What Does It Cost to Hire Admin Support vs Outsourcing in the UK?

When your business starts to grow, admin tasks tend to grow with it.

What begins as a few emails, notes, and reports can quickly turn into hours of work each week - and eventually, the question comes up:

Should you hire someone … or outsource it?

At first glance, hiring an in-house admin might seem like the obvious solution. But when you look a little closer, the true cost is often much higher than expected.

The Real Cost of Hiring Admin Staff in the UK

Hiring isn’t just about salary.

Once you bring someone on, you also need to consider:

National Insurance contributions
Pension contributions
Holiday pay and sick leave
Office space and equipment
Training and onboarding time

Even a part-time admin role can quickly become a significant fixed cost - whether the workload is there or not.

And during quieter periods? You’re still paying for that time.

The Flexibility of Outsourcing

Outsourcing works differently.

Instead of committing to a fixed monthly cost, you only pay for the work you actually need - when you need it.

That means:

No long-term contracts
No employment overheads
No downtime costs

Whether you need a few hours of typing support or help clearing a large backlog, outsourcing gives you the flexibility to scale up or down instantly.

Where Businesses See the Biggest Savings

For many UK businesses, the biggest benefit isn’t just cost - it’s efficiency.

Outsourcing admin tasks like typing, transcription, and document formatting frees up valuable internal time. Your team can focus on higher-value work, rather than getting stuck in repetitive admin.

At BackupTyping, we often work with businesses who:

Don’t have enough work to justify a full-time hire
Need fast turnaround during busy periods
Want reliable support without increasing headcount

It’s Not Just About Cost - It’s About Control

Hiring can feel like a long-term commitment. Outsourcing gives you control.

You decide:

When you need support
How much you use
What you prioritise

There’s no pressure to “find work” to justify a salary - just a service that fits around your business.

So, Which Is Right for You?

If your admin workload is consistent, predictable, and growing long-term, hiring might make sense.

But for many businesses - especially those dealing with fluctuating workloads, tight deadlines, or specialist typing needs - outsourcing is often the more practical and cost-effective choice.

A Smarter Way to Handle Admin

If you’re currently juggling admin tasks or considering hiring, it’s worth exploring what outsourcing could save you - not just in cost, but in time and stress.

Send us a task today and we’ll show you how quickly we can turn it around.

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!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

AI vs Human Transcription in 2026: Need to Know

We're all hearing more and more about AI at the moment and transcription is no exception. From instant voice-to-text apps to automated meeting notes, it’s never been easier to convert speech into written words. On paper, it looks like the obvious choice - fast, cheap and convenient, but is it actually good enough?

The Appeal of AI Transcription

There are some clear benefits to AI:

Instant turnaround
Low cost (or even free)
Easy to use

For quick notes or internal use, it can be incredibly useful but when accuracy really matters, the cracks start to show.

Where AI Falls Short

AI struggles with things that humans handle naturally, such as:

Different accents and speech patterns
Background noise or poor audio quality
Industry-specific terminology
Understanding context

This often leads to transcripts that need heavy editing or worse documents that contain errors you don’t immediately spot. When those documents are client facing, legal or business critical, mistakes can be costly.

Why Human Transcription Still Matters

Human transcription offers something AI still struggles with: understanding. A real person can interpret meaning, pick up on nuance and ensure the final document actually makes sense - not just word-for-word, but in context.

At BackupTyping, that means:

Clean, professionally formatted documents
Accurate interpretation of speech
Consistent quality you can rely on

The Smarter Approach for Businesses

For many UK businesses, the best approach isn’t choosing one over the other - it’s knowing when to use each. AI can be useful for speed but when formatting, accuracy and professionalism matter, human transcription is still the better choice.

Don’t Let Accuracy Slip

It’s tempting to prioritise speed over everything else but when it comes to your business documents, accuracy isn’t something you want to compromise.

If you’ve tried AI transcription and found yourself spending more time correcting it than expected, you’re not alone.

Let us handle your transcription properly - so you get it right the first time.
Try our service for free and see the difference.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Rushing Before the Tax Year Ends? Here’s How to Clear Your Admin Backlog Fast

As the end of the UK tax year approaches, many businesses find themselves in a familiar situation - racing against the clock to get everything in order before the April deadline.

Receipts need organising. Reports need typing. Notes from meetings, dictations and handwritten documents suddenly become urgent. What started as “I’ll get to that later” quickly turns into a growing pile of admin that just won’t go away.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Why the Pressure Builds at This Time of Year

March is when everything seems to come together at once. Teams are already busy, and suddenly there’s an added layer of urgency. The problem isn’t just the workload - it’s the time it takes to process everything.

Typing up documents, formatting reports and making sure everything is accurate can eat into hours of your day. Hours that could be better spent focusing on clients, revenue, or actually running your business.

The Hidden Cost of “Doing It Yourself”

A lot of businesses try to push through and handle everything internally. But this often leads to:

Staff working late or feeling overwhelmed
Important documents being rushed (and mistakes creeping in)
Bottlenecks that slow everything else down

It’s not just stressful - it’s inefficient.

A Faster Way to Clear Your Backlog

This is where outsourcing can make a real difference.

Instead of trying to squeeze admin into an already packed schedule, you can hand it over to a dedicated typing team who can turn it around quickly and accurately.

At BackupTyping, we regularly support businesses during peak periods like this - helping clear backlogs fast, without the need to hire extra staff or stretch your team further.

Whether it’s:

Reports that need formatting
Audio that needs transcribing
Data that needs inputting.

…we take care of it, so you don’t have to.

Speed Without Compromising Accuracy

When deadlines are tight, speed matters - but accuracy matters more.

That’s why human-typed documents still make such a difference. Every file is handled with care, properly formatted and checked before it comes back to you.

No guesswork. No awkward errors. Just work that’s ready to use.

Take Control Before the Deadline Hits

The closer we get to the tax year deadline, the harder it becomes to catch up. The sooner you get support, the easier it is to stay in control.

If you’re sitting on a backlog right now, there’s no reason to tackle it alone.

Send us your files today and see how quickly we can help you get back on track. Or start with a free trial to experience the difference for yourself.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Save Time and Reduce Costs by Outsourcing Your Transcription

Spending Too Much Time on Typing?

If you’re still typing your own reports, letters, or documents, you’re using valuable time on a task that can easily be outsourced. Transcription and document production are essential - but they shouldn’t slow your business down.

The Problem with Doing It Yourself

Handling transcription in-house often leads to:

Lost time
Increased costs
Capacity issues during busy periods
Inconsistent document quality

The Smarter Approach: Outsourcing

Outsourcing transcription allows you to:

Reduce Costs - No need for full-time staff or overheads
Solve Capacity Issues - Scale your support instantly when workload increases
Focus on Core Business - Spend more time on clients and revenue-generating work
Access Skilled Support - Work with experienced transcription specialists who understand your industry

Why BackupTyping?

At BackupTyping, we provide:

Fast turnaround (2-24 hours)
Accurate transcription
Professionally formatted documents
Flexible submission options (dictation app, email, upload)

We understand the needs of surveyors and property professionals - and we deliver accordingly.

A More Efficient Workflow

Simply:

Dictate
Send to us
Receive a fully formatted document

No stress. No delays. No wasted time.

Outsourcing transcription saves time, reduces costs and allows businesses to focus on core work while benefiting from expert support and faster turnaround times.

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

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Why Outsourcing Transcription Services Helps Businesses Save Time and Reduce Costs

Why Outsourcing Transcription Services Makes Business Sense

Companies today are under constant pressure to improve efficiency, reduce costs and remain competitive. We have found that one strategy that continues to grow in popularity is outsourcing transcription and document production and for good reason. From dictation to copy typing, outsourcing allows businesses to operate more effectively while focusing on what really matters.

What is Outsourcing in This Context?

Outsourcing transcription means sending your dictated reports, minutes or correspondence etc to a specialist provider like BackupTyping, who will produce accurate, professionally formatted documents on your behalf.

The Key Benefits of Outsourcing Transcription

Reducing Costs

Hiring, training and managing in-house staff is expensive.

Outsourcing removes:

Salaries
Overheads
Software and training costs

You only pay for what you use.

Solving Capacity Issues

Workloads are rarely consistent, outsourcing allows for the peak and troughs of business:

Scale up during busy periods
Avoid bottlenecks
Meet deadlines without stress

Focus on Core Business

Your business wasn’t built on typing documents (ours is but yours isn't) - by outsourcing transcription, you can:

Focus on clients
Increase billable work
Improve productivity

Access to Skilled Professionals

With outsourcing to BackupTyping, you gain access to experienced typists with property industry knowledge producing consistent, high-quality documents to your timeframe.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Companies competing in today’s market must adopt cost-effective and efficient strategies. Outsourcing non-core functions like transcription allows businesses to:

Operate leaner
Move faster
Deliver better service

Summary

Outsourcing transcription services helps businesses reduce costs, solve capacity issues and focus on core activities. It provides access to skilled professionals while improving efficiency and productivity.

Why Choose BackupTyping?

BackupTyping specialises in transcription and document production for property professionals.

We help you:

Save time
Improve accuracy
Maintain professional document standards
Focus on fee-earning work

Ready to improve your workflow?

Send us your dictation—we’ll take care of the rest.

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

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

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:

Time-consuming formatting
Inconsistent layouts
Difficult revisions when changes are needed
Manual numbering and reworking of documents

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:

Careful template setup
Manual image insertion
Attention to formatting details
Ongoing document management

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:

Chartered surveyors
Property professionals
Building consultants

Our service helps you:

Save hours of formatting time
Maintain consistent, professional layouts
Avoid manual errors and rework
Focus on your core surveying work

What Makes Our Service Different?

Experienced team with surveying industry knowledge
Fast turnaround times
High-quality, consistent document formatting
Flexible support tailored to your workflow

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.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

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:

Images may be cropped or stretched automatically
Layouts can become inconsistent with mixed image formats
There is no automatic numbering system
Any changes require manual repositioning of all subsequent images

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:

Maintain consistent formatting across the document
Keep images at their original quality without distortion
Use automatic numbering and captions
Easily adjust layouts and text alongside images

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:

How many images per page?
Will you need to delete or add images later?
Do you require consistent numbering and captions?
How important is flexibility during editing?

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:

Better control over layout and formatting
Automatic numbering of images
Easier editing and updates
No unwanted cropping or distortion of images

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:

Format and structure your reports correctly
Transcribe and organise your documentation
Deliver fast, accurate and consistent results

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.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

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:

“terraced” became “terrorist”
“damp staining” became “outstanding”
“tenure” became “10 year”
“garages” became “carriages”
“Artex” became “artic”

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:

Misinterpret technical property terms
Fail to recognise context
Ignore formatting such as headings, tables, and structured reports
Struggle in less-than-perfect audio conditions

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:

Correct errors
Reformat documents
Fix missing sections

Any time saved is often lost.

Why Human Transcription Still Wins

A professional transcription service understands:

Context
Terminology
Formatting requirements
Report structure

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.

Try us instantly with our FREE dictation app!

What Is Audio Transcription for Chartered Surveyors?

Fee Earner or Typist? | Why Outsourcing Typing Works

Can I record Microsoft Teams meeting?

With the new way of working and meetings needing to be conducted virtually, the use of Microsoft Teams has skyrocketed as we are no longer able to sit down around a table.

By now everyone knows the advantages of using Teams rather than a conference call but did you know you can record your meeting?

Obviously this is great to give you a reminder of what was said but where this facility really comes into its own is if the meeting needs to be transcribed.

Whilst typists are used to having a dictaphone placed in the middle of a meeting, the record button pressed and everyone talking, problems would often be encountered with being unable to distinguish one speaker from another especially with similar accents.

Ask any typist and they’ve all encountered this, and it can be frustrating as we want to make a complete record of that meeting.

But with Teams, being able to see the individual participants is a godsend as we can match a voice and face, and ensure an accurate account of the meeting.

To start recording, go to the meeting controls and select More options - Start recording.

To stop recording, go to the meeting controls and select More options - Stop recording.

The recording is then processed and saved to SharePoint if it was a channel meeting or OneDrive if it was any other type of meeting.

Note: guests and external attendees can only view the recording if it’s explicitly shared with them.

Microsoft Teams is able to be transcribed via Express Scribe with the video recording, though sadly not with Olympus software. So, if you need a meeting to be transcribed you need to ensure your typist has Express Scribe (which we do at BackupTyping). The meetings can be played back with a media player but this does not give you the ability to stop and start, which Express Scribe does.

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.

The Real Cost of Hiring Admin Staff in the UK

The Flexibility of Outsourcing

Where Businesses See the Biggest Savings

It’s Not Just About Cost - It’s About Control

So, Which Is Right for You?

A Smarter Way to Handle Admin

Related Articles:

The Appeal of AI Transcription

Where AI Falls Short

Why Human Transcription Still Matters

The Smarter Approach for Businesses

Don’t Let Accuracy Slip

Related Articles:

Why the Pressure Builds at This Time of Year

The Hidden Cost of “Doing It Yourself”

A Faster Way to Clear Your Backlog

Speed Without Compromising Accuracy

Take Control Before the Deadline Hits

Send us your files today and see how quickly we can help you get back on track. Or start with a free trial to experience the difference for yourself.

Related Articles:

Spending Too Much Time on Typing?

The Problem with Doing It Yourself

The Smarter Approach: Outsourcing

Why BackupTyping?

A More Efficient Workflow

Related Articles:

Why Outsourcing Transcription Services Makes Business Sense

What is Outsourcing in This Context?

The Key Benefits of Outsourcing Transcription

Reducing Costs

Solving Capacity Issues

Focus on Core Business

Access to Skilled Professionals

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Summary

Why Choose BackupTyping?

Related Articles:

The Challenge with Creating Photo Schedules

Why Word Is Better - But Still Time-Consuming

Let BackupTyping Handle It for You

What Makes Our Service Different?

Ready to Save Time?

Final Thought

Word vs PowerPoint for Photographic Schedules

Why PowerPoint Is Less Suitable

Why Word Is the Preferred Option

Key Considerations When Choosing Your Format

Quick Summary

How BackupTyping Can Help

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

Why Speech to Text Struggles in Surveying

The Problem with “DIY” AI Transcription

Why Human Transcription Still Wins

Conclusion

Related Articles: