Per hour, per project, per page, per line or per word

[The Perfect Word]

Hi, SueAnne! I would determine how long it takes you to do those other tasks and set your per-audio-minute rate to cover that extra stuff. I have been doing this for over 14 years and up until now charged by the hour. I now offer new clients the option of per hour or per audio minute.

To figure out what I wanted my per audio minute rates to be, I kept track by the hour for different digital recordings and what the charge would be for those recordings. Then I would figure the same recordings by audio minute and what I needed to charge per minute to get a bit higher than the same amount I would charge if I was billing per hour. I did that for different types of digital recordings with different degrees of difficulty and different number of speakers. Then I had what I felt sure were per minute rates (not just one rate) that would be fair to both me and the client, regardless of what type of digital recording I had. And I also compared what I wanted to charge per minute to others to make sure I was in the ballpark. Does that make any sense? (Of course with tapes, I still charge by the hour.)

I charge extra for second passes against the recording and do my research while I'm typing, and then of course spell check and proofread.

I hope this helps and isn't too confusing!

[joannatubbs]

I find that most clients prefer to be charged by the audio minute. For a clear 60 minute audio I find it takes me 3 to 4 hours. This is to type it up and then to check it and make any corrections. If it's not clear or you have a lot of respondents talking over each other it can take a lot longer. I like the idea of charging a surcharge for difficult audio. Maybe this is the way forward as it really can bring your hourly rate down by a lot if it's taking 6 hours or so to type up one document. Hope this helps.

[alcbiz]

Skilled work deserves more than scraping by wages.

I would submit this is true of most work. Not every one could be a secretary in the day, and that's still true today when the job is much more than what it was when I began my first job.

I can understand feeling the need to do work just get the $ rolling, but when I wonder when self-respect also enters into the equation. And I wonder how anyone could take advantage of another human being in such a way.

Sorry for the soapbox.

I like your explanation of how you determine your rates. I found them very helpful, and I really appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedule to make them.

I hope to one day be the mentor I am sure you are.

[OffshoreVA]

Guys,
I am looking into adding transcription services to the list of my services I provide.
My main focus is on bookkeeping. Can you guys advice how I should find clients for transcription. I have 90 wpm typing speed, great listening skills, and I have in depth knowledge in finance so financial transcription would work out real well for me...
Looking forward to your feedback

[wpanddesign]

I charge by the hour - $60 per audio hour or $1 per minute. That has worked the best for me.

[OffshoreVA]

Guys,
Can you guys advise best place to find clients for transcription work

[moiraesfate]

The best place to find transciption work is Dr's and lawyers offices. But if you don't have medical and legal training of any sort (at least in things like terminology) then you will have a hard time of itbecause the professionals will say alot of things you won't understand. Otherwise, finding transciption clients will be the same as any other client.

[My Virtual Services]

Per minute sounds like the best option for me.

[wpanddesign]

I charge by the minute, $1 per minute or $60 per hour. I don't charge for anything else - like setting up the template, downloading the file, etc. I am not sure that most people do. I think a per minute charge is the best way to go.

[bridiej]

I like per minute as it's easy for the client to see how much it will be beforehand.

No, I don't charge for downloading/uploading and I tend to use templates either provided by the client or my own. If the client wanted a template created especially then yes, I would charge for that.