By: Merritt Gilbert | Director, BlueLedge
Court reporting agencies across the country are facing a common challenge: how to meet growing client demands amid an ongoing stenographer shortage. For many digital reporting has emerged as a vital solution. But let’s be clear: Digital reporting is not about replacing stenographers. It’s about expanding capacity to cover more jobs and ensuring that every client receives timely and accurate transcripts, regardless of the capture method.
Agencies that thrive in this environment are the ones that approach digital reporting thoughtfully. They don’t treat it as a quick fix, but as part of a broader strategy to build resilience and future-proof their business.
The Real Question: Quality, Not Method
When clients turn to your agency, they want to know one thing: Can I trust you with the record? Rarely do they ask whether it’s being captured by steno, digital, or voice. What they care about is the end product — professionalism, reliability, and an accurate transcript.
In our considerable experience, the initial (and minimal) hesitation about digital reporting quickly faded once clients saw the results. Some who once insisted on only working with stenographers changed their position once seeing for themselves the professionalism of our digital reporters, as well as the stellar transcripts they received with either capture method. This shift underscores a key truth: The conversation isn’t about steno versus digital. It’s about delivering consistent excellence.
The Three Pillars of Successful Integration
1. Develop Your People
Transitioning to successfully include digital reporting as a service involves both technology and qualified people. The most effective agencies are intentional about strengthening their teams:
- Train existing staff so they understand multiple capture methods and can adapt as needs shift. Also consider existing staff when recruiting digital reporters. Their experience working at your agency will help them be successful digital reporters.
- Build mentoring structures where experienced reporters, steno and digital alike, guide new professionals through real-world challenges.
This approach not only supports smoother adoption of digital reporting but also creates a culture of learning and professional growth that benefits the agency long-term.
2. Protect Quality at Every Step
Introducing digital reporting doesn’t just involve hiring new people. It also requires maintaining consistent quality. To achieve that, agencies must invest in systems that make quality nonnegotiable:
- Standardized operating procedures that keep everyone on the same page.
- Comprehensive internal and/or external training programs that prepare new reporters for real-world challenges.
- Client communication protocols that clearly and professionally set expectations.
- An ongoing feedback loop for every reporting method. Whether steno, digital, or voice, feedback ensures issues are caught early, successes are reinforced, and quality never drifts.
Feedback isn’t just for the agency — it’s a growth tool for reporters. With structured input, they gain confidence, refine their skills, and build long-term careers. In turn, this supports retention and strengthens client trust.
3. Match the Right Reporter to the Right Job
Court reporting isn’t a one-size-fits-all profession. Every proceeding has unique demands, and success depends on matching skill to circumstance.
Experience plays a critical role in matching the right reporter to the right job. Just as you wouldn’t send a brand-new steno into the most technical case on day one, you shouldn’t do that with a new digital reporter either. Mentorship, shadowing, and gradual skill-building ensure that every reporter grows into their role while maintaining client confidence.
Bifurcated Roles
Not all digital reporters contribute to the transcript process in the same way. Understanding these distinctions helps agencies assign roles effectively:
- Digital Reporter Only – Focuses solely on capturing the record and does not work on the transcript.
- Digital Reporter Who Proofs/Scopes – Handles both capturing the record and proofing or scoping the transcript.
- Digital Reporter Who Transcribes – Handles both capturing the record and producing the transcript.
Leveraging ASR to Expand Services
High-quality Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology now allows digital reporters to offer services that were previously difficult or impossible with the digital reporting capture method. With ASR, digital reporters can produce immediate rough transcripts. This opens up new opportunities for streamlined workflows, live text-streaming, and faster turnaround for final transcripts, enhancing the agency’s value and client satisfaction. Even with advanced ASR tools, human expertise remains essential. Every transcript must be scoped and proofed by a qualified professional before it’s finalized and certified.
Lessons Learned from Real-World Transitions
A little background: In 2013 I became a digital reporter and soon after established the digital reporting department at a large agency, where I managed operations and trained both digital reporters and legal transcriptionists in the growing department.
When we first introduced digital reporting, we expected pushback. What we discovered instead reshaped our perspective:
- Clients prioritized accuracy and professionalism, not capture method.
- Agencies that set strong standards saw clients request digital reporters by name.
- Resistance often came not from clients but from within the industry itself, highlighting the need for better education and transparent communication.
The real breakthrough comes when you stop framing the conversation as “steno versus digital” and instead ask: Do we have the right, well-supported reporter on this job?
A Practical Roadmap for Agencies
Transitioning into the digital reporting sphere doesn’t have to be chaotic. Agencies that take a phased approach find the process smoother and more sustainable:
- Investigate – Research state laws, explore compliance requirements, and review certification options like AAERT. Define a clear vision of how digital reporting fits into your agency’s services. (Learn about stipulations here.)
- Integrate – Communicate clearly with staff and existing reporters. Start small. Introduce digital reporters gradually, provide shadowing opportunities, and set them up with mentorship and resources. Build workflows that align with your agency’s values.
- Refine – Create robust quality-control systems, maintain your feedback channels, and actively seek client input. Use this data to fine-tune your approach and scale with confidence.
Tip: Assign a “resident expert” within your firm. This person becomes your go-to trainer, quality checker, and liaison for everything digital.
The Bigger Picture: Future-Proofing the Industry
Agencies that embrace both methods are better equipped to handle the growing demand in the court reporting world, adapt to industry changes, and deliver reliable services under pressure.
The future of court reporting isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about building resilient systems where quality, feedback, and professionalism are the nonnegotiable core. Agencies that adopt this mindset will not only weather the shortage — they’ll define the next era of excellence in court reporting.
Want to learn how BlueLedge can help you future-proof your agency with digital reporting? Schedule a free consultation with Tamara! tamara.candeloro@blueledge.com