Every law firm is looking for ways to reduce overheads while maintaining exceptional client service and here, OutSec has transformed the traditional legal dictation process by providing clients with the OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app completely free of charge. Unlike traditional dictation systems that require expensive hardware, software licences and ongoing subscription fees, our solution allows solicitors and legal professionals to dictate securely from their smartphone and send recordings directly to OutSec for professional legal transcription.
The result is a modern, efficient workflow that can save your law firm hundreds or even thousands of pounds every year.
Eliminate the Cost of Digital Dictaphones
Traditionally, law firms purchase dedicated digital dictation devices for fee earners. These devices can be expensive, particularly across multiple users.
Typical UK prices include:
| Digital Dictation Device | Typical UK Cost |
| Philips PocketMemo DPM6000 | Around £467 |
| Philips PocketMemo DPM8000 | Around £598 |
| Philips PocketMemo DPM7200 | Around £635 |
| Philips SpeechMike Premium | From £381 |
| Philips SpeechMike Wireless | From £431 |
Philips’ professional dictation products typically retail between £327 and £635 for individual users, with premium desktop and specialist solutions costing considerably more.
Many firms also continue to use Olympus professional recorders, where prices commonly range from approximately £250 to £450+, depending on the model and accessories. Premium enterprise solutions can cost even more.
With the OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app, these costs disappear.
Your solicitors simply install the free app onto their existing Apple or Android smartphone and begin dictating immediately; no additional hardware required.
Avoid Expensive Dictation Software Licences
Purchasing hardware is only part of the expense.
Many traditional dictation systems also require ongoing software licences or subscription fees for workflow management.
Examples include:
- Philips SpeechExec Pro Dictation & Transcription Software from approximately £186 per user per year
- Philips SpeechExec Basic Dictate approximately £84 per year
- Philips SpeechExec Basic Transcribe approximately £108 per year
When these annual costs are multiplied across partners, solicitors, legal executives and support staff, software subscriptions alone can represent a significant annual expenditure.
Using OutSec removes this unnecessary layer of cost because recordings are sent directly to our secure transcription team.
No Need to Purchase Transcription Modules
Many law firms invest in separate transcription modules so secretaries can receive, manage and transcribe digital dictation files.
These often involve purchasing:
- transcription software
- workflow licences
- foot pedals
- specialist headphones
- software updates
- ongoing support contracts
For example:
| Transcription Solution | Typical UK Cost |
| Philips SpeechExec Transcription Set | Around £320–£383 |
| Foot Control | Around £140+ |
| Hand Control | Around £237 |
Because OutSec performs the transcription, your law firm simply does not need to purchase these systems.
There are:
- no transcription software licences
- no transcription modules
- no expensive workstation upgrades
- no software maintenance
- no annual renewal costs
Instead, your dictation is securely received, professionally typed and returned by OutSec.
Save on IT Support and Software Maintenance
Traditional dictation systems often require:
- installation
- software updates
- licence management
- user training
- technical support
- server integration
These hidden costs quickly add up over the lifetime of a dictation system.
By contrast, the OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app is maintained by OutSec, allowing law firms to benefit from new features and improvements without purchasing replacement hardware or upgrading local software.
What Can the OutSec | Crystal Clara Dictation App Do?
The OutSec | Crystal Clara app has been developed specifically to make legal dictation simple, secure and efficient.
Features include:
- Record and edit dictations like you could on a dictaphone directly on your phone
- Enables secure transmission of recordings to OutSec with options of adding documents and templates required by the typist to complete your dictations
- Enables you to share recordings where necessary
- Enables clients to upload documents for copy typing, proofing, fixing or formatting directly from the app
- Enables clients to see the status of files
- Clients are able to download their completed files, share the files directly in app and manage files on device like they can do on FileManager
- App is secured by a One Time Passcode directly to email or for additional security, you can enable MFA
Clients use the app for the following reasons:
- You can submit record or submit work directly from the office, court, home or whilst travelling between meetings or appointments.
- It eliminates the need for dedicated dictaphones
- It Improves workflow for busy legal professionals
- Fast, intuitive and easy to use
- Available free for OutSec clients
Whether you are dictating attendance notes, witness statements, contracts, court documents, correspondence or file notes, our OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app makes dictating legal documents effortless.
Dictation Can Improve Productivity
Research from LEAP found that fee earners spend almost three hours every day on non chargeable administrative tasks. That adds up to around 17.5 working weeks every year!
Despite advances in technology, administrative burden remains one of the biggest barriers to productivity in law firms. Take document production as an example. Dictation is up to four times faster than typing and can deliver productivity gains of up to 40%. Yet many fee earners still spend hours each day drafting, formatting and amending documents themselves.
If a fee earner spends two hours a day typing, they could be losing around 1.5 hours of valuable chargeable time every day. The financial impact soon becomes clear:
💰 At £150 per hour, that represents around £48,000 per year.
💰 At £300 per hour, that rises to almost £96,000 per year.
By combining dictation with outsourced legal transcription, firms can reduce administrative burden, increase fee earner capacity and focus their expertise where it delivers the greatest value. Outsourcing legal transcription is not simply about saving time, it is also about creating capacity, improving profitability and building a more efficient practice. As client expectations continue to rise and margins remain under pressure, that can become a significant competitive advantage.
Download the Free OutSec | Crystal Clara Dictation App
The OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app is available free for all OutSec clients.
Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/outsec-crystal-clara/id6770111906
Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.outsec.client&hl=en&gl=US
Start Saving Today
If your law firm is still investing in expensive dictation equipment, transcription software, and transcription modules, now is the perfect time to modernise your workflow.
With our OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app and professional legal transcription service, your firm can significantly reduce technology costs while benefiting from fast, accurate and secure legal typing delivered by experienced legal transcription specialists.
Why Law Firms Choose OutSec
Using OutSec means your firm can reduce expenditure across several areas simultaneously. It means no:
- Expensive digital dictaphones
- Initial licence fees
- Transcription module and foot pedal costs.
- Upgrade fees
- Maintenance contracts
- Complex IT installations
- Subscription costs
- No complex IT installations
Instead, you simply dictate using the free OutSec | Crystal Clara dictation app and let OutSec handle the legal transcription.
The result is a streamlined, cost-effective workflow that allows your solicitors to spend more time practising law while reducing administrative costs.
If you want to know more about our professional legal transcription services, you can visit our satellite website: www.outseclegal.co.uk.
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About OutSec
OutSec is the UK’s leading online legal transcription company whose business has grown substantially since its inception in 2002. We are now one of the most successful outsourced legal transcription companies in the United Kingdom.
The OutSec Group provides secure outsourced legal transcription services. Accounts are free, you pay on a per-minute basis (rounded to the nearest minute) on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or minimum spend.
We also provide a remote personal assistant service, Crystal Clara, for legal professionals who require a more boutique and personalised service.