Speakeasy Solutions Testimonials

Our Promise to Our Clients

Speakeasy Solutions forges long term relationships with our clients. After all, we have been providing speech recognition and digital dictation solutions across Canada for over 20 years.

You are not simply a customer, but someone we continually strive to provide with straightforward information in order to assist you in making an informed decision regarding your current and future solution needs.

Dr. Bernard Ruane

Family Physician

St Anthonys,
Drum West,
Glenbeigh/
County Kerry,
Ireland

May 24 2021

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Speakeasy Solutions of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

I have difficulty trying to find words to spell out how much the company and its services have helped me in my work as a Medical General Practitioner in the last 2-3 years. I used to have a medical practice in downtown Kelowna, British Columbia. The practice used to be entirely a paper – based practice, but in 2018 it became abundantly clear to me that due to the huge amount of paper coming in every day (which all needed to be filed in paper charts) computerisation was a must. This was a task that seemed very worrying at the outset because I had never typed before and was basically computer illiterate. My typing skills were nil as was my typing speed. This meant that I had to employee some other type of system in order to get patient notes onto the computer.

A colleague in Prince George, British Columbia put me in touch with Speakeasy Solutions. From there on a whole new world opened up for me and the impossible as well as the dreaded became both possible and easy. Speakeasy Solutions assigned a tutor to me who gave me tutorials over lunch for about 2 weeks. The tutorials lasted from between 30 and 45 minutes. The Dragon Medical One system that they put in place was a dictation system, intended to ensure that my voice would be recognised by the computer and turned into typed language.

I was given tasks to carry out on the computer during the tutorials and as mistakes were made, I was taught how to correct the mistakes and also not make them again. I have to admit that the tutorials were spoon feeding sessions. In all the years I spent in school I never experienced anyone who had the patience of that tutor. After 2 weeks I was in full swing. After that I just dictated patient notes and what I dictated came up on the screen in fractions of a second.

When COVID-19 came upon us, I suddenly became extremely busy all of a sudden. The dictation system I realised was the most efficient tool of the practice. There were very few days that I did not see more than 50 patients in one day. Some days I saw 60 to 70 patients in a day. One day I saw 90 patients. This was all very difficult to manage for one person but the dictation system provided by Speakeasy Solutions made it possible with dictated notes taking seconds to put together instead of minutes. No typist I would say could match the speed of the dictation system of Speakeasy Solutions’ Dragon Medical One. I strongly recommend Speakeasy Solutions and Dragon Medical One. They made my work so much easier.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Bernard Ruane

Jon Pascoe

Certified Management Consultant

I have been Alexandria Carstens’ client for most of the past 20 years, as a self-employed management/policy consultant using Dragon on average 50 hours per week.

My first experience with Dragon was in 1997, as the manager of occupational rehabilitation with the Worker’s Compensation Board. The technology has made great strides in the past quarter century.

I have relied extensively on Alexandria and Speakeasy Solutions – for first rate installations of updated software, new hardware (most recently, the very capable Sennheiser wireless headset) and general troubleshooting and training. She has an extraordinary knowledge of Dragon-related products, and has always been patient, professional, and forthright in all our dealings. She has a unique skill to simplify complex matters.

If not for Alexandria and Dragon, with significant cumulative damage to my hands from typing in the past over 50 years, I likely would have had to seek a very early retirement. With her capable assistance, I intend to continue using Dragon for the long-term.

I highly recommend Alexandria and Speakeasy Solutions to you as a quality vendor of Dragon and related products.

(Dictated hands free, of course!)

Jon Pascoe
April 2021

Paul Robinson

IT Consultant

Alexandria Carstens, Speech Recognition Consultant & Trainer of Speakeasy Solutions Inc. in Vancouver has provided me with outstanding client service.

My first encounter with her was in 2003 when she helped with the software setup and trained me as I started using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. The information and training that she provides is well researched, easy-to-follow and thorough.

Some of Alexandria’s qualities that stand out are her attention to detail; her ability to grasp complex issues reported to her and to find appropriate solutions.

Having been in the IT technology and IT training business since 1993, I can say with confidence that Alexandria is one of the very best trainers that I have encountered. She is excellent at what she does!

Paul Robinson
January 2021

Laurie Mack

Adaptive Work Requirements (hands-free computing)

Want to up your voice recognition game? Home office productivity challenges?

You couldn’t ask for more knowledgeable and helpful people than Alexandria and Dean.

If you want to be more efficient with your computer time and go hands-free, these are the experts you need.

Equipment, software, training, they’ll calmly guide you through it all, with their nearly 20 years of experience.

Clear, simple advice shared with a smile. What more could you ask for?

Jon Pascoe

Management Consultant

My compliments to Dean and Alexandria for an excellent purchase, download and installation process.

Dean and I spent about 90 minutes Friday afternoon installing the software. I have used Dragon since 1997, so am reasonably familiar with installation and training.

Dean completed the installation flawlessly and made many adjustments beyond my technical aptitude. We had a most interesting discussion on remote access, Dragon, helpdesk functions, etc. He is a personable warm professional.

I am exceptionally impressed with DNS 15, and have used it considerably over the weekend in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook. The accuracy I have been experiencing is far, far beyond DNS 13 – for the first time truly approaching 100%.

DNS 15 is cleaner, more responsive, certainly faster, and does not seem to have DNS 13’s idiosyncrasies.

With my appreciation,

Jon Pascoe

Jon Pascoe (a little later)

Management Consultant

Hello, I would like to share with you my appreciation for the expert lessons you have provided me and recommendation for a new microphone.

I am a self-employed management consultant, experienced with Dragon NaturallySpeaking since 1997. Although I was formally instructed at that time, my knowledge has been mainly “self-taught” over the years.

You have an exceptional understanding of this often “nuanced” and temperamental software – and have provided me with an enormous number of practical and easily implemented suggestions to improve my accuracy and efficiency. I am most grateful for your intervention and problem solving.

I was always skeptical about the accuracy figures in each new successive release of Dragon NaturallySpeaking over the years. I have never attained anywhere near the supposedly 98% accuracy in the marketing materials, even with the best hardware that can be purchased, including an MTech laptop.

After three lessons and the purchase of a new Sennheiser microphone (which you recommended), I now read The Rainbow Passage with almost complete accuracy. I no longer struggle with recurring mis-recognitions and more often than not, typing when Dragon simply will not cooperate.

These improvements have totally rejuvenated my business practices.

Thank you also, Heather for your excellent customer service.

I look forward to a long working relationship with Speakeasy Solutions.

Jon Pascoe

Christopher Bungay

Injury & Disability Lawyers

I opened a new solo law practice earlier this year. My practice includes personal injury and disability claims. I had always wanted to use Dragon but I heard a number of myths about it that stopped me from doing so. I decided to put my doubts aside, and contacted Speakeasy Solutions.

The team at Speakeasy Solutions installed the software on my computer and gave me three sessions of training. Since I have started using Dragon, my productivity and efficiency has increased between 30-40%. The training that is given by Speakeasy is a must for anyone who wants to properly use this product to its fullest. I have also received excellent support an ongoing basis whenever I have questions.

I cannot imagine running my practice without the use of Dragon. It is straightforward and simple to use. The cost of buying the product and the training by Speakeasy pales in comparison to the significant cost savings and advantages one gains through its use.

Yours very truly,

Christopher M.A. Bungay

Dr. Briar Sexton

Ophthalmologist

Alexandria,

Thanks again for the training session. I’m flying with Dragon way faster than I thought I would be. I am definitely looking forward to the next training session.

Briar

[to a colleague]  Alexandria Carstens from Speakeasy Solutions is someone I recommend tremendously highly if you are going to engage with Dragon. Her support has been invaluable to me and is very reasonably priced. She knows what microphones work best with it and troubleshoots all sorts of little glitches very easily. I also found her hands on training session was amazing.

Dr. Walter Chow

Family Medicine

Dear Alexandria,

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for the training that you have provided me for the Dragon Medical program. In the four hours we have spent together in training you have provided me with voice dictation skills that would have taken many months to learn on my own. These skills have greatly enhanced my ability to utilize my electronic medical records program in a much more efficient, comprehensive and enjoyable manner.

I was a bit apprehensive about enrolling in a training program because it sounded time-consuming and intimidating but now I cannot imagine how I could have done without it. Your friendly and patient manner, your comprehensive knowledge of your product, and your obvious passion for the power and efficiency of voice dictation make the training process extremely educational and very enjoyable.

Much thanks again, Alexandria, and I look forward to our next training session.

Sincerely,

Dr. Walter Chow, Victoria BC

Dr. Ian Gardiner

Director, Advanced Breast Imaging Program CDC

I have been using Speakeasy’s services for about seven years. During that time I have found them to be prompt, efficient, and very cost-effective. Questions are answered quickly and, more importantly, correctly. They treat me as if I were their only client.

One key point: I get a live person when I call, not a voice recording!

If you investigated Voice Recognition (VR) software a few years ago and found it wanting, I suggest you take another look now. The software has improved dramatically, both in accuracy and speed.

VR software allows you to proof read at the same time you dictate. It can make immediate corrections. It can electronically sign, distribute, and store your reports. Therefore it completes the report much faster; in our facility we often have the patient’s report on the referring physician’s desk before the patient has left our office. This has nearly completely eliminated interruptions and phone calls for stat and verbal reports.

VR software is the most cost effective way to dictate. We found that the payback time was measured in weeks. It was easily the most cost-effective improvement we have ever made to our procedures.

Just as a few hours with a golf pro can make a dramatic improvement to your game, the transition to VR will be faster and easier if you get proper training at the beginning from Speakeasy. I would encourage everyone considering VR software to get a pro from Speakeasy to show them the ropes. I recommend them to all of my colleagues.

Ken Kramer

KMK Law Corporation

I am a lawyer and the sole proprietor of KMK Law Corporation, a law firm specializing in the areas of Wills, Estates & Trusts in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. I am also the recipient of a severe disability, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which makes the task of typing overwhelming. For years, I have typed my documents and letters utilizing one finger. The process, as can be imagined, was slow and physically exhausting.

Having attempted to utilize various Dragon products over the past 10 years, my success was limited and typically fraught with frustration given the perceived inadequacies with the software of the day, my lack of training and admittedly, my unwillingness and time availability to properly devote to training the software.

With a growing law practice developing, it was vital that I developed a solution to my typing inadequacies. Speakeasy Solutions Inc. and Alexandria changed that one Saturday afternoon. My firm purchased the Dragon Professional Version along with the ArialPhone wireless system. Within four hours of Alexandria’s undivided attention, I was dictating numerous emails and letters within a fraction of the time usually dedicated to such activities.

Practicing law is fun again thanks to the great work of Speakeasy Solutions Inc.

Lorne MacLean

MacLean Family Law

In our family law practice, we deal with a multitude of vendors. It is only rarely that the level of service and support we receive from a vendor compels us to write a thank you letter. Speakeasy Solutions Inc. provide to be extremely helpful with respect to an appropriate speech recognition solution for my needs

Particularly, Speakeasy Solutions Inc.’s personalized training in the use of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, coupled with the professional and detailed workbook, was advantageous to my productivity. The training sessions with Speakeasy Solutions Inc. allowed me to begin using speech recognition in my day-to-day routine more quickly than if I had been left to my own devices.

I am continuously impressed with the expansive knowledge base and high level of support received during those moments I am faced with the challenge. Speakeasy Solutions Inc. is attentive and extremely dedicated, resolving a variety of issues with expedience.

Given my outstanding experience with Speakeasy Solutions Inc., I have no qualms about recommending Speakeasy Solutions Inc. to anyone requiring the very best speech recognition guidance, support and products. Thank you once again for making the transition to speech recognition an easy one.