(Carmen Santone - Director of Sales) The court reporting environment, like many professional environments, is in constant flux.  The continuous development of technology and the implementation of that technology into both the court systems and the world of broadcast captioning keeps the demand for development of both software and hardware constant.  What this means for CAT software companies is the employment of full-time programmers who are constantly developing the latest features that reporters, captioners and their clients demand. 

That said, students will be pleased to learn that Stenovations’ Academic Partnership Program (APA) allows students involved in a CR curriculum free access, that is, licensure, to our digitalCAT software throughout that student’s educational career.  All we ask is that the student pay a one-time processing and shipping/handling fee of $35.

2 - Often there is a difference between student versions of your CAT software and reporter versions.  Can you tell us the student software limitations, if any.

In the case of Stenovations, the only difference between digitalCAT Reporter Edition (RE) and digitalCAT Academic Edition (AE) is the software build.  For example, while the professional reporters have access to the most current version of digitalCAT, students have access to an earlier version of the software.  digitalCAT AE is fully functional and includes every feature a student would possibly need whereas digitalCAT RE includes the latest features that attorneys, judges are requesting.

3 - Compatibility is a big issue as well.  Are there any steno machines that your CAT software IS NOT compatible with?  How about operating systems?

digitalCAT is fully compatible with all steno writers.

digitalCAT has been Vista-compatible since February of ’07.  We are now both Vista 32-bit as well as Vista 64-bit compatible.  Of course, digitalCAT is also compatible with Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows 98SE.

4 - Sticking with compatibility - is there any chance that different CAT systems will be compatible at some point - or at least allow you to convert work from one software into another?

We recognize that much of the CAT world is heavily proprietary and that this at times can be burdensome to the end user.  Much of this has to do with the way the programmers write the code for their specific software and how the software handles translation of steno to English.  Stenovations has and will always remain open to the idea of working with the other vendors in order to better satisfy the needs of all court reporters, captioners and CART writers.

5 - What kind of support do you offer for those with student versions of your software?  Reporter versions?  Prices?  24/7 support? 

Students who enjoy membership in our Academic Partnership Program (APA) not only have free access to professional-grade software but students also are entitled to free support at our direct line.  This free support is extended Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  We reserve the evening, late night and weekend hours for our working reporters, who sometimes require tech support on a more urgent basis.

The pricing of support contracts for working reporters is answered below.

6 - Is there a charge for upgrades?  About how often are upgrades done?

There is no charge for the student digitalCAT AE upgrades.

The digitalCAT RE for professional reporters support agreement includes updates.  This is where most seasoned reporters recognize a vast difference between Stenovations and its competitors.  In the CAT world, upgrades often come in tandem with support contracts.

Stenovations support contract is $300 annually after the first year.  What is extremely important to note is that, unlike many of our competitors, this is NOT a mandatory contract.  What this means to a client is that if a contract were to lapse, we would not financially penalize that client when they decide they would like to upgrade to the latest version of digitalCAT.  We would only charge for the one year of support, currently $300, and not charge a penalty for the period of time that client went without a contract.  It is for this reason that 90 percent of our reporter clients are not running outdated, antiquated software.

7 - If a student or reporter wants to try your software for 30 days, would they have to pay for that? 

Because we are reporter-run and operated, we understand and have experienced firsthand the financial burden facing students.  The 35 dollars that we require is merely a shipping/handling fee and so the software licensure is granted for 30 days and beyond, for as long as you are a student involved in a CR curriculum.  What we desire is to grant students free software during their tenure as a student so that, upon graduation, they are making an educated decision relative to the software company they wish to work with as a professional reporter.  

8 - What kind of training do you offer for your software, and at what cost?

Training is offered at no charge on the second Thursday and Friday of each month in our Charleston offices.

9 - What sets your CAT software apart?  Why should a student/reporter consider your software over others?

Stenovations is reporter-owned and managed.  This is and always has been a labor of love to Stenovations owner/reporter Johnny Jackson as well as to myself and the rest of the staff of Stenovations.  We believe that CAT software should be easy-to-use, allow for the quick production of your work product AND should not be a financial burden to both students and working reporters. 

Any student unfamiliar with our revolutionary LightSpeed writer, the writer on which the most recent NCRA speed contest was won by Mark Kislingbury this past July in Anaheim, should take a long, hard look at Stenovations before making any financial commitments elsewhere.   The LightSpeed writer is only sold as a professional-grade writer and retails at $2,495.

Stenovations is breaking new ground by extending bundled packages of both our digitalCAT software along with our LightSpeed writer for under $5,000.  This sets a wildly new precedent in our industry and I would be more than happy to further explain our philosophy as well as any pricing/specification questions personally by contacting me at csantone@stenovations.com.