Which Dictation Device is right for your Firm?
It’s no surprise that smartphones are the leading piece of technology for business owners, especially lawyers, who are on the go. Between email, mobile client apps, and even audio recording—the possibilities are endless. Although smartphones are convenient, they’re not the most accommodating for professional dictation. Personal devices should be left out of professional business, as most information is going to be sensitive and that leaves you with a potential security risk.
Although it’s another device to carry around, it’s highly recommended to use a professional voice recorder for all sensitive information. Let us breakdown the pros and cons to using your personal smartphone in the professional world.
Smartphones Might be Convenient, but They’re not the most Efficient
Having an easily accessible mobile device allows lawyers to be as productive as possible, especially with all of the traveling and out of office time they encounter. Unfortunately, smartphones don’t have the capability to listen to what has been recorded and simultaneously read a corresponding document. Downloading a separate app for voice recordings would be time consuming and still leave you at a legal risk.
Security on a separate recording device provides the highest security for your clients. Information is stored immediately and in real time, whereas on a smart phone information saves only at the end of use. Most dictation devices require a private four-digit personal identity number to playback the recording.
If you’re still leaning towards using a smartphone, there are devices available that will transfer your data recorded on your phone to a cloud-based server. With this method, you can listen to your recordings while simultaneously review documents on any device, when using just a smartphone for recordings/reviewing documents, you cannot.
Functionality
Recording devices have one functionality—being to record your dictation. Since they have one core purpose, their battery life outweighs smartphone batteries by a landslide. Throughout the day you’re using your smartphone for many different personal and professional tasks, while with a recording device you’re only using it for one purpose. Some dictation devices allow over 40 hours of recording before they even need to be recharged.
In the end, it’s extremely important to protect your client’s information, have a reliable easy-to-use device, and use your smartphone battery wisely. All in all, it’s much more effective to use a dictation device.
