We’ve all got jobs that are almost finished. The difficult part is done and there’s just a little tidying up left before we can move on.
Except that little bit of tidying up has a habit of taking considerably longer than expected.
Survey reports are no exception.
You’ve completed the inspection, prepared the report and checked your findings. All that remains is to put everything into the correct format.
You need to insert the photographs, sort out the tables, check the headings and make sure the page numbering is behaving itself.
Then someone asks you to make a small amendment. Suddenly, the table has moved, the photographs are out of place and half the afternoon has disappeared.
It’s not particularly difficult work. It’s simply time-consuming.
As more surveyors use speech-to-text, we suspect there will be more reports reaching this almost-finished stage. We’ve already written about where speech-to-text still falls short.
The technology can help produce a first draft quickly, but it doesn’t always follow the firm’s preferred formatting. Some tools can now work with templates and structured documents, but results vary depending on the software and the complexity of the report.
That leaves a certain amount of work to be done before the document can be issued and somebody has to do it.
This is where outsourced survey report typing and formatting can be useful. You can send us your draft, together with your preferred template and any additional instructions.
Our experienced typists can take care of the document production, applying the correct formatting and preparing the report for your final review.
You remain responsible for the technical content and approval of the report. We deal with the presentation.
There’s a difference between spending time on a report because it requires your professional expertise and spending time on it because Microsoft Word refuses to co-operate.
The first is unavoidable. The second can often be handed over. Read Fee Earner or Typist? if you want to see why the distinction matters.
If you’ve got several almost finished reports sitting on your desk, perhaps it’s time to send a few our way.
BackupTyping provides survey report typing services, document formatting and professional transcription throughout the UK.
Contact us on 020 7096 1663 or at hello@backuptyping.co.uk.
