Jim Reed Ziff, Weiermiller, Hayden & Mustico, LLP Elmira, New York

The Microphone Matters By Dana Abramson Ninety-five percent of clients who are trained by Achieve Results using our patented training methodology are up-to-speed, working effectively using speech recognition software after just 45-60 minutes of one-on-one training. Contrast that with the successful adoption rate using other training methods, which is around 20%, and I think you'll agree that we've zeroed in on what works. After training thousands of users, we have also learned what a difference the microphone can make. We know that a headset microphone has a higher accuracy rate, is easier to use, and reduces frustration for new users, which is why we always recommend starting with a headset. The effectiveness of the headset microphone was confirmed for me last week after working with a new client, James Reed of Ziff, Weiermiller, Hayden & Mustico, LLP in Elmira, NY. Jim was the ideal speech recognition student. He is articulate, computer savvy, and excited about what the shift to speaking documents could do for his practice, including speeding his blog posts at www.zifflaw.com/blog, which was taking a fair amount of his time. In fact, he was so gung-ho about it that he had already invested in a top-of-the-line lapel microphone at a cost of around $200. So when he asked, "Would it be OK if I used this?" I hesitated but figured that, given that it's the Rolls Royce of microphones, it will probably work as well as the headset. But after 45 of minutes of training, then 60, then 75, I could tell Jim was getting frustrated and we had gone well beyond the time it normally takes for a student to "get it." The accuracy of the microphone he was using was acceptable, though not quite as good as the headset we recommend. After 90 minutes and little progress, I decided Jim needed to switch to the headset, which I knew would work well. And it did. In a matter of minutes Jim was using speech recognition software like a pro. It turns out that even the smallest, almost imperceptible difference in accuracy rates can make the difference between frustration and ease-of-use, and reminded me why we always advocate starting with a headset microphone.