Fortunately, Philips retained that feature with the Digital Pocket Memo 8000. Unfortunately, most dictators fail to utilize this feature. Partly due to being unaware of the feature; most commonly because whoever sold them the 8000 did not understand how Voice Commands work, or their potential value to the user.
We don't generally configure Voice Commands for beginning users, but we have done it on many occasions for lawyers and doctors wanting to increase operational efficiency. Voice Commands can help an author tremendously, particularly if they need to attach case numbers, patient ID's or other demographic information to a dictation file. Since handheld recorders lack alphanumeric keypads, and scrolling through the entire alphabet to enter a several-digit value is very cumbersome, most authors forgo attaching identification information. However, the ability to identify digital voice dictation files is the most-often asked feature we hear during installations and training.
Let's take a typical scenario: a lawyer, in order to assign dictation to particular cases or clients, would normally take a cassette tape, write down the tape number and client ID on a log, then pass it to his transcriptionist.
In the digital world, though, there is no physical paper log; the files are downloaded from the recorder and shared on the network or sent via the Internet for almost instant availability by the typist. The best workaround for most is the have the downloading software pause and request that the attorney type in the Client ID. Fine for one file, but if the busy attorney has several dictations on the recorder, it can become cumbersome to review and identify each voice file.
That's where Voice Commands comes in handy. When beginning a new dictation, the author can speak the Client ID – and any of up to four different identifiers – by saying the letters and numbers. For example, if the Client ID is BGK1794, the attorney, when prompted on the recorder, will say "bravo golf kilo one seven niner four." This value would be added to the file information, and when the dictation is downloaded, the value would appear in the Keyword or Comment column.
Why the military alphabet – the "bravo golf kilo"? When you set up voice commands on the Philips 8000 digital voice recorder, the recorder asks you to say each letter of the alphabet and each of the digits, zero through nine. In order to avoid mistakes – "t" can sound similar to "e," "p," and "d" – it is recommended that you train the recorder using words for letters. You can use any words you like, such as "apple," "banana," and "cherry"; or "adam," "baker," "charlie." Any words you can remember are acceptable. In fact, if you wanted you could even use "zebra" for the letter "a" and "apple" for the letter "z." As long as you remember the association, the recorder doesn't care.
The training takes a few minutes, though, to get through the entire alphabet, but the result is a faster, more efficient way of assigned ID's to dictation files.
Another little-known use of Voice Commands is to train it for a set list of keywords or "worktypes." For instance, if you dictate letters, memos, and briefs, you could train Voice Commands so that when beginning a new dictation, instead of selecting the worktype from a list on the display of the Philips 8000, you could simple say "brief" or "letter" to assign that worktype to the dictation file. Note: spoken keywords and alphanumeric values cannot both be used on the same recorder; you must decide which to use exclusively.
For more information on programming your DPM 8000 for Voice Commands, contact your dealer or American Dictation.
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