Each user finds their own optimum method of using the service. Many users, for example, tend to deliver work in the afternoon, when their secretary would be unable to type any more new work for dispatch that day. Using Indraft's service, work is typed overnight and is waiting on your computer the next morning. Some users dictate at weekends or just send attendance notes – it is what suits you and your workload.

We have the skills to transcribe any length of document – from a simple letter to a complex witness statement and everything in between. You can use us for your report writing, ad hoc correspondence or even for amending contracts, leases or other documents.

With a little thought, you can marry your existing resources with Indraft's virtual secretary service to provide huge gains in efficiency, with the benefits flowing to you as the user, your secretary, and – most importantly – your clients, whose matters are handled more expeditiously.

There are many reasons why humans should still be kept in the loop for document production. Please consider our comparison with automated systems page, which answers this question.

You will need a digital dictation system and an internet connection to send voice files to Indraft.  A digital dictation system can be as simple as the voice recorder on your phone, although more sophisticated systems will allow you to track what work is in progress with us and what you are yet to send. In some circumstances, voice files can be sent directly to Indraft from your dictation system.

Indraft can supply software to transfer your work over an encrypted connection rather than you needing to rely on email.  This software can also be used to send back your transcripts.

We use ShareFile as the backbone of our secure transmission system. ShareFile is one of the largest file sharing platforms in the world, and its system allows us to set up individual client areas with the best security at a low cost.  ShareFile, like Indraft, takes security very seriously and uses industry-standard encryption techniques, so you can be certain your work remains entirely confidential.

We will provide you with a user guide to sending work to us and receiving back your transcripts. You should not need any training as such. Should you have any problems, please email us. The system will be most effective if you dictate well – please see the tips.

We do not provide training on using a dictation system. Your chosen system should come with a user guide.  Here are some tips on dictating your documents to get the best result.

There is no charge to install our file transmission software. A user guide will be provided with the installation package, which will explain how to use the software – it is very easy to use!

Transcription work received on a weekday before 1200 will be returned by 1700 that day. Any work received after this time will be returned before 0900 the next working weekday. We will, however, aim to return work to you as soon as possible depending on when the work is received and how much there is. Work received over a weekend will be back by 0900 the following working day.

Special arrangements apply for bank and public holidays, details of which are notified in advance.

If you need something back for a particular deadline, you can always email us and ask us to designate that work as urgent. We will then try to return that work to meet your deadline or advise you whether that will not be possible. If work is just generally specified as "urgent", it will be prioritised depending on the current work in hand and will usually be returned within two hours.

However, you may find that your internal secretarial resources are better placed to handle urgent work, leaving Indraft to handle other work which might otherwise delay the processing of that urgent work.

When you first start using the service, we will ask you for any templates you wish us to be able to use. This allows us to match the font, etc of your in-house documents.

We can also store details of how dates, sign-offs, etc should be presented if you have special requirements, although our defaults are acceptable to the majority of clients.

If you notice anything isn't how you like it once we have started working for you, please just contact us and let us know – we will be happy to make the adjustment.

The first time you dictate on a file, this will be necessary, but we can store this information so it is ready for the next time you dictate on the same file – just ask us to use the previous details.

We cannot name our clients without their permission because of the nature of the confidentiality agreements we have with them. However, if you require a testimonial, we should be able to obtain one.

We operate a stringent system of quality control, both at the transcription centres and here in the UK. We are aiming to provide you a document that you can quickly check on screen, amend if you wish and then dispatch or file as necessary.

The transcriptionists check all their work; a percentage goes to a senior team for rechecking; a percentage of that work is checked by a manager onsite; finally, a random check is made by us daily from the UK.

We understand that if we do not provide quality work we are unlikely to get repeat business. If ever you have a problem with quality, please contact us to explain the issue and we will do our best to address your concerns.

Our transcription team is based in India. They are degree-educated and are working from a secure office environment.

We have been working with subcontractors in India for many years and have benefited from the experienced transcription industry knowledge and the time difference (which allows more of a 24hr service).

Using India companies with office-based staff means that the transcriptionists are subject to strict confidentiality and security controls not always present in a home environment. We regularly visit the subcontractor premises in India for auditing purposes.

Indraft has confidentiality agreements with its subcontractors in India. In turn, they have similar agreements with all the transcriptionists. In addition, we sign a confidentiality agreement with you, the customer.

Onsite, there are a number of checks in place:

• The area in which the work is done is secured by a biometric/keycard lock.
• The transcriptionists have no access to scanners, copiers or printers.
• Access to mobile telephones is supervised whilst on the transcription floor.
• All access to e mail and the web is monitored and supervised.
• The PCs have no external media drives or USB ports.

If you use ShareFile, your files are transmitted back and forth in an encrypted form.

Normally, Indraft charges for its work on a per-line basis (a line being 65 characters including spaces). The rate of charge depends on a number of variables, including volume of work, quality of the dictation and the required turnaround time.  Additional charges may apply for work which is required urgently. There are no annual fees or minimum charges.

Please contact us for a detailed quote.

We are so confident that once you use the services of Indraft you will experience the benefits immediately that we are prepared to offer you a generous free trial.

We offer a free trial of 60 minutes of dictation, to be sent by up to 3 authors over a period of 2 weeks.  Any dictation delivered in excess of these limits will be charged at Indraft's then standard rate plus VAT, such rate being notified in advance of the trial commencing.

Please contact us now to apply for a free trial.

There is no minimum amount you need to send – the service is effectively 'pay-as-you-go'. A discount can be given if we are given a guaranteed amount of work each month.

If your speech cannot be deciphered, we will either put what we thought was said and highlight that section in yellow, or if the word is totally inaudible we will leave a gap highlighted in yellow.

If you have provided instructions, and we are not sure if we have followed them correctly, we may add a comment to you, the author, highlighted in blue.

Indraft prefers to use its ShareFile portal to receive and return files.  However, where using the ShareFile system is impractical, we can use email.

If typos or errors are made by us, they will be amended free of charge provided the work is returned to us within 48 hours of you receiving it. Please be sure to reference the specific transcript that has an error in it and what the error is so that we can investigate.

The answer is very likely 'yes'! We have an API that we can provide to interface with most dictation systems on the market. In its simplest form, if you can access your dictation files, you can send them to us!  Integration may provide a more fluid experience, and we are happy to discuss your particular situation and potentially develop a solution.

We work with Microsoft Office compatible formats. The majority of our work is done in MS Word and MS Excel.

We also work in PDF forms using Adobe Acrobat.

We are able to deal with almost any document that needs producing from dictation. If you have a particular format that you do not know whether we are familiar with, please contact us, and we will be happy to advise.

We are able to work with documents using tracked changes. If you give us your Office 'user name' and 'initials' (per the Word options), we should be able to make changes as you. Otherwise, changes can still be made but will show as having been made by us.

Yes, absolutely! When you have a document converted using OCR, it will not contain cross-reference fields. If you then delete or move a clause, the numbering referred to in other clauses can end up being wrong.  If you ask us, we can ensure that a copytyped document contains cross-reference fields which can be updated as the document is modified.  Please note that these documents will take longer to return than if done without the cross-referencing.

A discount can be given if we are given a guaranteed amount of work each month.

You will be invoiced at the end of each calendar month electronically and we prefer payment by bank transfer. We also provide a detailed breakdown, in an Excel spreadsheet, of the work done so that you can check your invoice and/or charge the work to individual clients.

We retain voice files and transcripts in ShareFile for a maximum of 90 days.  We find this is a fair balance between keeping the work for reference purposes and the need to only keep data as long as necessary. Using our software, all work gets downloaded to your designated file server and can be kept by you for as long as you wish.

The Indian subcontractors only hold files for the minimum amount of time necessary for them to do the work on the file. Transcripts and voice files are deleted from their systems once the work is complete.

As a data controller, you should tell your clients that you intend to transfer their data to a country outside the UK using standard contractual clauses approved by the UK government (UK GDPR Art.13(1)(f)).  We will provide you with access to copies of the data processing agreements we have with our subprocessors so that you can make these available to your clients.

It is very possible that you are already transferring data to a country outside the UK, in which case you would just need to include reference to standard contractual clauses (if not already included) and provide a link to our data processing agreements.