Why Human Transcription Beats Speech to Text for Surveyors

Do you know your ‘cornicing’ from your ‘corner sink’? Speech to text AI doesn’t

At BackupTyping, we regularly review the latest speech to text technology - and while it has improved, it still doesn’t meet the standards required for professional surveying reports.

We tested multiple AI tools.

The results included:

For example:

These are not minor issues - they can affect the clarity and professionalism of your reports.

The Hidden Cost of Speech to Text

AI transcription may seem like a cost-saving tool, but in reality:

By the time everything is corrected, the “saving” is often gone.

The Human Advantage

With BackupTyping, you get:

Most importantly you can focus on fee-earning work instead of typing.

Simple, Flexible Workflow

You can send your dictation in the way that suits you:

We take care of the rest.

Conclusion

Speech to text has its place - but for professional surveying documents, human transcription remains the most reliable and efficient solution.

If you are a chartered surveyor and need accurate, professionally structured documents quickly, BackupTyping is here to help.

BackupTyping is a chartered surveying specialist audio transcription and document production company working with a variety of clients from large corporations to small niche companies, all receiving the same high quality and fast service from a team of audio typists who worked at senior levels in chartered surveying organisations.  Contact - Call:  020 7096 1663 or Email us.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

BackupTyping Dictation App built for clients of our specialist property transcription service to use at no charge or licence. Just dictate and send to us at the touch of a button!

 

Related Articles:

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Struggling to Format Photographic Schedules of Condition?

Photographic schedules of condition are essential in building surveying but producing them can be time-consuming and repetitive.

Formatting images, maintaining consistency and handling revisions can quickly take up valuable time that could be better spent on surveying work.

The Challenge with Creating Photo Schedules

Many professionals still create schedules manually using Word or PowerPoint, which often leads to:

This becomes even more challenging when dealing with large schedules containing hundreds of images.

Why Word Is Better - But Still Time-Consuming

While Word is the preferred tool for creating photographic schedules, it still requires:

Even with the right tools, producing a high-quality schedule can take far longer than expected.

Let BackupTyping Handle It for You

At BackupTyping, we take the pressure off by producing fully formatted photographic schedules of condition for you.

We work with:

Our service helps you:

What Makes Our Service Different?

We understand exactly what surveyors need - and we deliver it efficiently and reliably.

Ready to Save Time?

If you regularly produce photographic schedules of condition, outsourcing could significantly improve your workflow.

Send us your images and notes - we’ll take care of the rest.

Final Thought

Instead of spending hours formatting documents, let us handle the process for you - so you can focus on what matters most.

 

If you'd like to understand the difference between Word and PowerPoint in more detail read our full guide here.

At BackupTyping we have completed hundreds of photo schedules in many different formats and styles and would be happy to chat through which format would suit your needs most.  Let us input your photos and text and here's a good reason why.

BackupTyping is a chartered surveying specialist audio transcription and document production company working with a variety of clients from large corporations to small niche companies, all receiving the same high quality and fast service from a team of audio typists who worked at senior levels in chartered surveying organisations.  Contact - Call:  020 7096 1663 or Email us.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

BackupTyping Dictation App built for clients of our specialist property transcription service to use at no charge or licence. Just dictate and send to us at the touch of a button!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Audio transcription for surveyors is the process of converting spoken dictation into structured written reports. It allows surveyors to record site notes and observations and have them professionally typed into accurate, formatted documents.

This helps surveyors save time, improve accuracy and focus on inspections rather than report writing.

What is audio transcription for surveyors?

Audio transcription plays an essential role in how many chartered surveyors produce their reports - but today, it’s faster and easier than ever to use.

At its simplest, audio transcription is the process of converting spoken dictation into written text. For surveyors, this typically means recording site notes, observations, knowledge and report content, which are then transcribed into a structured document.

A Modern Approach to Dictation 

Traditionally, dictation required a device and a return to the office to upload files. That’s no longer necessary.

With our free mobile phone dictation app, surveyors can:

This allows reports to start being processed almost immediately, saving valuable time.

Flexible Ways to Send Work

We understand that different teams work in different ways. As well as mobile dictation, work can also be submitted:

All submissions feed into our bespoke job management system, ensuring everything is tracked, organised, and delivered efficiently.

The Benefits of Professional Transcription

While automated tools are becoming more common, professional audio transcription still offers clear advantages:

Accuracy with technical terminology

Survey reports often include specialist language and detailed observations that require careful handling.

Structured, readable documents

We don’t just type - we format and structure reports so they are clear and professional.

Consistency across reports

Particularly important for larger firms with multiple surveyors.

Time savings

By removing the need to type and format reports, surveyors can focus on inspections and client work.

Working Alongside AI

Many surveying firms are now exploring AI transcription tools. We are happy to work alongside these - helping refine, correct and format content so it meets professional standards.

Conclusion

Audio transcription is no longer just about typing - it’s about creating an efficient workflow.

With mobile dictation, flexible submission options, and professional document production, surveyors can produce accurate, polished reports with minimal admin time.

 

BackupTyping has a team of property industry expert audio typists ready to get your documents typed and with our clients when you need them.  We work to your timescale, not you to ours.  From 2 hours to 24 hours - what do YOU need?

Simple, easy, cost effective solution - let us make your working life easy.

Photographic Schedules of Condition: Word vs PowerPoint

Photographic schedules of condition are a key part of building surveying and property documentation, providing a clear visual record of a property at a specific point in time.

When creating these schedules, professionals typically choose between Word and PowerPoint - but which is best for producing a high-quality, professional photographic report?

Word vs PowerPoint for Photographic Schedules

Both Word and PowerPoint can be used to create photographic schedules, but they offer very different levels of control and efficiency.

Why PowerPoint Is Less Suitable

PowerPoint is designed primarily for presentations, not structured reports.

While it allows you to insert images quickly using slide layouts, it has several limitations when used for photographic schedules:

For large schedules, this can become extremely time-consuming and inefficient.

Why Word Is the Preferred Option

Word is far better suited for creating structured photographic schedules of condition.

It allows you to:

Most importantly, Word handles changes far more effectively. If a photo is removed, the document can adjust automatically - saving significant time during revisions.

Key Considerations When Choosing Your Format

Before creating your schedule, it’s important to plan your template carefully:

A well-structured Word template can significantly reduce formatting time and improve overall document quality.

Quick Summary 

Word is generally the better option for photographic schedules of condition because it offers:

PowerPoint is more suitable for presentations but is less efficient for structured report production.

How BackupTyping Can Help

At BackupTyping, we specialise in producing professional photographic schedules of condition for surveyors and property professionals.

Our team can help you:

 

If you'd like help producing photographic schedules, our team can take care of the entire process for you.

 

At BackupTyping we have completed hundreds of photo schedules in many different formats and styles and would be happy to chat through which format would suit your needs most.  Let us input your photos and text and here's a good reason why.

BackupTyping is a chartered surveying specialist audio transcription and document production company working with a variety of clients from large corporations to small niche companies, all receiving the same high quality and fast service from a team of audio typists who worked at senior levels in chartered surveying organisations.  Contact - Call:  020 7096 1663 or Email us.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

BackupTyping Dictation App built for clients of our specialist property transcription service to use at no charge or licence. Just dictate and send to us at the touch of a button!

It's just typing right?!

NO … a specialist audio typing service is so much more than that!

An expert audio typist has been trained how to produce fast and accurate documents from dictation, resulting in a flowing movement over the keyboard and foot pedal - compare it to a talented pianist; fingers flowing smoothly over the keys and a foot rhythmically working the pedal - to produce documents in the most efficient way.

Not only is good practice required but also the ability to interpret what is being said and including adding correct grammar where appropriate without wasting valuable time stopping and starting.

Then better still are the industry expert audio typists.  These typists know and, more importantly, understand what you are saying - not just taking a stab in the dark.

And even better for all property professionals are property industry expert audio typists!  These typists know what dilapidations are and why they are done.  These typists know all about arbitrations and the formal layout required.  These typists can correctly hear and spell building terminology.

Property industry expert audio typists

So we disagree, it is not just a bit of a typing.  A great audio typist just makes it look easy!

Here's another reason to use the services of an experienced audio typist - We Tried Speech to Text - Backup Typing

 

BackupTyping has a team of property industry expert audio typists ready to get your documents typed and with our clients when you need them.  We work to your timescale, not you to ours.  From 2 hours to 24 hours – what do YOU need?

Simple, easy, cost effective solution – let us make your working life easy.

Speech to Text vs Human Transcription: Why AI Misses the Mark for Surveyors

Do you know your ‘cornicing’ from your ‘corner sink’? Speech to text AI doesn’t

As transcription technology continues to evolve, many surveying professionals are exploring speech to text alternatives. On the surface, AI-driven dictation tools seem like a quick and cost-effective solution.

However, when it comes to property-specific terminology, context matters - and this is where AI often falls short.

We tested several speech to text systems ourselves.

The results were … interesting.

Words like:

In more serious cases, entire phrases or paragraphs were missed entirely.

Why Speech to Text Struggles in Surveying

Speech recognition tools are built to process general language, not specialist surveying terminology.

They often:

Even simple instructions like “full stop paragraph” are often typed exactly as spoken - something no experienced typist would do.

The Problem with “DIY” AI Transcription

While speech to text can be useful in controlled environments, survey reports are rarely simple.

By the time you:

Any time saved is often lost.

Why Human Transcription Still Wins

A professional transcription service understands:

More importantly, they allow you to:

Focus on your work - not the mechanics of typing.

Conclusion

Speech to text technology is improving - but it still has limitations, especially for chartered surveyors producing professional reports.

When accuracy, structure and reliability matter, human transcription remains the superior choice.

If you are a chartered surveyor and need accurate, professionally structured documents quickly, BackupTyping is here to help.

BackupTyping is a chartered surveying specialist audio transcription and document production company working with a variety of clients from large corporations to small niche companies, all receiving the same high quality and fast service from a team of audio typists who worked at senior levels in chartered surveying organisations.  Contact - Call:  020 7096 1663 or Email us.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

BackupTyping Dictation App built for clients of our specialist property transcription service to use at no charge or licence. Just dictate and send to us at the touch of a button!

 

Related Articles:

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Fee Earner or Expensive Typist? 

Would you pay £100 to have a two page letter typed?  Of course not BUT you probably are.  

As a fee earner for your company, typing is the last thing you should be doing.  

Many people will think ‘well it's just a bit of typing’ but it will end up costing you a lot more than your time.  

Imagine a very normal scenario, you have a two page letter to type so approximately 1000 words.  

For a normal ‘pick and peck’ non-typist 1000 words will take approximately 40 minutes just to type and then to read through and correct any errors, add another 20 minutes so that’s 60 minutes.   

However, during the 60 minutes you’ve take 3 phone calls (maybe a lot more).  For the sake of argument let’s say one call is a quick 5 minutes but the other two are longer so perhaps 15 mins each which means during that hour you’ve been interrupted three times.  

And each time when you go back to your letter you need to gather your thoughts again, check where you got to and start again, taking a few minutes each time.  By the time you add all the time up, its probably close to 100 minutes – for a two page letter!  

But – you’ve saved the company money by typing it yourself rather than outsourcing it.  Actually no.  You used 60 minutes of your time doing the actual typing which as a fee earner (for example) is £100 per hour (your hourly charge to a client).  That’s one hour of doing less fee earning work, one hour less looking after your clients' needs.    

What would it cost to outsource to a property audio typing service?

If you dictated those 1000 words at a leisurely dictation speed of 100wpm that takes you 10 minutes to dictate.  Once dictated simply send to a transcription company. You can now focus on fee earning work.       

At BackupTyping we work on a 1:3 ratio ie 10 minutes would take us 30 minutes to type and proof read.  On our ‘same day’ service this would only cost £14.00, a considerable saving in money and in time.  

In a world where saving time and money is paramount it makes sense to outsource. 

 

BackupTyping provides a fast, accurate and experienced transcription for property professionals - saving you time and money. Call us on 020 7096 1663 to find out how we can help you.

Property audio typing/transcription service to Chartered Surveyors - it's what we know, we speak your language.

Who needs a transcription service?   Especially a property typing specialist

End Those Holiday Blues

Outsource Typing versus Getting a Temp

What happens when your trusted secretary puts in a request for holiday?  As soon as it is agreed the planning starts and makes the days or weeks before a stressful time (let’s not even mention not being able to ‘switch off’ whilst away, dreading coming back to a mountain of work).

If you can find an audio typing temp who has all the necessary skills you are very lucky but even this has its drawbacks.  Employing a temp means you will be paying for 7 hours a day regardless of whether or not any work is actually carried out.

If you are just handing over typing duties, will you really dictate enough for them to be typing for 7 hours each day?

If, however, you are unable to find a suitable temp and you need to spread the workload around the rest of the team, this adds pressure and can lead to delays with secretaries being overloaded.

Is there a solution that works for everyone?  Absolutely.

Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Outsourcing your audio typing works best when using a market specific transcription company and is the perfect solution for holiday cover as you only pay for work actually carried out.

At BackupTyping we work with all sizes of companies; some clients use our services every day and others need us twice a year for holiday cover.

The team consists of highly experienced chartered surveying audio typists meaning there is no need to explain terminology, no need to train on layouts, all we simply need are the necessary templates and a dictation file (don’t have a dictation machine? No problem, we have you covered with our easy to use dictation app).

Whether its once a day or once a year our team are on hand when needed, let us take the strain out of holiday cover.  BackupTyping are always available when needed – day and night.  Here when you need us, on standby when you don’t.

We are always happy to have a Teams/Zoom meeting if anything needs to be covered in detail but rest assured you will be in a safe pair of hands.

BackupTyping provides fast, accurate and experienced transcription for property professionals - saving you time and money.  Call us on 020 7096 1663 to find out how we can help you.

UK housing value now at record high

According to global real estate services provider, Savills, the UK housing value hit a record high of £8.41 trillion in 2021, up 10.6% on 2020.

The UK housing market saw an increase of £804 billion last year, which the estate agent states is the biggest annual increase in value ever recorded. This is the fastest annual percentage growth recorded in the last 15 years and follows a decade of stock value increases which has seen the housing market in the UK rise by over 75.7% (£3.6 trillion).

Continuing trends which have dominated the housing market for some time, London and the South hold 62% of the total value verses only having 44% of all housing stock. Savills findings state: ‘In England, the South East saw the greater increase in housing value in 2021, rising by £155 billion or 10.9%, followed by the North (£131 billion) and London (£130 billion). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland grew by a combined £98 billion – +12.5%.’

However, following the pandemic and the work from home culture that has arisen, there has been a demand for suburban locations that offer better value for money than urban areas. This has helped to add value to areas such as the South West and Midlands. Cornwall, for example, saw its value rise by £16.2 billion in 2021. It is also one of the top 10 locations for growth over the last 10 years, one of only two districts outside of London to enter the top 10.

Contributing factors that led to this record high increase include the stamp duty holiday and a low interest rate environment, which encouraged people to move that might not have done so otherwise. This is in addition to the pandemic causing a shift in focus for homeowners, Lawrence Bowles, a director in the Savills residential research team explains.

“People’s lifestyle needs and housing preferences hugely shifted over the course of the pandemic, with many reassessing what they want out of their living environment in response to increased working from home and the need for more inside and outside space.”

With records being broken in 2021, it makes you wonder what 2022 will have in-store for the property industry.

RICS reacts to Government’s Levelling Up White Paper

The UK government recently published it’s Levelling Up White Paper which sets out its 12 ‘missions’ to level up the UK by 2030.

The White Paper references the government’s commitment to reduce the number of non-decent rented homes, encourage first-time buyers and prioritise affordable social housing.

There is a focus on transforming brownfield sites in the Midlands and the North, devising a plan to abolish ‘no fault’ evictions, and creating a Decent Homes Standard to help tenants living in unacceptable conditions. It also discusses the possible introduction of a landlord register that will help to regulate the sector and give tenants peace of mind.

The RICS have responded with strong support of the White Piper’s focus on regeneration and boosting pride in place as well.

According to its latest news report on the matter, RICS believes that ‘the levelling-up agenda must now be underpinned by a reformed planning system that offers greater certainty, provides for sufficient local accountability and allows for the timely delivery of vital social infrastructure.’

Although it is firmly behind the measures that have been indicated, the RICS says there needs to be further clarity on the government’s intentions. In particular, the government needs to detail how policies related to commercial landlords will work with the government wanting landlords of empty shops and not leave them vacant for long periods.

RICS is keen to help assist the government in any areas that affect the built environment and will provide insight where possible.

With the governments 12 ‘missions’ including a substantial investment into the housing market, there will be a significant increase in the need for property industry professionals to take steps to help it level up.

If you find yourself in need of additional help to deal with the demand of incoming work, outsourcing can help to free up other members of staff in busy periods. Learn more about our services: https://backuptyping.co.uk/property-report-typing-why-us/.

The UK government recently published it’s Levelling Up White Paper which sets out its 12 ‘missions’ to level up the UK by 2030.

The White Paper references the government’s commitment to reduce the number of non-decent rented homes, encourage first-time buyers and prioritise affordable social housing.

There is a focus on transforming brownfield sites in the Midlands and the North, devising a plan to abolish ‘no fault’ evictions, and creating a Decent Homes Standard to help tenants living in unacceptable conditions. It also discusses the possible introduction of a landlord register that will help to regulate the sector and give tenants peace of mind.

The RICS have responded with strong support of the White Piper’s focus on regeneration and boosting pride in place as well.

According to its latest news report on the matter, RICS believes that ‘the levelling-up agenda must now be underpinned by a reformed planning system that offers greater certainty, provides for sufficient local accountability and allows for the timely delivery of vital social infrastructure.’

Although it is firmly behind the measures that have been indicated, the RICS says there needs to be further clarity on the government’s intentions. In particular, the government needs to detail how policies related to commercial landlords will work with the government wanting landlords of empty shops and not leave them vacant for long periods.

RICS is keen to help assist the government in any areas that affect the built environment and will provide insight where possible.

With the governments 12 ‘missions’ including a substantial investment into the housing market, there will be a significant increase in the need for property industry professionals to take steps to help it level up.

If you find yourself in need of additional help to deal with the demand of incoming work, outsourcing can help to free up other members of staff in busy periods. Learn more about our services: https://backuptyping.co.uk/property-report-typing-why-us/.