Thankfully, video and audio conferencing services that allow you to connect with dozens, or even hundreds, of people at the same time can be purchased or rented. By using corporate conference calls, you can:
- Make business decisions more quickly.
- Get feedback from everyone who's involved.
- Avoid the time-consuming back-and-forth of e-mail among large groups.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Hold business conference calls with no reservations
For audio conference calls, the cheapest solution is a reservation-less phone conferencing service. Users call a permanently established toll-free number and log in with a pass code. The call's organizer has a special pass code that allows him or her to use special features like individual mute and roll call.I recommend: Live Office Teleconferencing, Global Conference, Teleconference.com and ConferenceCall.com are just a few of the audio conferencing companies that offer this service. Find toll-free and flat rate conference call providers at Business.com.
Round up the troops for phone conferencing
To make an audio teleconferencing more inviting -- and catch stragglers who forget to call in -- you can use an operator-assisted service that calls participants, handles the roll call, and manages logistics.I recommend: Most of the companies in the previous section, such as ConferenceCall.com and Teleconference.com, offer operated-assisted conference calling services. Budget Conferencing and Unlimited Conferencing are two other operator-conference call providers to consider.
Go online for corporate conference calls
VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, is also known as Internet telephony or broadband phone. VoIP routes voice conversations over the Internet. Its advantages include low cost and ease of use, but sometimes the audio conferencing sound quality is not up to snuff. Also, many consumer VoIP solutions do not support encryption yet, so eavesdropping on business conference calls is possible.I recommend: VoIP services such as Vonage, VoIP.com, and Lingo are currently limited to three-way calls, which makes for a for small audio conference calls. Expect more options in the future.
Add visuals to phone conferencing using the Web
Sometimes you need to do more than talk. With a Web conferencing service, you can display images, use whiteboards, and show PowerPoint presentations to participants.I recommend: Web conference providers include WebEx, Genesys, Spiderphone, ConferencePlus, and ReadyComm Conferencing. Find more Web conference calling services at Business.com. To learn how to use the service, follow these tips from BuyerZone.com.
Be a video star in your own corporate conference calls
Video conferencing used to be limited to those with deep pockets, but video cameras for computers are now affordable and widespread, making Web-plus-audio conferencing a great business tool -- even if you're not wearing pants.I recommend: HearMe, iVisit, and (naturally) VideoConference.com are all all Web conference call providers that can provide a rich interactive service. See the directory of video conference call providers at Business.com for more choices.
Make plans for business conference calls and stick to them
Sure, audio teleconferencing can be a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to gather the troops and get things done, but as in any endeavor, the more organized the agenda, the more you'll accomplish with phone conferencing.I recommend: Use ConferenceCall.com's pre-call checklist to make sure everyone is ready for phone conferencing. Once you're talking, use the site's meeting agenda form and minutes form to hit all the topics that need covering and record ideas as they arise.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Reservation-less corporate conference calls still need to be scheduled. Set them up ahead of time with group e-mails.
- Echoes and delays sometimes occur in VoIP audio conferencing. Buffers and other technology can help, but voices do drop out on highly congested networks and between long distance endpoints.
- For international calls, conference calling services can either provide an international toll-free number, dial out to international colleagues, or arrange for dial-in corporate conference calls.
- Conference call providers often have services such as call recording or audio streaming onto the Internet should some people miss live audio conference calls.
the Conference Call Services page at Business.com
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