Dragon speech recognition software has come a long way from its infancy. In the beginning of its product life, it was easy for someone with an average typing speed to outperform the software. It required you to speak at a pace in which it could match word for word. Moreover, the out-of-the-box accuracy was not amazing. You had to correct many more words to slowly customise your profile and it would take some time to become accustomed to dictating instead of typing. Using commands instead of your hands to navigate also requires practice and no one learned how to touch type overnight.
Dragon speech recognition software isn’t a plug-and-play solution. This is one of the hurdles many users struggle to realise, used to other software products that simply require installation in order to start working. Using a microphone and relying on computer hardware in order to facilitate its function, it’s heavily reliant on its user’s engagement in order to work effectively. While new users can start using the programme from Day 1, it does require some training in order to get up-to-speed and start using the software productively.
The speech recognition software’s out-of-the-box accuracy has improved drastically to the point that users with a reasonably clear diction can get excellent accuracy from the very start. It’s the problem words, vocabulary-building and adoption of a new system that takes more time. Depending on your level of computer literacy, training can range from about 4 hours to 20 hours. One of our clients, an attorney in his 80s used to dictate when recordings were stored in wax. Getting him going with Dragon required us to spend more time with him, assisting in building other key knowledge areas. For some of our users, who have a great deal of experience and savvy, it’s a much quicker process.
It really depends on where you’re at and how many of Dragon’s workflow and productivity features you’re wanting to master. For basic use, you’ll be up-and-running in a few hours… for power users who want to integrate the software into their work environment it can take longer. Get in touch so we can give you a good idea of what to expect from our training services.