From one file to full adoption: how HappyScribe streamlined Sterling Associates’ workflow
In October 2024, a contributor at Sterling Associates had a time-sensitive project: 30 Spanish audio files, each around 45 minutes long, that needed to be transcribed into English. Their go-to provider at the time offered decent support (internally rated 3 out of 5), but only in English. For this multilingual task, they had to look elsewhere.That’s when they came across HappyScribe.
With their main challenges of speed and affordability clearly laid out, we proposed a hybrid solution. We recommended human review of the source Spanish audio combined with machine translation to English, ensuring the quality they needed while staying within budget. So we started working with the first 15 files only.
After all, when you have a solution that is working fine, why bother changing it?
But once those initial files were delivered, the feedback was immediate and clear:
“Let’s move forward with the rest.”
A positive experience that sparked internal momentum
By November, the initial success of this first project had already sparked interest across the organization.
The associate who first contacted us shared their experience internally with their colleagues. Soon, we were introduced to the Project Lead responsible for transcription workflows across the company. While most of their work was still in English, they were open to reevaluating their setup.
Why?
- Quality was at times inconsistent: not always, to be fair, but often enough to slow down their process and create risks for sensitive and high-stakes projects.
- Communication had become fragmented, with multiple changes in account support and no clear point of contact.
- They occasionally needed multilingual support, similar to the first project, but lacked a reliable solution in place.
These are common growing pains for scaling teams, but too often, they’re left to figure out a solution alone. That was the main value they found in HappyScribe’s proposal.
The value they were proposed was quite different
Instead of locking them into rigid solutions, they were offered flexibility:
- A couple of no-cost English-language test runs managed by our Production Team.
- A paid proof of concept, while they continued using their existing provider's credits.
- Workflows adapted to fit their internal reality — not the other way around.
From trial to trust
In December, Sterling Associates signed a one-year agreement after just a month of testing.
“I think HS is more consistent, and consistently better as well. And also we can be a partner of theirs and build functionalities that will benefit us.”
Then came the real momentum. From February to April 2025, their usage more than doubled month over month. They weren’t just receiving transcripts: they were discovering ways to streamline their entire workflow.
The team shared feedback. We acted on it. Together, we implemented:
- A revamped global search across transcripts.
- An upgraded AI prompt-based assistant to surface insights quickly.
- Early access to AI-generated drafts so that teams could begin work even before final proofreading.
“You guys are super responsive and willing to take our product feedback into account, which we've never had before. We really love that. We love the relationship aspect of the platform.”
By May 2025, the shift was undeniable:
“We’ve phased out our internal transcription program. Our associates just naturally stopped using it. So currently HappyScribe receives 100% of our files, which is great.”
Without pressure or disruption, HappyScribe had become their new go-to.
- They increased their annual credit package.
- They renewed their yearly commitment early.
- They centralized all transcription workflows on a single platform.
What they came for vs. what they gained
When Sterling Associates first reached out, they were looking for:
- Reliable, high-quality transcriptions
- Faster delivery cycles
- Smarter tools to build reports and access insights
What they gained:
- Fair, volume-based pricing
- Visibility into AI-generated drafts before final review
- Advanced, AI-powered tools to extract, filter, and summarize content
- High-quality outputs they now offer as paid add-ons, creating new revenue streams
A partnership that scales together
What started out as a single multilingual project has grown into a trusted partnership that plays an integral part in Sterling Associates' transcription workflow.
By choosing flexibility over rigidity and one-to-one collaboration over one-size-fits-all support, they didn’t just solve a pressing challenge: they unlocked a new standard of efficiency for their team.
Sterling Associates hasn’t just adopted HappyScribe, we’ve evolved together.
As their needs grow and change, our partnership continues to adapt, built on a shared commitment to quality, responsiveness, and innovation.
Cristina G
Cristina G is a former journalist who transitioned into PR and Communications before diving into growth marketing and ultimately product marketing. She loves learning and writing about how HappyScribe customers use the product to achieve their goals.