fence, here are four reasons your HR teams should invest in live notetaking services in 2019.
Live notetakers deliver expanded levels of professionalism and seriousness
During certain kinds of meetings, specifically disciplinary hearings, having a notetaker can create a more serious and professional atmosphere. Their presence can stop volatile situations from getting out of hand.
Everyone is kept in check, and you establish that this is a professional meeting and should be treated as such. No matter how angry or aggrieved an employee might get, they know they have to behave themselves as there’ll be evidence of their actions in the notes. A recording can have a similar effect. But, the physical presence of a transcriptionist takes that one step further.
The same goes for imparting an air of respect. Nothing says that you take someone seriously like a third-party writing down exactly what they say. You can actually get down to business right away, without trying to spend time setting the right mood.
Live notetakers protect your reputation
Think about all the activities HR teams are involved in: disciplinary hearings, fraud investigations, dismissals, meetings about company restructuring, take over bids and redundancy proposals. All of these things are highly sensitive, so you must have records of what happened during them.
A recording of the event delivers that kind of record that can be called back on to dispel any doubt about what happened. But, someone can always claim that non-verbal actions triggered an unprofessional atmosphere — then it becomes your word against theirs.
By having a third-party in the room, you effectively hire yourself a neutral witness. They’re an independent arbiter who can be called upon to testify or support claims if things ever move into a court of law. This is the greatest insurance policy against reputational and legal damage that you can use when engaging in dispute resolutions that might get ugly.
On-site notetakers enable an extra level of data security
In general, quality transcription services are highly secure and keep your data protected. But, by investing in live notetaking services, you can create a whole new level of security. Primarily, there’s no need for audio recordings to be sent to the transcription service who will then send back the transcribed document.
Everything is already transcribed right there, so you have your data right away. You’re aware of who has your information, which makes it far more secure. You can even supply that transcriber with an air-gapped computer if you want near 100% guarantees that everything remains protected.
Simply make sure that both the individual and transcription company sign an NDA. If you allow the transcriptionist to take the data off-site, look for companies ISO 27001 & 9001 accreditations and use encrypted storage protocols.
Live notetaking is also the closest thing you’ll get to actually creating transcripts in-house. They get the job done right there and then, bypassing so many potential security risks.
Live notetakers deliver instant access to results
Professional human typists can churn out around 100 words per minute — which is more than 1.5 words per second. So, for most HR meetings, this is a sufficient pace to record all the important points and provide a summary. This gives you instant access to the transcript as soon as the meeting is over. You don’t have to wait a couple of days for a recording to be transcribed and sent over.
In urgent cases, live notetaking services are an ideal option. The fact you receive a summary as part of the notes is also so beneficial as it means you can recount all the key points right away.
The bottom line is that HR teams should really look into investing in live notetaking services in 2019. A professional notetaker can help set the scene and make your meetings appear more professional and serious. By having them present, you maximise the incentives for everyone to be on their best behaviour. You are delivered a transcript of events and gain a third-party eye-witness, both factors that help you maintain your reputation in the face of legal allegations.
A notetaker is also the quickest way of seeing a transcription, and they carry out the service with data security at the forefront of everything. So, if you want to make the most out of your HR meetings, then upgrade from standard transcription services to live notetaking.
You have been reading about how live notetakers deliver ideal outcomes to HR teams. If you have more questions about other types of transcription services, we have written the Ultimate Guide to Transcription Services just for you!
