We have been a long term user of tape based dictation and transcription. After many years of chewed, lost and incompatible tapes, we have recently installed the Quikscribe transcription system, for a complete solution.

Our solicitors and secretaries have been won over to digital dictation ahead of tape systems, for these simple reasons:

• Clarity of the audio
• Easy editing
• Ease of distribution, and management of audio files around our office. (Elimination of physical delivery of tapes)
• It's easy to use.
• The level of support is outstanding. (We have had suggested upgrades implemented in less than a week.)

Without doubt , the use of Quikscribe has dramatically increased our productivity. It will also mean that our transition to flexible working arrangements , including staff (part time and contract) and professionals working from home, is facilitated, as all our dictation work can be transmitted electronically.

This is a first class product, at a very reasonable price. In my opinion, every law firm who is serious about enhancing their productivity should install it.

When we decided to move the majority of our transcription work from tapes to digital, we spent a lot of time reviewing the various alternatives. We are so thankful we chose Quikscribe!

Because we run a high volume/ fast turnaround transcription company, we have needed to rely on Quikscribe in many different ways. Our clients use it to record, our typists to play and its inbuilt features help us to manage the whole process. We would now never voluntarily use tapes again and to give a practical example, when we receive tapes from clients, the first thing we do is upload them to our PC so we can use Quikscribe to improve the process flow.

We cannot speak highly enough about the support that Quikscribe gives and a number of requests we have made, were actually incorporated within a matter of days. What's more, with Quikscribe, we can capture every piece of information about dictation instantaneously. This makes billing and monitoring productivity instantaneous, something which we could never do with tapes.

Finally, might I say that Quikscribe has helped our business improve efficiency so much we now PAY for our clients to use it (that is really putting our money where our mouth is). Because our efficiency can be improved so much when files are sent to us in Quikscribe's IAF (Intelligent Audio File) format, we will actually provide the software to our clients for free, as our productivity gains easily outweigh the cost of the software.

I would be delighted to speak with anyone who was considering Quikscribe.

I have been using tape dictation for the past thirteen years, and was hesitant to change, especially to a system supported half a world away. Our computer consultant convinced me to try Quikscribe on a trial basis.

After ten minutes of training I could create large documents with ease and with a few clicks of the mouse, I know that it is at our secretary's desk. No more mangled chewed up tapes, or having to dictate a large document over because the transcription machine malfunctioned and ate the tape. The recordings are crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The tech support is outstanding as well.

We used a tape based dictation and transcription system for many years, switched to the Quikscribe digital system about 2 year ago and haven't looked back.

The equipment has been very reliable compared to constant repairs and downtime experienced in the past with both dictation and transcribing units, never mind the cost of repair and/or maintenance contracts for the latter.

Productivity as a result of moving to digital dictation has dramatically increased from the lawyers' perspective in terms of spending less time on dictation, for both lawyers and secretaries in terms of less time spent on review and editing, and the number of word processors required by the firm has decreased from three to two. Delivery of dictation or the finished "product" is as fast as e-mail and unlike tapes, doesn't get lost, fall out of files or have to be physically delivered. Someone working in the field or out of town can now send in dictation via e-mail, have it transcribed and sent back to them shortly or be ready for them when they arrive back at the office. We have one lawyer who's a new father and has opted to work at home 2 or 3 days a week so his wife can continue to run her own business. The ability to switch from office to home without interruption to his work, including dictation, allows him to carry on working as if he never left the office. With a little item called a dongle, the firm saves money by not having to buy a separate license for his home computer. The ability to track what stage any given file is at as well as who's working on it, how long it took to complete, etc. is also a very useful tool in monitoring performance.

Support is always an issue with any piece of equipment and in this regard Quikscribe has been outstanding. Any initial concern in dealing with a company half a world away was completely unfounded as response time has always been either immediate or under 24 hours. When we need additional equipment, it's delivered in a very timely manner. They are always seeking to improve their product and not only invite input from those who use it but actually implement many of these changes, which I find refreshing.

In summary, Quikscribe is an excellent product and I'd highly recommend it to anyone considering replacing their tape system and for whom increased productivity and flexibility is important.

ABP (Ace Business Products) started operating in 1961. For the last 18 years we have supplied analogue dictation equipment to thousands of business. Within the last 10 years we began specializing in digital dictation systems and we currently are specialist in supplying PC based and mobile digital dictation solutions.

Our first step into PC based dictation was the Philips systems. By making an extremely strong commitment to the new dictation technology when it was released about 6 years ago we become the No1 Philips digital dictation reseller / supplier in Australia. Philips Speech Processing (Sydney) can confirm this.

Recently, Quikscribe has become a big part of our business, whereby we now supply it to almost all our clients regardless of their size. Unlike the other suppliers (Sanyo, Philips, Olympus) who provide both hardware and software, Quikscribe specialize in just producing advanced digital dictation and transcription software, which fully integrates with all best of breed hardware that is currently available e.g. Foot Switches, Headsets, SpeechMikes, Portable Recorder etc. Thus allowing Quikscribe to focus all their development efforts on enhanced software features.

Philips and the other manufacturers still provide solutions that we promote, but when it comes to the advanced digital dictation and transcription functionality, Quikscribe is the leader.

Quikscribe software has become our main product requested particularly as soon as a few points or questions are raised.

A multi-office dictation / transcription scenario is sort after.

Any network, FTP or e-mailing of voice files is required.

Any shared typist to produce voice files.

Automatic spilt voice jobs to several locations.

Request of voice jobs by a time it is required.

Security with encryption or password request of voice files.

Simple to understand on screen prompts for both authors and typist.

These few features mentioned above, combined with over 20 other unique features and functions makes Quikscribe the stand out software for 2004.

Finally, the point that is of most interest to both integrators or IT support staff is "Does Quikscribe have and provide technical support" and I can say from first hand experience, "YES", they have the most proactive software development team of any of our digital dictation products we currently represent.

If you would like to see Quikscribe in action via a personal demonstration, simply give us a call.

As a virtual assistant, digital transcription capability means I can get more work done for more clients - no matter where they are located. After a lot of research on the Internet, I found the Quikscribe system, and it was by far the best in terms of size, price, and ability to transcribe a number of file formats - an important consideration given that I have audio files coming from diverse sources.

I have been a VA since February 2000, initially working part time, but in the nine months that I have had the Quikscribe system I have been able to increase my business to such a level that not only am I now working full time in my business, but am contemplating hiring subcontractors to assist me with the workload. None of this would have been possible without digital transcription.

The technology makes it easy for clients to send their work to me, without having to rely on overnight post or couriers - which are the only options available with tape transcription. This not only saves costs, but also increases their efficiency and hence productivity.

One of the claims of the VA Industry is that having a VA is just like having someone in the next office. The Quikscribe digital transcription system not only makes this claim a reality, but enables users to take advantage of the other benefits of outsourcing work to a VA including overnight turn around of work, reduced overheads and lower transcription rates offered by VAs across the country.

I cannot fault the Quikscribe team who back up a superb product with excellent after-sales service. Always available and always willing to listen to users' suggestions, this Australian group of innovators are world class.

"Following comprehensive trial during 1999, TAFE NSW purchased the Quikscribe Digital Transcription Training Program in 2000 for 90 colleges. The Quikscribe System makes transcription training easier for teachers as the learning resources are available to each student from the server and there are ample lessons to cover the module requirements. It is faster to access lesson materials and the audio quality is excellent as well as providing a variety of speakers. Students are trained on a system that is relevant to today's technology. The Quikscribe Transcription Program also provides cost benefits because there are no tapes to replace or broken transcribing machines to repair."

Your service is fantastic! Even before purchasing Quikscribe Player we had endless questions, all of which you answered promptly. We were delighted to find that this excellent level of service continued even after we purchased your product. You have been very generous with your time and unfailingly pleasant to deal with.

Your reliability, accessibility, informed responses and personal service have been outstanding. We would have no hesitation in recommending your product to others in our industry who require a digital transcription solution.

We look forward to your continued support. Yours sincerely

During the last twenty years that I have been a legal secretary, I have not yet come across such a revolutionary system for transcription of dictation until I was introduced to Quikscribe. There are no more lost or misplaced tapes and no need to erase tapes. Workflow management is greatly increased and the audio quality is superior to any system that I have ever worked with before.

The most important thing I can say about Quikscribe is that I find them to be very reliable. If they say they are going to ring me or E-mail me, they do and if they say they are going to send me something, they do. Also, if they say they are going to research something or they say they are going to work on a hardware/software change request, they do.

Very importantly too, they keep me informed of what is going on. I don't have to chase him!If something is lost in the mail, or they can't find an instruction book for me, they let me know. I also find them to be very progressive and they look at problems laterally, which I really like. They are always looking for better ways to do things.

One of our partners and his secretary trial 1 Recorder and 1 Player. They both loved the software, but they both had some very good suggestions for change requests to the hardware and software. All of these change requests were passed on to them by telephone and/or e-mail. Once they had discussed them with me, and then spoken to their programmers regarding the software and/or hardware changes, our change requests were promptly implemented or seriously considered for future versions of the Quikscribe software.

Now that our main change requests have been implemented, we have bought a Quikscribe Recorder for every Solicitor in the firm and a Quikscribe Player for every Secretary in the firm. Basically, the Recorders and Players will just replace, one-for-one, all of our present "dictation equipment" (incidentally, this type of equipment has never changed, in all the years I have been in legal!).

I am now going to work on a change request list for a server version of Quikscribe involving "Administrator Rights" to the software i.e. who is typing what files, how many files each user is typing and how long it is taking, who is forwarding which files and to whom, etc. Also, things like Administrator Rights to "lock out certain people" from forwarding files, etc.

Ultimately, these change requests will be a list of "stats" which can be shown to the partners. They will be special rights to the software, which only the System Administrator will have access to (i.e. as a means to control the workflow throughout the firm).By the way they are keen for me to work on this list of change requests, which is most encouraging!

I highly recommend Quikscribe as a very reliable company who is extremely capable with both computer hardware and software. I would be more than pleased to discuss our Quikscribe set-up, with any firm considering the installation of Quikscribe software.

Advanced Personnel Management (APM) provide Injury Prevention and Management Services throughout Western Australia (head office in West Perth with regional offices in Albany, Bunbury, Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and Rockingham), the Northern Territory, Tasmania and New South Wales.

The Quikscribe Dictating System has allowed APM to offer efficient, consistent administrative support to staff in remote locations and ensure the quality and standard of reports to customers Australia wide is consistent.

APM have been using the Quikscribe Dictating System for approximately four months and the technical support in the setting up of this system from the Quikscribe team has been exceptional.

APM would recommend the Quikscribe Dictating System to any company who regards "efficiency" and "professionalism" as priorities.

There are many things about Quickscribe that I like. It is very easy to Set-up and configure. The ease of use and the reliability of the units. The support I received has been first class in response time and updates and they keep me updated on the latest software improvements and any questions I have are answered very quickly.

One of our partners and his secretary trialed 1 x Recorder and 1 x Player. They both loved the ease of use and the way it made dictation so easy. The old system we use is very hard to learn and the time it took to train one new user I could have trained 4 with Quickscribe. The software interface is user friendly and easy to understand.

A lawyer from another law firm recently stopped by and used the software for a short period. She said that is was great and she fell in love with it and wanted to take it back to her own office and use it.

What I found that if you spend a little extra on purchasing good sound cards, you are able get the excellent audio quality from the Quikscribe, whereas if you use cheap sound cards you get background noises etc.

I have found that Quikscribe is not only great for dictation and transcription, but also as a training tool.

The QS Manager software is great in helping to give out bonuses for staff performance and to helps with workflow management.

I have also been able to use the Quickscribe software to produce training CD's.

Overall it is a great time saver in many ways..

I have been using the Quikscribe System on a daily basis in my allied private health practice for more than six months. It has been a major and key factor in enabling my practice to increase its efficiency, volume and quality of record keeping. I have never written a testimonial for any product or service before and am motivated to do so in this case due to the quality of the product plus the at least equally important cheerful, quick and effective backup service.

I used the Dictaphone Boomerang system for the last several years. At first, the system appeared to be very innovative--as there really was no other competition. Over time, however, the system proved to have many problems. Though the hand microphone unit (which connected to the computer) was very good, the portable dictation devices (such as the Trec) created for use with the system were substandard--in fact, I was told by Dictaphone that they had many problems with the units.

Because the system was designed to utilize the Windows mail system, I could not upgrade our office computers to anything beyond Windows 98. Even with new computers installed with Windows 98 Second Edition (which was getting more difficult to have installed on new computers), we had problems using the Boomerang software--either for use with dictation or for use with transcription. When the software worked, at times, we had problems with corrupt files as well as losing dictated files because of some "glitch" in the system. Consequently, we were required to periodically do manual maintenance (to "compact" and delete files) because of memory issues.

I found innovation at Dictaphone to be extremely slow. Moreover, in my opinion, I did not get the impression that they had the ability to keep up with current technology changes. By comparison, Quikscribe is a powerful product with innovative features. What's more, it was very easy for me to set up myself. Unlike the upgrade Dictaphone product, Quikscribe does not require any dedicated workstation or dictation server. Moreover, the Dictaphone product is far more expensive. The people at Quikscribe have been very responsive to our needs--and it is apparent that they are constantly striving to improve their product. I do not ,in any way, regret having changed over to the Quikscribe dictation system.

As a Virtual Assistant I am always looking to improve the range of services that I offer. I have heard about the Quickscribe Transcription System for several months, but kept on procrastinating! I finally purchased the system and was very surprised how quick and easy the installation was. I was doing the built-in tutorial within minutes of installing, and can't believe how easy it is to operate.

The User Manual is one of the easiest manuals that I have ever come across. It is concise and extremely user friendly. I will have no hesitation in recommending their service to my fellow VAs.

Quikscribe has saved my sanity. No longer do I have to listen to indistinct audio tapes. With Quikscribe I can hear all the dictation as clear as a bell - this is especially important with medical terminology.

Using the Quikscribe Audio Converter (which was provided free) allows me to transcribe almost any audio format including MP3 and MP2.

Lastly the service and assistance I have received from Quikscribe personnel has been marvelous and I cannot recommend them or their product too highly.

I have been using the Quikscribe transcription system for the 4-6 weeks and have had to use it concurrently with an old tape based transcribing system and also with an Olympus voice recorder. I can import the Olympus files into the Quikscribe system and now only need to one footpedal and headset to operate both. Quikscribe takes away the need for a physical transcribing machine, there are no tapes to lose, break or distort and no need to remember to wipe your tapes.

Quikscribe's features of instant receipt of audio files, quick keyboard controls, labelling of sound files with priority and comments fields, unlimited sound file length, ability to insert position markers, ability to cut and paste text within the audio file by the author, allowing the typist to paste this text into their current document, are just fantastic.

Quikscribe has been very, very helpful at all times and any time I had a query it was always answered promptly and with great enthusiasm. I really love the Quikscribe system and would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. It's a great product and very easy to use.

At Stone & Partners, we are using Quikscribe to realise the aspiration of "anytime, anywhere" dictation and transcription. As an organisation split across a number of locations, we use the product to help balance the load between support staff between our branches. The integration opportunities with handheld dictation systems from Olympus means that just because a practitioner is not connected, doesn't mean they can't be creating material for Quikscribe transcription - and just because they're not in the office doesn't mean that they can't send dictation into our Quikscribe queues for processing.

As a "tech guy" I appreciate Quikscribe for its capitalisation on existing network technologies - no special sharing systems to configure or strange packets to route - Quikscribe just fits right onto existing Windows file sharing. That means I can add just one Quikscribe"pair" Author/Transcriber) or 5 new pairs without any major configuration bothers. As a result, Quikscribe has lent itself well to Platform Standardisation exercises, where the interaction with the product when running up a new workstation has been minimal, and the problems encountered subsequent to roll-out few.

When there are issues or difficulties, I find Quikscribe the company to be not only very receptive to our feedback, but extremely responsive to our requests for added features or fixes.

I like to look for the unobvious in life, and in computers, it is the same. So here are some benefits from using Quikscribe which many people may not have considered.

As a court reporter of over 12 years experience, I am constantly transcribing audio material of varying quality, on various formats of tapes, each with its own transcriber and foot pedal.

Obviously, since purchasing Quikscribe, it is now possible to "dub" a tape onto my hard drive and transcribe it directly. This means that I only have one foot pedal (for the computer) to play with. However, by using two networked computers, I can be copying a second tape (to computer No#2) while I am transcribing the first (using computer No#1) to eliminate wastage of time, and reduce the risk of filling the hard drive. Via the network, I can download the second file to the first computer where I can start transcribing immediately. With longer tapes, it can be done in manageable bites say 5-10 minutes in length. Just remember to rewind the tape a bit to get an overlap before commencing the subsequent dub.

Secondly, since I have moved to speech recognition (Dragon Dictate, which I am informed you are planning to integrate with Quikscribe), my productivity has increased to such an extent I find I occasionally have to wait for the speaker to catch up with me. One of my basic axioms is that the machine should ALWAYS be waiting for the operator, never the other way round. On traditional tape recordings it is not possible to speed up the playback too far without suffering an attack of "the Chipmunks" with the audio becoming indecipherable. Using the digital playback of Quikscribe, however, it is possible to speed the playback up to the extent that the speaker is talking too quickly for me to transcribe. Even at that speed though, there is so little distortion, the speech is still quite comprehensible. This tour-de-force of Quikscribe's "digi-whizzery" means that I am now able to transcribe a speaker in better than real time, something never before possible. Put simply, because of Quikscribe I'm working at or close to my maximum possible speed at all times.

Next, a quite unexpected use has occurred involving discussions with clients over the telephone. I've found that using Quikscribe, it is possible during the conversation to dictate notes into the computer, for example the client's requirements for a particular document layout. Once the call is finished, export the Quikscribe file as a ".wav" file and then automatically transcribe it using Dragon Dictate. This can be done with minimal human supervision, and when it is complete, a final edit to insert punctuation, remove extraneous matter etcetera, and then e-mail it to the client, who then has an electronic copy of my notes within minutes of our discussion, with a follow up "hard" copy, to check and see that they are correct. I don't see how anybody who deals with clients on the telephone can pass THAT trick up.

Lastly, one of the big "problems" with speech recognition is training the programme; in other words, correct any errors as soon as they occur so they don't get into the speech files. I've found the people who are the ones most likely to benefit from time savings that speech recognition can offer (e.g. busy executives, lawyers etcetera) are generally the ones whose time is too valuable to "waste" correcting a computer for minor errors.

Using Quikscribe, the executive dictates a document for the typist, who then exports it for Dragon to transcribe. Once the initial training (by the executive) has been completed, it is possible for the typist to use this Quikscribe speech file to correct the speech recognition file, rather than asking the executive to come out and speak into the microphone. That way, everybody wins. The executive can avoid the time wasting of correcting minor errors, the typist is saved the labour of actually typing the dictation up manually, but still retains the ability to make any necessary corrections to the document, and keep the speech recognition files up to date, which means that they are less likely to need correction in future.

I'm sure that some other "unobvious" uses will poke their heads over the parapets in the near future. I will let you know when they do.