What happens if a transcriber is out sick or on vacation?

Overview

This article explains what to do when a secretary or transcriptionist is unavailable due to absence.

Applies to

Administrators, Super Authors, Authors

The challenge of individual assignment during absence

When tasks are assigned directly to a named individual and that person is absent, whether due to illness, annual leave, or other reasons, those tasks will remain in their personal queue and will not progress until they return or are reassigned. This can lead to delays if the absence is unexpected or prolonged.

Recommended actions

Reassign outstanding tasks immediately: When you become aware of an absence, log in with administrator or Super Author credentials, navigate to the affected secretary’s queue, and reassign their outstanding tasks to another secretary, to the department pool, or to another appropriate destination.

Use pool assignment to prevent this problem: The most effective way to mitigate the impact of unexpected absence is to route standard tasks to a department pool rather than to a named individual. When a task is in a pool, any available secretary can pick it up, there is no single point of failure. Reserving direct assignment for tasks that genuinely require a specific person reduces the risk of tasks becoming stuck during absences.

Configure a cover arrangement: If a secretary is going on planned leave, your administrator can temporarily redirect their incoming assignments to a colleague or pool for the duration of the absence. This can be done by updating the relevant assignment rules or by adjusting the out-of-office user’s queue access.

Notify authors: If there is likely to be a delay on tasks that were already in the absent secretary’s queue, notify the relevant authors so they are aware and can plan accordingly.

Contact Dictalogic

If you need assistance configuring cover arrangements or bulk reassigning tasks during an unplanned absence, contact Dictalogic support.