ASAP Sports, CoSIDA's Official Instant Transcripts Provider, offers this timely discussion of the value of using a transcript service. The ASAP
FastScripts® provides a unique and invaluable service to the media and professional sports organizations worldwide. Within minutes of the completion of a player interview or press conference, ASAP Sports' professionals produce a complete, word-for-word FastScript® of the press conference and will instantly deliver in hard copy and electronic form to media and websites, and will produce broadcast-quality audio sound bites.
What is the first question people ask about anything in the marketplace? How much does it cost?
When you make a purchase, there are many considerations, but cost is the most considered. What is unsaid -- but just as important is: what value does this product or service provide to me? Cost and value are linked. For an SID, the cost/value decision is made every day when promoting and providing information about a school’s athletic program.
It should come as no surprise at ASAP Sports we like to produce transcripts. We think a transcript is an excellent source of content, information and publicity. We believe there is a high value to the service we provide and there are many who agree.
Three of the top five schools that generate revenue and publicity from their sports activities 
regularly use live, instant transcripts. They realize their valuable staff time is better utilized with other tasks. Their cost/value analysis leads them to conclude their program is at a competitive advantage when using the transcription service.
Like every product in the marketplace, a transcript is subject to the cost/value consideration. An SID needs to consider and compare the cost of alternatives.
Is your staff best utilized by typing? Or, do you have tasks for your staff to do in the time it would take them to produce and deliver a complete transcript?
Text Content
First and foremost, a transcript is text content. This content provides media, fans and alumni information they want and value. Easy to read and deliver, a transcript increases exposure of a school’s sports program, expands website visibility on search engines and is a document of record. (A follow-up article will discuss the specific advantages of transcript content to increase website visibility with meta tag search engine information.)
When you compare the cost/value of a transcript, you must compare the work required to create one. Some sports information directors have internal staff collect quotes during a press conference, or create a partial transcript from notes. This process might work for some. And, let’s take a closer look at the X’s and O’s of the cost/value of a press conference transcript.
Three things to consider when producing a transcript are: completeness, accuracy, and speed.
Completeness
Is the transcript you provide verbatim? Though many media will use the single quotes you provide and present them in a story, it is likely to be only a brief mention -- especially if the reporter is not present at the press conference. With a complete transcript, media and fans get a much broader picture of what the coach or player had to say. The more variety and context you provide, the more opportunities there are to create unique references and mentions of your event.
Accuracy
Being accurate may seem obvious. Verbatim means everything that was said is written. A verbatim transcript should be near 99% accurate. Ummm, ahhhh, and uh huhs are typically removed. Verbatim takes a skilled, practiced hand. Also consider for very important events a verbatim transcript delivers specific and detailed program information beyond scores and stats. A verbatim transcript becomes a statement of record. With this transcript, you ensure your communication with media is not vague or confused. You can point to what was actually said. The transcript becomes a reference source to check and verify details.
Speed
In a 60-minute press conference, there will be nearly 10,000 words spoken. Fast talkers more, slow talkers less. The average range is about 160 to 200 words per minute. The typical typist types between 30-50 words per minute. If this typist is listening live, he or she will miss more than one half of the content and will have to work from a recording to produce a complete transcript. Someone of average typing skills working at maximum efficiency will produce a 60-minute recorded press conference in three to five hours. Someone with superlative typing skills at 70 words per minute might be able to trim the time down to about two hours.
This time estimate assumes no errors and complete, uninterrupted focus on the task.
In contrast, a professional stenotypist types over 200 words per minute and delivers a transcript for the same one-hour press conference in two ways: The transcript text is streamed live 95% accurate as the press conference is going on, and then if desired at the event conclusion, this live transcript is edited to 99% accurate and delivered to an email distribution list. Because trained professional stenotypists can match the speed of the speaker, they essentially deliver the transcript instantly.
The combination of completeness, accuracy and speed leads to one final value proposition: timeliness.
Timeliness
It has always been true and today, even more so: news travels fast. Is what you are delivering what someone wants today? Like it or not, news has a shelf life. Old news gets displaced quickly.
To ensure you are part of the rapid news cycle rather than behind it, your information needs to be available immediately in order to stay relevant.
Coach’s story about the team’s gutsy 15-point comeback is quickly replaced by a cross-state rival who just hired a new coach. When you have content available while the story is hot and in demand, you ensure your school always has a chance at the headline rather than a blurb on a click-through.
When a complete transcript is posted on your website and referenced on Facebook or Twitter, search engines typically will deliver the newest content within the top 10 of a search. The complete transcript is also then available for re-posting by fans of your program, creating a content multiplying effect.
In a recent article posted on CoSIDA.com - Text is King (.pdf) - the value of text-based communication is outlined. Though it may seem obvious, the commodity of text content is a driving force in any communication strategy.
Like any commodity, the cost and value need to be considered when making a decision to produce that content. If you have questions about the transcript products at ASAP Sports, we would be happy to discuss your options.
ASAP Sports, CoSIDA's Official Instant Transcript Provider, offers a multitude of services for the athletic communications professional in intercollegiate and pro sports. See mor
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