Technology and Workplace Efficiency – The Court Reporter’s Competitive Edge

Posted bystenoimperiumPosted inAI and the Legal System, Court Reporting, Judicial Ethics Watch, Legal ServicesTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When the NCRA recently polled its members on which professional issues matter most, the clear leader was technology and workplace efficiency—garnering 37.2% of the vote. That number shouldn’t surprise anyone. Court reporters today are navigating an environment that demands speed, accuracy, adaptability, and resilience. At the center of that balancing act is technology: how we use it, how it supports (or hinders) our work, and how it secures the future of our profession.

Why Technology Matters More Than Ever

For decades, stenographers have been the living embodiment of real-time technology. Our machines, dictionaries, and translation software have been the gold standard for accuracy and speed. But the landscape has shifted. Courts, agencies, and law firms are increasingly experimenting with digital recording, automatic speech recognition (ASR), and AI-driven tools.

If court reporters don’t lead the conversation on technology, others will define it for us. The real question isn’t whether technology belongs in our profession—it already does. The question is whether we, as trained professionals, will leverage it to strengthen our position or allow it to erode our relevance.

Five Ways Technology Can Boost Efficiency

  1. Realtime Integration
    Realtime is no longer a novelty; it’s an expectation in many litigation settings. Reporters who provide clean, accurate realtime feeds directly into counsel’s laptops or trial presentation software elevate their value instantly. Investing in advanced CAT features, robust dictionaries, and customized macros pays dividends in both speed and reputation.
  2. Cloud-Based Storage and Backup
    Lost notes or corrupted hard drives used to be nightmare scenarios. With secure, encrypted cloud platforms, reporters can back up jobs instantly. This protects transcripts and work product while ensuring that no attorney has to hear the words, “I can’t deliver the record.”
  3. Productivity Apps and Shortcuts
    Efficiency is often found in small changes. Using task managers like Trello or Notion, automating invoice reminders, or creating templates for cover pages and certificates reduces wasted time. Even simple keyboard shortcuts for formatting in CAT software can cut hours from monthly workloads.
  4. Digital Collaboration
    Remote depositions and hybrid proceedings are here to stay. Mastering videoconference platforms, integrating realtime over Zoom or Teams, and managing exhibits through secure online tools makes a reporter indispensable. Attorneys often hire the person who makes their job easier—technology can help you be that person.
  5. AI: Supportive, Secure, and Reporter-Controlled
    Court reporters must never rely on outside voice-to-text engines for official recordmaking. Accuracy, confidentiality, and certification cannot be delegated. That said, Eclipse Boost is an exception because it runs locally on the reporter’s computer without using the live internet, ensuring security and control. Boost can quietly enhance realtime by assisting with translation, but always under the reporter’s direction. The reporter remains the arbiter of the verbatim record.

The Efficiency Dividend – More Time, More Money, Less Stress

Reporters who integrate technology into their daily practice report fewer late nights, lower stress, and stronger client loyalty. Efficiency means more transcripts delivered on time, fewer billing disputes, and the ability to take on more work without burning out.

And let’s not forget—time saved is time earned. Whether that translates into more billable hours, more personal time, or simply more peace of mind, efficiency is a direct investment in quality of life.

The Leadership Opportunity

The 37.2% poll result is a call to action: court reporters are hungry for guidance, training, and leadership on how to use technology without losing our professional identity. This is the NCRA’s opportunity—and ours individually—to push for:

  • Continuing education on new tools and workflows.
  • Standards for ethical, secure technology use.
  • Collective advocacy to remind attorneys and judges that human stenographers with the right tech tools are the only way to ensure an accurate, verifiable, and timely record.

Technology isn’t the enemy—it’s the amplifier. Used wisely, it makes us faster, sharper, and more irreplaceable than ever. Court reporters have always been at the forefront of innovation, from shorthand machines to realtime to digital exhibit handling. The next chapter is ours to write. Efficiency is not just about saving keystrokes; it’s about protecting our profession’s future while giving ourselves room to thrive.

StenoImperium
Court Reporting. Unfiltered. Unafraid.

Disclaimer

“This article includes analysis and commentary based on observed events, public records, and legal statutes.”

The content of this post is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. All opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are based on publicly available information, industry standards, and good-faith concerns about nonprofit governance and professional ethics. No part of this article is intended to defame, accuse, or misrepresent any individual or organization. Readers are encouraged to verify facts independently and to engage constructively in dialogue about leadership, transparency, and accountability in the court reporting profession.

  • The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
  • Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

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Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

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