If you’re a video producer, you know how captions can improve your reach and accessibility.
Finding a good closed captioning service to become your production partner, whether in the long run or for a one-time order, needs careful consideration. You may have some top picks in mind. Before you decide, though, see if they’re the right choice for you and your audience.
Wondering about the most important things to look for in closed captioning services? Here are the 5 major things to consider, such as pricing, delivery time, quality, and more. Make sure that you’ve covered everything on the list.
Transparent Pricing
One of the first things you’ll consider is captioning cost. Rates by closed captioning services are typically calculated by audio minute, and different providers charge different rates depending on the packages and add-ons.
Captioning services will usually offer low base rates, but be careful of hidden costs, like service add-ons which usually incur additional charges on top of the regular rate. These can add up to a hefty dent in your wallet.
For example, TranscribeMe’s advertised rate begins at $.79/minute. However, if you need a transcription of technical content with speaker tracking, your rate goes up to $1.50/minute. Some companies charge more depending on your industry, the no. of speakers tracked, and speed of delivery.
Scribie’s Pricing
Our pricing is transparent and simple. We charge $0.80/minute, the lowest base rate in the industry that is most inclusive of features. When you order captions from Scribie, you receive more for less. This is the rate you pay no matter the file format, how many speakers need tracking, or whether your industry includes highly technical terms.
What you see is what you get.
Take note: Turn-around time is typically faster than 36 hours (depending on file length). Expect your order within 12 hours. Short files are often delivered within the hour.
Scribie’s completed transcript and captions are provided in multiple file formats for your uploading needs, such as VTT, SRT, PDF, MS Word, and more. You’ll find the right, compatible file format to upload or add your captions to videos on any platform. You can also use our easy captions editor to perform any edits beforehand.
Get your video captions as soon as within the hour. Order from Scribie today.
Integrations
Choosing a closed captioning service that allows integration to your platform saves you plenty of time and effort.
Integrations let you automate your captioning workflow. An integration helps simplify the importing and uploading process.
Scribie’s Integrations
Scribie lets you import your videos for captioning through a variety of ways, whichever is most convenient for you.
If adding captions to YouTube, our Youtube integration lets you directly upload your captions from our site.
Simply enter your YouTube link or upload a video file, order captions from Scribie, and save to YouTube once your captions are ready.
You can also easily import your video from Vimeo, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive, or other publicly accessible links.
Quality Assurance
What level of accuracy can you expect from the closed captioning service?
Automatic captions by software, as you may have experienced, can turn out wildly inaccurate. Manual captioning services by people are your best bet for highly accurate transcriptions. Many closed captioning services provide automatic closed captions (ACC) by software or don’t have a quality assurance process in place.
Scribie’s Accuracy
Our team of specialists offer captions with an accuracy of 99% or higher. We also have an in-house team of quality assurance experts and proofreaders.
Through Scribie’s signature four-step process, you’re assured quality and privacy.
Here’s how it works: Different transcribers work on different sections of your video, and Scribie proofreaders vet your captions’ quality multiple times. Our in-house QA experts analyze your file for accuracy, and then the accuracy of names, acronyms, and other potential errors are verified and fixed at every step.
Speed of Delivery
How fast will you receive your captions? Some closed captioning services charge extra for quick delivery and others can take as long as a week.
If you need your captions within the day, you may have to shell out an extra handful of dollars per minute of audio. Make sure that the provider you choose will be able to deliver your files within your required time.
Scribie’s Turnaround
Scribie delivers your file in as fast as an hour, and we don’t charge for rush delivery. Depending on file length, you can expect your order within 12 hours.
Customer Service
If you’re looking for a captioning partner for your videos, you’ll want a provider that’s communicative and available to address any of your concerns. Many providers offer impersonal services.
Will they be prompt in answering questions? Can they fulfill any custom requests? If you need a custom format or have any specific requests, they should be able to handle the fulfillment of your needed specifications.
Scribie’s Support
We’re flexible enough and care about your needs to personally accommodate requests. Our customer service is available the entire week to provide customer service, with live chat on weekdays and email support during weekends.
Over to You
Everyone has different needs when it comes to closed captioning services, and there are plenty of options to choose from. It helps to list down your needs and expectations beforehand and determine whether you chose the best closed captioning service for you. Watch out for any hidden fees and charges that are bloated with unessential features.
If you’re a video producer, podcaster, YouTuber, or social media influencer, we’ve designed Scribie to be the ideal choice for most of your captioning needs. Our simplified and transparent rates are among the lowest and most inclusive of essential features.
