When it comes to mining qualitative data, the race to turn conversations into actionable insights is on. But let’s face it—transcribing all that information from interviews, focus groups, and customer calls can feel like trying to catch lightning in a bottle.
It’s slow, fraught with the risk of misinterpretation, and challenging to scale.
So, if you’ve ever found yourself bogged down by these transcription troubles, then you’re in the right place. Here’s what every business needs to know about qualitative data transcription.
What Is Qualitative Data Transcription?
Qualitative data transcription involves converting recorded audio or video of a subject into text format. This text can then be analyzed to identify patterns, themes, and insights that help you make crucial decisions about your business.
Qualitative data is different from quantitative data. Quantitative data is measured precisely with numbers, such as revenue in dollars or weight in pounds. Qualitative data, on the other hand, is observational, and includes open-ended responses rather than quantifiable ones.
Qualitative data transcription is often used by businesses to gather data from:
- Focus groups
- Interviews
- Customer support phone calls
- Product testing observations
- Court hearings
Uses Cases For Qualitative Data Transcription
Businesses thrive on deeply understanding their customers. Transcribing interviews, focus groups, and even customer review videos can unlock a treasure trove of consumer insights.
Market Research and Consumer Insights
Focus groups and consumer interviews are an important part of market research. The nuances, hesitations, emphatic endorsements—all these subtleties are captured in transcription, providing a rich, dimensional view of consumer sentiment.
Customer feedback can also inform the development of new features, products, or services that directly address customer desires, potentially opening up new markets or solidifying the business’s position in existing ones.
Customer Feedback Analysis
Transcribed customer feedback from support or sales calls can be used by businesses to use text analysis tools to identify recurring themes, sentiments, and emerging customer needs.
For instance, if multiple customers mention a specific defect with a product, this trend can prompt a targeted response, such as a product update or a change in customer service protocols.
Benefits of Qualitative Data Transcription Software & Services
Using qualitative data transcription tools and services is a game changer for many companies. Transcribing content in-house is exhausting, monotonous, and time-consuming, but a skilled transcription service can make the process quick and easy.
Professional data transcription services save time.
Professional transcriptionists can complete qualitative data transcription faster and more accurately than the average person. With the resources to transcribe at scale, professional transcription services quickly get the job done, giving you time to focus on other work.
Transcribing qualitative data improves accessibility.
Qualitative analysis usually requires several researchers, and transcribed data makes sharing content with your research team a breeze. Plus, anyone who can’t listen to audio can still effectively analyze content thanks to the process of transcription.
Professional data transcription is more accurate.
Professional transcribers can reduce the risk of errors in your written documents, improving the quality of your data. Accurate transcript information and grammar make all the difference when analyzing qualitative metrics, such as sentiment.
4 Types Of Qualitative Data Transcription
Here are a few different types of transcription.
Verbatim Transcription
With verbatim transcripts, everything is written down word-for-word. This includes:
- Nonverbal cues
- Pauses
- False starts
- Background noises
- Filler words like “um”
Considering experts suggest the majority of communication happens non-verbally, verbatim transcriptions are valuable to qualitative researchers.
This option is the most accurate to the content you send in, which is perfect if you want to ensure the speaker’s sentiment isn’t altered. But if you’re more interested in slicing through the fluff to get to the gist of things, verbatim transcription isn’t the best option.
Speaker 1 | Hi, um, I recently bought your smart thermostat, and I, uh, can’t seem to get it connected to my Wi-Fi. It’s, like, really frustrating. |
Speaker 2 | Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that. Uh, let’s see what we can do. Have you, um, have you tried resetting the device? |
Speaker 1 | Yeah, I did, like, twice. It just, uh, keeps saying “Connection Failed” or something. |
Intelligent Transcription
Intelligent verbatim transcription includes all words from the file except unnecessary items, such as filler words and repetitions. This type of transcription makes the content more concise and easier to read for researchers who need to quickly skim the text.
Speaker 1 | Hi, I recently bought your smart thermostat and can’t seem to get it connected to my Wi-Fi. It’s really frustrating. |
Speaker 2 | I’m really sorry to hear that. Let’s see what we can do. Have you tried resetting the device? |
Speaker 1 | Yes, I did twice. It just keeps saying “Connection Failed” or something. |
Edited Transcription
Edited transcription closely captures the speaker’s sentiment with generous tweaks to improve its quality and readability. It includes all the essential content from the audio file, but the words may be rearranged, condensed, or edited to make it more coherent and grammatically correct.
Speaker 1 | Hi, I recently bought your smart thermostat and can’t get it connected to my Wi-Fi. It’s really frustrating. |
Speaker 2 | I’m really sorry to hear that. Let’s see what we can do. Have you tried resetting the device? |
Speaker 1 | Yes, I did twice. It keeps saying “Connection Failed.” |
Phonetic Transcription
Phonetic transcription includes phonetic symbols in the content to show how words are pronounced in the audio file. It can help clarify words with more than one pronunciation or a different pronunciation, depending on context.
How To Transcribe Data For Qualitative Research
Wondering how to transcribe data for qualitative analysis? Once you receive your transcription documents, it’s time to start coding, organizing, and managing your qualitative data. Coding transcripts in qualitative research involves four steps.
Step #1 – Initial Read-Through
Start by reading the entire transcript thoroughly to get a sense of the overall content and context. Coding is typically iterative, requiring multiple passes through the data to refine codes and themes.
Step #2 – Open Coding
Begin with open coding, where you label data segments with codes representing themes, ideas, or concepts as they emerge from the data. Take your time and perform as many read-throughs as you need.
Step #3 – Axial Coding
Next, it’s time to link codes to find relationships, categorizing them into broader themes or patterns.
Step #4 – Selective Coding
Selective coding involves focusing on key themes or concepts central to your research question, refining and integrating categories. Qualitative data analysis software can help manage and organize codes, making the process more efficient.
How To Choose The Right Qualitative Transcription Services
If you’ve been using manual transcription methods (i.e., transcribing content in-house), you’re no doubt wasting valuable time and resources. That’s where professional qualitative data transcription services can help.
To get started, you’ll need to pick the best business transcription service for your situation. Choose a transcription service to use by considering the following factors:
- Do they use human transcription instead of A.I. to help you perform an accurate qualitative analysis?
- Do they have experience with your industry?
- Can they accept your digital file type?
- What is the typical level of accuracy?
- Are their reviews positive?
- Do they offer customer support, if needed?
- Can the service include speaker names or time stamps, if needed?
- How quickly can they get it done?
The ideal service should be able to quickly transcribe the type of file you need using your preferred transcription type (verbatim, edited, etc.) Companies with human transcribers, excellent reviews, and fast turnaround times will give you the best results.
How To Use Qualitative Data Transcription Services
Once you choose a transcription company, it’s time to review their process. Typically, the process looks something like this:
- Step #1 – Choose the audio or video files you need transcribed.
- Step #2 – Upload the file to the transcription app. If you have any special requests for the process and results, note those requests in your instructions to the transcriptionist.
- Step #3 – Check your email—you should receive a written document with an accurately typed-out version of your recording. While you wait for the completed transcription, you’ll have extra time to focus on other work-related tasks (or kick back and take a well-deserved break!)
The Best Qualitative Data Transcription Services
If you’re looking for fast and accurate qualitative data transcription, SpeakWrite has you covered. Their human transcriptionists are known for being extremely thorough and detail-oriented.
Unlike A.I. transcription companies that guarantee only up to 85% accuracy, SpeakWrite offers 99% to 100% accuracy verbatim transcriptions. Its transcriptionists are available 24 hours a day and offer a standard turnaround time of about 3 hours.
You can submit a variety of document types that will remain confidential thanks to the site’s multi-level security with authorization. All the typists are also fully vetted with strict background checks for your safety.
Instead of paying monthly fees like you would with other companies, SpeakWrite only charges you for completed work at a per-word rate: no contracts, no surprises, no hidden charges.
How To Get Started With Qualitative Data Transcription Services
Starting qualitative data transcription services with SpeakWrite is easy. You can get started in three simple steps:
- Step #1 – Create an audio recording.
- Step #2 – Submit your audio file through the app, by email, or by using the toll-free dictation line anytime.
- Step #3 – Receive a completed document in about three hours.
Qualitative Data Analysis Transcription: Frequently Asked Questions:
How do you transcribe data for qualitative research?
For most businesses, it makes sense to hire a qualitative data transcription company to do the work for you. All you need to do is decide whether to transcribe verbatim (including every word and sound) or opt for an edited transcript that omits filler words and irrelevant content.
If you are transcribing your own content, consider using transcription software or services to speed up the process. These tools can automatically transcribe audio to text, though human verification and editing are often necessary to ensure accuracy.
For high accuracy, especially in cases of complex terminology or poor audio quality, manual transcription may be preferred.
What is an example of verbatim transcription in qualitative research?
An example of verbatim transcription would capture every word, pause, laugh, and non-verbal sound in the recording.
For instance, if a participant says, “Well, uh, I think—you know—it’s really quite hard to say. [laughs] I mean, everything is fine, I suppose,” a verbatim transcript would include all of those hesitations, fillers, and laughter exactly as they occur.
Based on how the speaker chose their words in the quote above, everything is not, in fact, fine. For qualitative researchers, all the filler words, stammering, and nonverbal cues help them “read between the lines.”
What is the most common form of transcription in qualitative interviews?
The most common form of transcription in qualitative interviews is intelligent verbatim transcription. This approach includes meaningful speech content while omitting filler words, false starts, and other non-verbal or irrelevant elements (e.g., “uh,” “um,” “you know”).
It strikes a balance between capturing the essence of what was said and readability, making it practical for most qualitative research purposes.
How is confidentiality maintained during the transcription process?
Ensuring confidentiality in the transcription process involves several key practices. Firstly, choosing a reputable transcription service that adheres to strict confidentiality agreements is crucial. These services often implement secure file transfer protocols to protect data during transmission and storage.
When transcribing in-house, it’s essential to educate all team members on confidentiality protocols. This includes anonymizing participant information, using secure networks for file transfers, and storing data on encrypted devices.
Additionally, confidentiality can be maintained by:
- Assigning unique identifiers to participants instead of using personal information.
- Securing informed consent forms that detail how data will be used and protected.
- Implementing strict access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can view sensitive data.
Get Started With Qualitative Data Transcription Today
Businesses and researchers have trusted SpeakWrite with their qualitative data transcription since 1997. Since the very beginning, SpeakWrite has transcribed files using 100% human transcriptionists.
That means ready-to-use professional transcriptions already formatted and edited for accuracy, 100% of the time. Place an order today to take advantage of Speakwrite’s trusted qualitative data transcription services.
