How Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences Cut Their Interview Transcription Time by 60%

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) is one of the largest educational institutions in the Netherlands, with over 50,000 students. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the university focuses on practical education that prepares students for real-world careers.

The university’s research center CAREM (Centre for Applied Research in Economics and Management) regularly conducts interviews as part of their research projects. Like many research institutions, they faced the challenge of converting these recorded interviews into written text efficiently. This is the story of how they transformed their transcription process.

Challenge: a bottleneck in the research process

CAREM’s research team was dealing with a time-consuming transcription process that was affecting their research timeline. Their original approach relied on student workers to transcribe recorded interviews, which created several challenges.

The process looked like this: first, they had to find interested students through email announcements. Then, they needed to train these students on proper transcription methods. After the students completed their work, researchers had to review everything and often send it back for corrections. The entire process typically took three weeks to complete.

While working with students offered reasonable rates, it came with complications. Students would occasionally step away from projects when their coursework became demanding, forcing researchers to find replacements. More importantly, researchers were spending a lot of time managing the transcription process instead of focusing on their research.

Solution: Amberscript’s transcription software + professional transcribers

HvA found a better approach by partnering with Amberscript. Amberscript provides advanced transcription software that automatically turns the interview from audio or video into text. After that,  the files are reviewed by professional transcribers who perfect them to 99% accuracy. When the whole process is done, HvA researchers receive a notification and can export the files in different formats.

Results: 60% less time spent on transcription

The most significant impact was on timing – transcripts were now ready in 5 working days instead of 3 weeks. The university saved lots of time and reduced a big amount of administrative work, making the whole process simpler. Researchers no longer need to recruit, train, or supervise transcribers, and can focus on their actual work.

To sum it up

The improvement in HvA’s transcription process shows the value of finding the right tool and partner to outsource tasks that become a bottleneck in a process. By working with Amberscript, HvA’s researchers can now dedicate more time to their core work.

Are you also a university looking for a transcription solution that helps your researchers focus on the actual research part instead of repetitive tasks? Get in touch with Amberscript to see how we can help!