It gave me the chance to re-read the December blog and find out where we were up to on the news and here's what's been happening since. December ended with the wonderful news that Laura and Daniel are expecting a baby. They told us when they came over for the staff Christmas lunch (which was rather depleted in numbers due to the horrible sickness bug that was going about) and it was so lovely to hear the news in person. We're so excited for them and loving getting the baby updates and watching the bump grow on the photos Laura has been sending through. We're now in planning mode for cover during her maternity leave and there will be more about that as we put the plans in place.
I mentioned that we were tendering for a large contract. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful, which is always a hard blow when so much time and effort goes into compiling the bid. However, we felt we put in a strong bid and the contract has been re-awarded to the existing supplier. We've had some really good and positive feedback which will be useful the next time we're tendering for a contract.
I was also telling you that we were anticipating the new public website going live in December. Well, it did! It's looking great, very fresh, and again we've had some great feedback. We just need to work on keeping it at the top of the Google rankings so people can find us. That's not an easy task in itself but luckily we've got people on hand who know the dark art of Google Analytics, social media and all the tricks and tips to make sure we are on page 1 when people search for transcription services. It takes a lot of work to keep the ranking up but it's well worth it and it's certainly how the majority of new clients find us.
But the big news - as if you won't have noticed - is the new client website. We just love it so much. Again, it wasn't an easy or quick process. This is actually the third time we've tried to get the site redeveloped but had to abandon all hope with versions 1 and 2 after the developers just couldn't grasp what we wanted to achieve. However, Steve Marks from Biostall has been on the ball from the off. He was able to interpret our specification and produce this amazing site for us. We've incorporated everyone's feedback on the old site and included so many more features and functionality. And sometimes it's the wee things that make the different - Job IDs are the best thing EVER, why didn't we think of that before? A few hiccups but on the whole the transition has gone well - if not entirely stress free. We already have a wish list that we're going to pass on to Steve, if he's not too fed up with us.
The launch of both the sites was a huge undertaking and couldn't have happened without the help and support of not only the transcription and quality control teams but specifically Laura, Jen, Emily and, of course, [my] Mark. They have worked really hard testing the site and putting up with my rants when things haven't gone quite according to plan. Well, it is awards season after all so it's nice to be able to recognise everyone's efforts. I am extremely grateful and lucky to have the support that I receive from this amazing team.
Next thing on the list is the 2015 Customer Satisfaction Survey. It was launched today and hopefully I'll have some statistics for you in the next blog. I'll also be sending out a Voice of the Transcriptions questionnaire shortly and if you have a few minutes to complete it I would be grateful. It's been two or three years since we did this survey and again it really does help us look at how we work with the whole team so your feedback is very important.
Thought you might like to know that we undertook 270,287 minutes of transcription in 2014. That's nearly 13% more than in 2013. Thank you all for your hard work and here's to another good transcription year.
Best wishes
Dawn
