For more information about what is going on in the video relay world read here.
I would like to be clear I’m not saying that larger companies aren’t more efficient than smaller VRS companies I’m saying that this is an industry where certain expenses will be required no matter the size.
I’ve been hearing a lot about ‘effiency’ in this VRS debate and I think people are confused. VRS is not like any other industry. In order to process more minutes you have to have more interpreters. If you want more interpreters you need a bigger center for them to fit in. You also need more computers, video phones, screens, phones (land lines) chairs and desks. More employees/interpreters in a center, means a larger management team to divide the work load (ie HR, operations, etc.)
VRS is not like other industries the work can’t be done by robots. You can’t add memory to your computer to handle more callers. We can’t keep people on hold in order for a limited amount of interpreters to process the calls, we simply need more, of everything.
Not to mention if you want quality interpreters you have to pay for that quality. Also keep in mind that Interpreters don’t work 60 min of every hour, they can’t. Their bodies literally can’t sign that much.
With all of that being said there is some efficiency in bigger centers, the ability to order in lager qualities. The power to negotiate with suppliers, technology developments and such. I don’t know the numbers or the budgets and I’m not going to pretend I do but I know that the operating costs between the med and large companies can’t be a $2.00 per min (approx) difference. They have the same costs across the board just because a center is bigger doesn’t mean their cost goes down that much. Larger simply means, larger centers, more electricity to pay for, more equipment breaking down, and the like.