How to Conference Call
Conference calling is one of the best business solutions to conduct a meeting over the telephone, in which more than three persons can participate to share some points. Or in other words, it is a means of communicating with more than one person simultaneously, without actually being physically present at a designated place. Conference calling offers mainly three modes for communication, i.e., audio, video, and web based conference calls. It is obvious that these conference calls eliminate a major cost for the companies, and therefore, are very much advantageous for the organizations. Some of the advantages offered by these conference calls are:
Cost Effective Process: Though the fee for availing the service varies with service providers, yet conference call is a much economical option to conduct a virtual meeting and to convey the message to the people concerned. Because in conducting a meeting with the conventional processes, a lot of travel expenses and hotel accommodation expenses are involved; whereas in case of conference calling, nothing of that sort is required.
Time saving process: It is as easy as thinking of talking to some persons and you can make a conference call immediately. Usually it is very good option for conferences that are called on very short notices. It also does not involve any loss of work and the message can be conveyed at a faster pace.
Helps in relation building: It is sometimes difficult for a business to conduct meetings for every segment of employees at regular intervals, which may lead to some misconceptions among employees and they may feel neglected. However, conference calling can eliminate such situations and helps in building good employer-employee relationship.
Simple and easily accessible: The service provider links the persons to be involved in a conference call and the persons do not need to have any special equipment for the same, as it simply linked with the ordinary phone or mobile phone. The person conducting a conference call is facilitated with a speaker, so that all persons involved must be heard at that point. The other persons can talk with the main conductor from their places.
Facilitate Data transfer: Audio conference calling is limited only to transfer instructions or views verbally; but via video conferencing, it is possible to transfer presentations or data to all the persons. With this service there will be no mistakes in sending and receiving instructions, as if there is any, one can clear it immediately and correct it.
Distance is not a problem: With the help of conference calling, the limitations of distance can be eliminated, as it can be used for talking to persons anywhere around the globe. That is why it is most commonly used by small as well as big business houses for communication purposes.
From the above advantages that conference calling provide, we can easily gauge the importance that they hold for any business model and organization setup–they are indispensable!
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Buying a Conference Call Speaker Phone
If you are going to be making a lot of conference calls, the best idea is going to be for you to purchase a conference call speaker phone. This will allow you to make or join in on conference calls quickly and easily. You can even find a video telephone conference call selection out there, and out of all the available options, here are a few of the top picks.
Polycom SoundStation 2W 2.4GHz Wireless Conference Phone
This is by far one of the very best conference call speaker phone models. The perfect conference call speaker phone for all your conference calling needs, and is available for under $700.
This conference call speaker phone is cordless so you never have to worry about wires or cables coming loose or tripping over them. With this phone you have the freedom to conference anywhere team collaboration is important, even in rooms where there are no phone lines. An affordable, superior quality conference calling phone, you can purchase this phone through retailers such as Tiger Direct.
With voice quality to the award winning SoundStation, proven 2.4 GHz wireless technology, added security of voice encryption, and up to 24 hours talk time, just to name a few of the many features of this phone, it should definitely be one of the top contenders on your list.
It is actually known as being the first phone that combines cell phone convenience and Polycom voice quality, and the standard headset cable provided will allow you to instantly connect your cell phone to the conference phone when you need to. Because the call is dialed through the cellular network, there is no need for an analog phone line.
Polycom VoiceStation 500 Bluetooth Conference Phone
Another conference call speaker phone by Polycom, this is another great choice. For half the price of the previously mentioned model, with this conference phone, you will be able to communicate in an extremely quiet environment.
With this phone you will be able to communicate freely everywhere in the room as the phone features a powerful, digitally tuned custom speaker and three sensitive microphones that provide uniform coverage from up to 7 feet away.
Both of these would make ideal choices as a conference calling phone, but keep in mind that there are various other options out there as well. Take a bit of time, browse through the different conference phones and find the one that is going to work best for you.
Free Conference Call Reviews and FAQs
Free conference call services on the web may sound tempting for your business, but let us look at the pros and cons of these services. The fundamentals of these services create certain limitations that can make your business suffer.
The Basics of Free Conference Calls
Free conference call services are funded primarily through advertising. In some cases, conference calls are free only for a trial period and then must be paid for. Truly free conference call providers cannot pay for proper customer service through advertising revenue alone. This is why free conferencing is usually just a hook to get customers to sign up for a paid service.
Free Conference Call Customer Service
Consider yourself in a conferencing situation with an international client. You may experience problems with static or line noise making communication awkward. If you cannot resolve the problem quickly through customer service, only the most understanding potential clients would consider giving you a second chance later. Rescheduling because of technical issues is simply unprofessional, unacceptable and likely to cost you a client.
Unfortunately, such line noise problems are common to free conference call services. They often run on public VoIP lines that are affected by innumerable factors, in the same way that Internet transfers and cell phone calls are easily disrupted. Paid services can offer dedicated and stable lines that you can depend on to provide clear call quality at every meeting.
The Problem with Most VoIP Conference Calling Services
In traditional telephone networks, connections have a dedicated line, preventing interruptions in the line of communication. Public IP networks work differently. Information travels wherever links are available. A large file transfer can take up the bandwidth resulting in choppy signals or broken communications.
IP networks are designed with software in mind, not voice. This is why streaming content is buffered before it begins playing on your computer. The buffering allows the program to compensate for disruptions, giving a steady clear stream. This is not possible in real-time, live communications. While buffering could prevent disruption, there will always be a delay as the signal is buffered. This hampers and inhibits rapport building with the client, making it more like using a push to talk system than a two-way interface.
The Solution
Paid services can offer private, dedicated IP networks that eliminate the possibility of file transfer disruptions and other problems. The advertising revenue that free services earn is simply not enough to pay for such an infrastructure.