Benefits Of Conference Call Services To Today's Businesses

Teleconference is the live exchange of information among persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system.

The telecommunications systems now a days support the teleconferences by providing audio, video, and data services by one or more means, such as telephone, telegraph, teletype, radio, and television. Conference call services

It was not so long ago when business people used travel far and wide to have half hour meeting with associates, colleagues or customers. The advances in technology has brought not only businesses but also ordinary users the benefits time saving. It is just easy to speak to one person over the telephone as with tens of people. In other words, the conference calling or just teleconferencing has made the world a truely smaller place.

It wasn't until nineties when video and audio conferencing came on the scene. However, video conferencing required expensive equipment and line services to operate. Audio conferencing was also pricey as most companies offering the service were the carriers who could charge a lot for their elite service.

In the late nineties audio conferencing companies began to emerge, making it more affordable for the small to medium sized business to take advantage of audio conferencing. However, many business owners still felt hampered by this type of communication. While audio conferencing did eliminate the need for excessive travel expenses, improved the sound quality of a multiple person conference and created a way that remote workers could stay in touch, there was still a missing link. That missing link was the ability to share documents or better yet, perform a live presentation with multiple conference participants.

Thus a new trend was born called "web collaboration". This is usually performed combining a minimum of audio conferencing and web conferencing. By using this tool conference participants not only have a means of hearing all members of the conference but sharing in data applications at the same time. The other item that can be incorporated by many services is video conferencing along with the other two media (audio and data). This new business tool has been driven by a market where businesses are increasing their global presence plus entering into more business partnering and sub-contracting relationships. The other factor making web collaboration a reality is that bandwidth requirements are not as excessive as they were several years ago. Many audio/web conference users simply need a minimum 56K connection and a phone line to effectively use the collaborative conferencing services. If a video conference is desired there is no longer a need to set up special dedicated lines or purchase expensive monitor equipment. The users need a simple, inexpensive PC camera.

There are many similarities to a worker's day that cross vertical markets. Day to day business functions of most office workers combine inter-personal communication (research, creating and absorbing information obtained) and personal interaction with other professionals (communications, collaboration, decision making). With the use of multi-media conferencing services allows those two types of functions to merge together. Using the various tools a worker can perform research and absorb information presented via video or web placement of documents while at the same time communicate and collaborate on action items and ultimately resolutions to projects. This collaboration assists in quick decision making, many times affecting the outcome of a project.

In order to ensure that the technology is implemented properly, the choice of a service must best match not only a business's current needs but also provide flexibility to grow into the different types of services offered. Not to mention test the service for user-friendliness. If the service is not easy to use or flexible in its scheduling and media choices, then any hope for productivity gain is a mute point. A service should be chosen that combines audio, web and video services in one session, but also flexible enough that the business can elect to use only one of the media if desired and not be charged for the other options during that specific call. For instance, a business may not always need the web tool for a meeting where audio only would be sufficient. The log-in should provide quick access to all features, allowing a user to join via web or telephone interface. The service should also be flexible in its scheduling opportunities. Look for a service that allows users to call in and achieve space on an as needed basis. This will help with emergency meeting productivity allowing those crucial decisions to have the collaboration needed while at the same time maximizing the turn around of that needed action.

Another benefit to using an off-site conferencing center for conducting audio conference call is the ability to archive meetings. Many times key committee or project members cannot be present. Instead of those participants simply getting a type written synopsis of the meeting in the minutes, they can listen in real-time to the entire meeting and view the presented material on the web at the same time. In 2003 44% of survey respondents stated that they planned on increasing their participation in web conferencing by 100% in the first 6 months. Other companies that had already made this a standard business practice were experiencing one month ROI from reduced travel, increased productivity and quicker decision making ability.

Many business managers and owners do not see how the company they are serving can benefit from this type of service. Listed below are several examples of how companies have found success with this application:  Example 1: A Boston executive had a team of employees in New York. Before utilizing a conferencing service he was traveling to New York from Boston once a week. Now that the team is able to meet every week via the audio/web/video conference they have reduced that meeting to once a month. This eliminated approximately $2,000.00 per month.  A nationwide PR firm uses the technology to collaborate with their own in-house teams, but also to conduct client progress meetings during a marketing campaign. This allows them to have "face to face" contact with the client but eliminate the travel cost FOR THE CLIENT. The meetings are still productive because they can share files real-time. Each participant sees the product slick, new logo, or other applicable material and again decisions are made on the spot. They no longer have to wait for e-mail passes and yay's or nay's on an action item.  A business consulting firm uses this type of service to conduct mini seminars with prospective and current clients. These seminars are recorded for future viewing to allow those that miss out an opportunity to connect and learn at their own schedule.

In short, business managers and owners need to be thinking outside of the box to attract, maintain and better serve their customers. Today, web conferencing is emerging as a feature-rich, cost-effective tool for many business applications. Each business should assess its' business practices to determine if multi-media conferencing can be used to increase productivity and make a positive impact on customer service and ultimately the bottom line in the current fiscal year.

How to Choose the Right Conference Call Service

How to Choose the Right Conference Call Service - From Conference Calling to Audio, Web and Video Conferencing

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A conference call service has revolutionized the way business is conducted and opened new doors worldwide. Business partners, customers and associates now have the ability to communicate face to face without traveling long distances to meet.

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There are several different types of conference calling services available for all types of businesses, whether they are large corporations or small to medium sized businesses.


Audio Conferencing
This conference call service has been available for quite a long time. It is very popular due to its cost effectiveness and allowing communication from all over the world.

All that is required for an audio conference is a telephone for each person attending the conference.

Those included in the call are able to hear each other instantly, as if they were all in the same room.

One of the main problems with an audio conference call is not being able to see the other people you are talking to or to be able instantly to share images or information directly related to the business.

Video Conferencing
It's a conference call service that has been available to businesses for around ten years. Due to the cost of equipment, only larger companies used video conferencing.

Recently, due to changes in technology and cheaper equipment, video conferencing is now readily available to smaller businesses.

The equipment needed for a videoconference is a camera and television on each end of the conference. This allows all of the participants in the conference call to hear and see each other.

Video conferencing is very effective and is ideal for those wishing to have conferences on a regular basis, although it is quite difficult to set up and trouble shoot the equipment. Regular maintenance by a professional is required to keep video conferencing equipment working correctly.

Web Conferencing
Web conferencing is the newest of the three types of conference calling services. This new technology uses the Internet to hold the conference or meeting.

The real bonus with web conferencing is that those attending can share files, visual aids and text messages instantly.

Web conferencing has all of the benefits of a traditional audio or videoconference meeting. Those attending can still hear and see each other in real time over the internet, without the need for overly expensive equipment.

The best way to choose a conference call service provider is to shop around and find the package that best suits your needs.

For example, if your budget is low and you only require verbal communication to communicate, audio is most probably the best option.

Ensuring proper equipment usage

1. If possible, always use a phone with a handset that is hard-wired into the phone lines. Be sure to TEST the working condition of your equipment before an important meeting! Cellular or cordless phones are more likely to cause static or other distracting noise that they pick up in the airwaves.

2. Speakerphones pick up lots of background noise, and sometimes cause "clipping" because of the limitations of the equipment. If you are using a speakerphone, try to find one that is "full digital duplex"--this will allow all parties to speak at the same time with no clipping. And if no one in your room needs to speak, use the "Mute" button on the phone to prevent background noise from disrupting the meeting. When someone needs to speak, simply release the "Mute".

3. Turn off your call waiting. Some of our conferences are set to play a tone as an announcement of a new person entering the conference. If your line starts beeping with call waiting, it can be very confusing and disrupting to the meeting! Most call-waiting features can be deactivated by dialing *70 before dialing. Check with your local phone service provider if you are unsure how to deactivate this function on your phone.

How to eliminate sound quality problems

1. Hang up and dial back in... Generally these sorts of problems clear themselves up when the bad connection is terminated.
2. We recommend using the "Mute" button on your local phone as this may help isolate the problem. Then only "Un-mute" when you need to speak.
3. If the problems still persist, please contact our customer service. It is generally best to contact us while you are experiencing the problem. If we can join you during the call and experience the problem first-hand, it helps us diagnose the cause of the problem.

How to prevent sound quality problems

1. Avoid speakerphones as they will introduce background noise into the call.
2. Avoid mobile or cordless phones as they tend to pick up static.
3. In the event that a cell call is required we recommend a stationary location where the signal strength is high.