Complete seamless integration for Digital Dictation System and transcription outsourcing

03 February 2006

Outsourcing transcription specialist Voicepath has shown it is possible to make an outsourced service work as quickly, conveniently and effectively as internal secretaries through its seamless 360° integration with nFlow digital dictation systems.

Voicepath and nFlow, both of which are legal sector specialists, came to integrate their systems after a number of nFlow customers expressed an interest in outsourcing an element of their support work in order to improve workflow and cut costs.

Voicepath general manager, Richard Bate, explains: “Outsourcing transcription work offers law firms the chance to make time and efficiency savings over and above those they get by moving from a tape-based system to digital dictation. The key to getting maximum benefit, however, is ensuring that internal systems and the outsourced service provider talk to one another. This is where our integration with nFlow proves most useful.”

nFlow’s digital dictation system is a complete solution, incorporating sound recording, transcription and workflow management elements into one package. Voicepath’s integration with this system works as a logical extension, with the service set up to appear from the outside as another ‘secretary’ to whom work can be directed.

When a fee earner wishing to outsource transcription works selects Voicepath, the nFlow system sends it on to the company, automatically bundling the dictation file with related job information such as timescales, reference numbers and additional notes. This work is then transcribed by one of Voicepath’s nationwide network of teleworkers, checked and returned to the client within the timescales specified on the job.

It is on returning completed transcriptions that the biggest benefits of Voicepath and nFlow’s system integration become apparent. nFlow Sales and Marketing Director, Rob Lancashire explains: “The key to making a success of outsourcing work in this way is to ensure that completed jobs get logged properly. The business case for outsourcing is much stronger if each completed transcription can be automatically tracked and logged by the dictation system without someone having to manually change the status of the job. Unlike other systems that don’t do this, it completely frees up internal support staff from administrative duties associated with updating the internal dictation system”.

To achieve the goal of making the adoption of outsourcing simple and most effective, nFlow and Voicepath’s integration is set up so that each completed transcription delivered back to the client automatically changes the relevant job’s status on the nFlow system to show it has been completed by Voicepath. Consequently, users are easily able to track the progress of their outsourced work through the system from start to finish without anybody having to update it manually. Rob Lancashire adds: “This level of integration is unique among digital dictation and outsourcing providers, offering clients the most holistic outsourcing solution.”

Richard Bate concludes: “Our integration with nFlow demonstrates both companies’ commitment to making outsourcing support services a smooth, simple and cost-effective option for law firms across the UK. We are delighted to be able to work with nFlow to develop such an elegant solution and look forward to it making life easier for an ever growing number of lawyers.”