How William Flack learned to stop worrying and love his digital dictation device


Twelve years ago I decided to stop dictating my work. I was tired of the waiting for typing work to be carried out by the demoralised and miserable staff of the typing pool where I worked. I believed that developments in IT meant that soon all solicitors would be creating their own documents anyway. I learned to type.



This year, I started dictating again. I had found that, though the actual typing did not take long, the other aspects of document creation such as printing and adding enclosures meant that I was not working productively. I also found that the continued developments in IT meant that solicitors can now delegate document creation work in ways which were not possible in 1994.



The single biggest change is digital dictation - creating digital audio files, rather than making recordings on tapes. The difference is that, unlike tape, the audio file can be sent to other computers in the office, or elsewhere in the country, without sending anything physical. This means a typist can work on the file from any computer, anywhere.



I am therefore able to send work to four typists working from home in different parts of the UK. They can log into my system and create letters that can be approved and printed in London. They can do as many or as few hours each as they like.



This opens up opportunities for typists looking after small children who cannot go out to work but might be able to put in a few hours from home. I pay them as sub-contractors for the time they actually record as typing work, as opposed to paying for a full working day regardless of output. There are additional benefits, such as the ease with which work can be carried out in the evenings or weekends.



The way I and the other two solicitors I work with store the audio files on our system ready for dictation means we can see, at a glance, where the work on a particular case is in the queue. If it has taken longer than expected, the status of the work can be easily changed on the system to 'urgent', resulting in it being typed almost immediately.



The cost of the system is cheaper than the old analogue systems. The files are played on the computers and so expensive tape players for typists are not needed. My only regret is that I did not start it sooner.



William Flack is a partner in London-based housing and welfare benefits firm Flack & Co. He uses V7's digital dictation system