Performance Criteria

Owned by Sam Tipton
Last updated: Apr 17, 2023
6 min read

Performance Evaluations

To maintain a consistent, high-quality product, SpeakWrite uses several forms of quality control.  SpeakWrite utilizes ratings provided by proofreaders, feedback from our clients, feedback from proofreaders, and typist Performance Evaluations.

Individual Typist* Performance Evaluations include the data received from Proofreader ratings and client feedback, as well as internal reporting measures such as but not limited to:

As part of the yearly Performance Evaluations, an audit of the typist's jobs completed within the past 90 days will be reviewed.  This audit may consist of rated or manually rated jobs.  If any of the reviewed jobs did not go through the proofreading process, the management reviewer will manually rate the jobs and assign scores to them, following the SOPs for rating jobs using the rating sheet.  This should give the reviewer an accurate portrayal of the typist's typical work product.

After reviewing the above-listed criteria and completing the job reviews, if the reviewer determines that the typist has not met SW minimum standards, the reviewer will issue a Performance Evaluation Quality Warning. 

Performance Evaluation Quality Warning Structure

We expect all typists to adhere to the above standards and consistently meet or exceed the minimum standards for each criteria set forth here below.  If there is a quality concern and management determines that a typist is not meeting one or more of these quality standards**, the typist will be advised via email and provided the following penalties:


1st Quality Warning

Official warning from SW Management and follow-up review in 3 to 6 weeks.

2nd Quality Warning

Second official warning from SW Management and follow-up review in approximately 3 weeks.

3rd Quality Warning

Possible suspension or skill development courses required at SW Management's discretion.  Possible return to All Proof status (if on random proofreading).  Follow-up review in 3 weeks, if left as an active typist or when returned to active typist status after suspension or training.

4th Quality Warning

Termination


*For PR responsibilities and the consequences for not meeting them, please refer to Proofreader Responsibilities.

**Absenteeism and tardiness issues have their own consequence structure, which can be found here:  Attendance.


Performance-related Quality Warnings will be counted on a rolling 6-month basis.  This means each time you get a Quality Warning, it will fall off your record after 6 months. 


Feedback from Clients 

All client feedback is reviewed by SpeakWrite management, who will then forward all valid comments to the typist(s) associated with the job.  Carefully review the client feedback and any additional comments from management, make note of the mistake(s) made, and strive to never make the same mistake(s) again. 

When a client's complaint is found to be valid, consequences can be found here:  Quality Standards. 

Feedback and Ratings from Proofreaders 

We contract with proofreaders to carefully review a certain number of jobs each day.  The proofreader is given a random selection of completed jobs and asked to verify that the work meets client and SpeakWrite standards in every way.  Proofreaders do not know you or your work. 

Proofreaders mark up completed jobs, and our system makes them available to typists to review along with the proofreader’s rating and comments.  When you receive feedback from a proofreader, understand that it: 

  • Is designed to help you comply with client and SpeakWrite standards
  • Helps you improve your work accuracy and quality, and thereby your ability to succeed in transcribing for SpeakWrite
  • Is never meant as a personal criticism of you 

When your work is randomly selected and reviewed by a proofreader, you will receive an email indicating that a job has been proofread and that it can be accessed via TypeEasy's Rated Jobs tab.  Carefully review the proofreader's comments on the rating sheet regarding the corrected job, make note of any mistakes made, and strive to never make the same mistakes again.  Understand that proofreader comments are not suggestions.  Ignoring proofreader feedback is not acceptable.

Feedback provided will include an overall rating of Great Work, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement.  

By the end of the third month as a typist, we expect the majority of ratings to fall in the Great Work or Satisfactory categories.  

Please be sure that you have reviewed the original and marked-up versions of the job, and that you have identified the errors noted on the comment sheet before you send any comments to comments@speakwrite.com for review. 


Expectations 


Keep the following SpeakWrite policies in mind each time you log on to start work: 

  • Do the job in your queue
  • Do not communicate with the client
  • Do not correct the client's "errors"
  • Meet SpeakWrite performance criteria
  • Always proofread your work
  • Be proactive 


Always Proofread your Work

Usually your work goes directly to the client without any further proofreading by SpeakWrite's staff. Before submitting a job, you must complete a spell check and read through the entire transcription to check for accuracy and fix any mistakes.  Print out and refer to the pre-submission checklist.  

All work must be proofread by the typist, whether it is being submitted as complete or partial.  The role of the proofreader is to evaluate the quality of the work being submitted by typists, not to correct their errors. 

Do Not Communicate With the Client

You must not call, email, fax, or include any notes, comments, messages, or communication of any kind on any document that you submit or partially submit. Instead, follow this procedure: 

  • If you have questions about the quality or content of a job, follow the procedure for submitting a job-related help ticket. 
  • If you have a question, comment or instructions for the proofreader who receives your job, follow the procedure for leaving comments to proof.  
Do Not Correct Client Errors

Type exactly what is dictated in an audio recording or written on a fax. Follow this policy even when: 

  • You feel the client made a dictation mistake (for example, they say "plaintiff" but you feel certain they meant to say "defendant")
  • You feel the client used incorrect grammar
  • You feel that the punctuation specified is incorrect.
  • You feel that the client's formatting request or template is incorrect 

However, in situations where it may be difficult to determine exactly what the client said (e.g. tense, plurals, etc.), please use the grammatically correct version.  If the client has obviously used the wrong word, please type as dictated. 

Meet the following Procedural Standards

You should have or quickly gain the following knowledge and expertise:

  • Grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Generating documents in the appropriate format
  • Microsoft Word 

If you feel you need to improve your skills, purchase a manual or research the topic online. Such activities must be completed on your own time. 

We expect you to support SpeakWrite's value in the marketplace by consistently and promptly delivering perfect transcription work to clients. Most experienced typists complete a 10-minute dictation in no longer than 20-22 minutes. Aim to consistently maintain a 2.0 to 2.2 ratio of job length/ completion time. 

To meet our performance criteria, you must understand the times at which you should ask for help or request to reject a job.  While we value your strong work ethic, we do not want your earnings and productivity to suffer as you struggle to transcribe very poor-quality audio dictations. Learn the appropriate procedures for handling special circumstances so that each time you encounter a difficult job, you immediately know whether you should begin work or follow the procedures for rejecting a job. 

Do the Job in Your Queue

When you log on to TypeEasy at the beginning of your scheduled shift, you must be prepared to do each job that is randomly placed in your queue. The following policies apply: 

If you cannot complete a certain type of job (for example, fax, .wpd template, etc.) you must follow the procedure for requesting a schedule change to remove yourself from the work queue until you have resolved the issue. 

You must follow all procedures relating to handling special circumstances and rejecting a job. In other words, you cannot request a re-queue, partially submit a job or hold on to it until the end of your shift without working on it: 

  • Because the audio is difficult.
  • Because the dictation is fast, slow, or of low quality.
  • In order to get a "better" job. 

(The above bullet points are just examples and not a complete list.) 

In addition, you may not reject a job because you think you have already done it. 

Failure to comply with these and other SpeakWrite policies may result in contract termination. 


Be Proactive

Your earnings are affected by the way you spend each minute during a scheduled shift.

Keep alert to updates and upgrades that affect your computer so that it runs flawlessly while you are working. 

Be familiar with this On-line Help system and any additional materials that SpeakWrite provides so that you can quickly find answers to questions as you encounter them.

Spend time before or after your shift participating in the Typist Facebook page so that you can learn from other typists' mistakes and successes. 

Arrange to work in a quiet, distraction-free place. 



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