Interpretype Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) Subscription Service White Paper September 2010 Overview: Interpretype Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) Subscription Service is a revolutionary method of scheduling, delivering and billing for VRI services. It provides the customer a simple method of scheduling VRI services and keeping the costs contained within a preset budget. It enables the Video Interpreting Agency to forecast their interpreting resources to accommodate the customer's needs. Interpretype VRI Subscription Service provides the means to deliver higher quality interpreting at substantially reduced costs for both the customer and the provider. Introduction: Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is a method of delivering interpreting services that allows Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals who prefer using sign language, the ability to communicate with hearing individuals in face to face situations. VRI is used when one of the three parties involved; the Deaf person, the hearing person or the interpreter is in a remote location. Usually it is the interpreter who is connected through video and voice transmission from a remote location to the Deaf and hearing individuals to facilitate communication. Video Relay Service (VRS) is similar to VRI except that all three parties are in different locations. Communication is enabled by connecting the Deaf party to the Interpreter using video, and connecting the interpreter to the hearing party using a telephone. Thus the interpreter relays the information between the two parties. This is considered to be a Telecommunication service and as such, VRS services are provided free of charge to callers in the United States. The VRS program is paid for by the federal government. Since there is no charge for this service, its use has seen dramatic growth and has been well received by the Deaf community. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is not considered a Telecommunication service by the federal government as it serves in-person or face-to-face conversations. People utilizing VRI must pay for the interpreter services as it is not funded by the federal government. In general, the test for differentiating VRS or VRI is whether or not the people using the interpreter are in the same room. If they are in the same room, then it is considered VRI and must be paid for by one or more of the users. Preparations:
VRI providers require some customer cooperation in order to provide good quality service. First, the VRI provider will ask for a contract to be signed stating the agreed cost and service to be provided. Secondly, there must be agreement on the equipment to be used and the method of connection to be utilized. For instance, will the customer use a stand-alone videophone, videoconferencing equipment or a software based video connection? Will the connection occur over phone lines, the internet or a combination of the two? Once the connection method had been decided, it is important to test the connection before the engagement to be sure everything works smoothly when needed. And lastly, scheduling the engagement in advance and giving the interpreters as much information about the engagement is also important. Length of time of the engagement and information about the topics to be discussed will help the interpreting agency choose the right interpreters and schedule enough interpreters to allow for necessary breaks. Delivering VRI: Once the preparations have been made and the schedule has been set, all that is left is to connect to the remote Interpreter at the agreed time. It is best for the Deaf and Hearing parties that will use VRI arrive at the scheduled appointment a few minutes ahead of time. This allows each party to get in a comfortable position. The Deaf individual will need to position themselves in view of the camera, and be able to see the remote interpreter on the screen. The hearing party will most likely face the Deaf individual(s) and be in range of the audio feed; microphone, speakerphone or conference phone. When all parties are ready to communicate, the host connects to the remote interpreter, verifies that all parties are communicating and begins the meeting. Standard VRI Billing: Most VRI providers charge per minute for VRI interpreting based upon the time spent connected to the parties. Fees for VRI typically range between $3.00-$4.00 per-minute. This can add up rather quickly particularly when the engagement lasts for half an hour or longer. Standard VRI Advantages/Disadvantages: The main advantage of VRI is that sign language interpreting can commence with the click of a button. Additionally, there is no travel involved for the interpreter. So the common practice of billing a two hour minimum plus travel expenses for an on-location interpreter is eliminated. Instead VRI charges are usually calculated at On-Demand rates based on per-minute usage. Another advantage is the ease of availability both in terms of time and travel. After hours interpreting as well as delivering a quality interpreter at a remote location is far easier to accomplish using VRI.
Perhaps the main disadvantage of VRI is that a live interpreter is not in the room with you. There are many instances such as classes and large group meetings, or when sensitive legal or medical information is being exchange that are best served by a live interpreter. Also an inherent risk of relying on technology is the occasional poor quality or dropped connection to the remote interpreter. As with any technology, problems can arise. Interpretype VRI Subscription Service: Interpretype VRI Subscription Service delivers high quality certified sign language interpreters over any geographic region on a consistent basis for substantially lower costs compared with traditional VRI or in-person interpreters. Interpretype VRI Subscription Scheduling: VRI Subscription scheduling requires the customer commit to a monthly schedule with fixed times during the week. The days and times are completely decided upon by the customer but the customer must agree to be bound to that schedule. For instance, let's say the customer would like to have a VRI interpreter ready and available to connect on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:00 am. The interpreting agency will provide one line to connect to a dedicated interpreter(s) at a remote call center exclusively for that customer anytime during those hours. The dedicated interpreter(s) will not be allowed to receive any other calls or assignments from a different customer during the reserved block of time. The customer will be provided a private web portal where scheduling and connection information will be maintained. This will provide a means for the customer to allocate the purchased block of time as strategically and efficiently as possible. The customer is not restricted to a single location. The customer may be a State or Federal agency with many offices across a State or a region. Any one of those offices can connect to the remote interpreter and use the services during those hours. To optimize the hours available, the customer can allow it's users to log in to the private portal. The portal will contain a password protected calendar where users can schedule specific times during the reserved interpreting block of time for their own meetings. Based on the above example, it is possible for a customer to schedule 32 one half hour meetings over the course of a month using the 2 day per week schedule. Or a customer can schedule a variety of different meetings for different lengths of time and from different locations. This method allows the customer and the interpreting agency to leverage the dedicated interpreter(s) over many engagements during each block of time. This saves the customer and the interpreting agency both time and money.
Interpretype VRI Subscription Billing: Interpretype VRI Subscriptions will be billed based on the blocks of time reserved in advance by the customer and made available by the interpreting provider. This means that the customer in essence is buying specific blocks of time to have a dedicated interpreter(s) available whether or not the interpreter(s) is used. This is a departure from On-Demand VRI which bills per minute for the time connected to the VRI interpreter. Using the above example again, the customer will be billed in advance two hours for every Tuesday and Thursday that occurred over the course of the month. If there were 4 Tuesdays and 4 Thursdays in a given month, the customer would be charged for 16 hours of Subscription VRI service. Interpretype VRI Subscriptions are completely flexible and can be modified with at least one weeks notice from the customer. For example, if the customer had scheduled blocks of time Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and needed to change the Thursday block of time to Friday, it can be easily adjusted. If the customer wanted to add 3 hours on Wednesday afternoon and 8 hours every Monday, it can usually be arranged with at least one week's notice. It is even possible to schedule a block or blocks of interpreting and not allow anyone to schedule the interpreter during certain times on the scheduling portal. This would keep the interpreter available for truly on-demand interpreting within the reserved block of time. This would create a first come, first serve scenario. The first person to connect to the interpreter gets to use the service until they disconnect. This way, it is possible to provide VRI interpreting services to a customer's client without having them make an appointment. Of course the customer may run the risk of the interpreter being occupied at the moment they try to connect. Interpretype VRI Subscription Service Availability: Interpretype VRI Subscription Service is available during normal business hours in the continental U.S. time zones. The service can also be reserved any time of the day or night at a premium rate. When interpreting beyond the blocks of time reserved, the customer will be notified that the time reserved is being exceeded and the customer will be charged an overage fee based on the additional number of minutes used. Interpretype VRI Subscription Benefits: The primary benefit of Interpretype VRI Subscription Service is the ability of both parties; the customer and the interpreter provider, to utilize interpreting services at a much lower cost. Through scheduling in advance, both parties can forecast demand and thereby execute a more efficient and economical plan to have interpreting services delivered. The customer can receive the necessary services on their timetable and know their customers will receive the proper accommodations even in remote locations. The interpreter provider is properly staffed and ready to provide the services at the time the customer needs them. Knowing this in advance allows the provider to reduce its costs and pass that savings on to the customer.
In addition, customers can accurately budget interpreting expenses and keep costs under control. There are never any fees for travel and the risk that an interpreter will not arrive at the engagement is removed. In addition, if the customer fails to keep an appointment, the block of unused time is much less expensive than if a live interpreter arrived on location and needed to be paid for time and travel. When customers and their clients order the VRI Subscription Service at specific times, it creates a more organized and efficient way to deliver high quality VRI services. The VRI Subscription Service allows Interpreters to become more familiar and deliver better quality interpreting by getting to know their customer's style, specific language and unique acronyms. Flexibility in the Subscription Service helps the customer adjust to changing conditions such as increases or decreases in work flow, reduced budgets or cyclical changes in the work load.