Start A Home Steno Service
(Page 3 of 5)
November/December 1971
By Suzette Haden Elgin
By the way, before you land that first customer, you'll want to make sure your service complies with the regulations of your town/city/whatever. Chances are, if you operate on a small scale and don't advertise, you won't even need a license or permit . . . but check it out anyway. You don't want to find your client, get started in business . . . and suddenly find yourself faced with a fine because you didn't fill out a form in front.
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After working with client number one for a week or so, you'll find that his schedule will—in a rough, approximate sense—give you a schedule too. Let's say he usually calls and dictates for an hour on Monday nights and Thursday afternoons (the two times he's ordinarily in town and within convenient reach of a phone). That means you should always let him know in advance, if you possibly can, when you're going to have to be away from your phone at those times. In return, your customer should warn you if—say—he intends to be in town on Wednesday for a change. If his schedule is totally erratic, of course, then you'll both just have to take your chances.
There's a number of ways to set a fee for your services. You can charge a flat sum per item that you type and mail . . . or establish an hourly rate that includes dictation, mailing, filing, et al . . . or figure a monthly rate based on some hypothetical minimum number of hours or items with a specific charge for anything over those minimums.
If you work at average speed you may even prefer a combination rate of a fixed price per letter mailed, with an added hourly charge for time spent taking dictation, processing mail, etc. In my case—because I type very fast—I find an hourly fee unprofitable and I set a per-item figure. Your rates are up to you. However you decide to charge, though, remember to provide your client with an explanation of the pricing system and an approximate quote of what it will cost him for each letter.
You'll find that it's simpler for you to provide your own materials, as I've already said, and simply include their price in your fee. Remember, the image you want to present is one of total convenience . . . and you'll do that best by requiring nothing from your client except his letterhead stationery items. Be sure, too, that you always have an ample supply of these letterhead supplies on hand. Your customer certainly won't find it very convenient if his correspondence is delayed because you ran out of his stationery and envelopes.
Pay your own phone bill and figure it into your fee. Local calls, of course, will be included in overhead and you should always let your client call you long distance COLLECT so he doesn't have to struggle with coins and operators. Bill him for those conversations on an individual basis.
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