Archive for the ‘Conference Call Service’ Category

2012 is the Year for Conference Call Services

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a good 2011 and you have an even better 2012.  It looks like the economy could be on its way for better year which means we will all be that much busier.  If you are still on the side lines it is time to use conference call services to help you get the most out of your time in 2012.  Let’s face it, the past couple of years have meant downsizing and ultimately more work for those that still have a job.  And management expects everyone to do more with less.  So if you are looking for ways to save some money and increase productivity for yourself or those around you a quality conference call service is just the ticket for you in 2012.  Although there are many benefits to using conference calls for your business there are none more powerful than saving time and money.

Save Money – Conference call services have enjoyed extraordinary growth over the past 15 years partly due to all the money a conference call saves compared to an in person meeting.  Even if your meeting is fairly local it still costs money to get everyone together.  When you start traveling the cost really adds up.  If you are traveling by car there is the gas, tolls and mileage you are going to incur when you go to the meeting.  And if the meeting is across the country the costs are even greater with airline, rental car, hotels and restaurants all figured into the mix.  And I am sure you have noticed that none of these costs have gone down over the past few years.  But remarkably the costs of conference call services have declined over the past few years to all time lows.  For a combined cost of just a few dollars a group of people can get together and hold a meeting even if the participants are spread across the country.  And if you use a web conference along with the conference call you can have all the same tools at your disposal as if you were in a meeting room.

Save Time – If you are one of the many companies trying to do more with less resources you know how important your productivity is.  Wasting time in traffic or airports and airplanes can really cost you.  If you never had to travel to a customer again as a salesperson how many more customers could you sell?  I am certainly not advocating you never see a customer again but reducing the number of in person meetings increases the time you can spend acquiring new customers or dealing with the ones you already have.  A quality conference call service gives you everything you need to meet with people over great distances and be as productive as possible.

So I am sure when you look back on 2011 like me you will wonder where it went.  Time flies and there really is no time to waste.  So make 2012 the year you embrace conference call services and use our services to your advantage.  You will be glad you did.

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Virtual Holiday Parties with a Conference Call Service

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

It is the time of year for holiday parties but today many businesses have remote employees scattered around the country so why not include all of your employees with a virtual holiday party using a conference call service? For most businesses it is just too costly to bring all of your employees in for a holiday party but there is no reason not to include them in the festivities. Using a conference call service you can connect all of your remote employees into the party and have them still participate and interact with the rest of your employees. Today you can host a virtual party easily using conference call services like audio conferencing and web conferencing. The technology today allows you to share the audio, any presentation materials you may use and even video of the event while it is taking place. And the cost of the event will not break your budget.

Audio Conferencing – The simplest way to connect your remote participants to your virtual holiday party using a conference call service is by using a conference call.  You certainly may not keep a conference call up for the full duration of the party but usually management likes to take a minute in the beginning or end of the vent to thank and recognize employees for the past year’s accomplishments.  So if you establish a conference call for the beginning of the party you can include the remote participants easily in the festivities.  After announcements you can end the conference call portion and continue with the party but at least your remote employees were included at the beginning.

Web Conferencing – With Web Conferencing you can provide a visual aspect to your virtual holiday party.  If you do any employee recognition you can provide a presentation that includes the names and their achievements and a picture of the recipient so all participants can be included.  Most conference call services that provide web conferencing have desktop video included as well.  So if you have a desktop video camera you can have the remote employees see the venue and be seen as well.  If you want to get real elaborate you can have your A/V source provide a large screen to enhance this interaction.  The remote participants can also interact using web conferencing tools so they feel like a part of the party. 

Zip Conferencing is a conference call service provider that has all the tools you need to do virtual meetings for any event including your virtual holiday party.  Speak to a representative today who can assist you in planning your next remote event.

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With a Conference Call Provider Service makes all the Difference

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Conference call services all look very similar to one another these days.  They all provide a dial in number and a pass code and allow you to access the service without a reservation.  So how do you distinguish between different providers?  You will find, maybe the hard way, that with a Conference Call Provider Service makes all the difference.  With a conference call provider service means the quality and reliability of the conference call itself as well as the kind of support they offer their customers.  Here are some of the areas where conference call provider services are different.

  • Conference Call Quality – The quality of the conference call provider service is determined by a number of factors.  First the connection to the worldwide telephone network should be as direct as possible.  Where the conference call provider is located helps determine the kind of connection they can get to these networks.  And the telecommunication providers they utilize will also determine the quality of the conference call.  With Zip Conferencing we use only top tier telecommunications providers and use direct digital connections to their networks to ensure the highest quality connections possible.  The second factor is the type of conference call equipment being used by the conference call provider service.  If the equipment is older or of inferior quality it will impact the quality of the conference call.  Zip Conferencing uses the latest conference call equipment to help ensure the highest quality of the conference calls.  
  • Conference Call Reliability – The reliability of the conference call provider service is determined by the steps the provider has taken to provide back ups to its conference call network.  Has the provider gone to the expense necessary to back up all of their systems in the case of an outage or emergency?  Zip Conferencing has battery and generator power back ups on all of its systems to ensure consistent power availability.  We have also installed back up conference call equipment that can be immediately deployed in the case of an outage.  We also use more than one telecommunications provider so that our services will remain available even in the event that the telecommunications provider has an outage.  These steps add up to our ability to have our conference call systems available over 99.9% of the time.
  • Conference Call Support- If you need support from your conference call provider will they be able to deliver?  Zip Conferencing has support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  We even provide support while you are on your conference call by pressing *0 on your telephone while in the call.  Conference call support is not something you may need all the time but when you need it you will want it to be available.

So if you are looking for a conference call provider service is what makes all the difference.

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Is a Free Telephone Conference Call Service really Free?

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

So here you are searching for a conference call service provider and there are companies advertising a free telephone conference call service.  Free is good, right?  Why shouldn’t you use a free telephone conference call ervice?  Let’s examine how a free telephone conference call service works and see if you are still interested in trusting your business to a free conference call service.

  • A Free telephone conference call service is not really Free – The Free conference call service companies are advertising on the internet and other places so if they are truly free how are they making money?  These companies make money by working out a deal with a local phone company to terminate calls within their equipment.  That’s because the local phone company makes money when a long distance call terminates on their equipment.  It doesn’t pay a lot but when you consider the volume of calls that can be generated it does add up to enough money to pay for the equipment over time.  The problem is they don’t make enough to provide all of the services a regular conference call service provider does and they are usually a little thin in other areas of their business as well.  The main problem is that you are the one paying the bill.  Because you and your participants are dialing a long distance number to join the conference call.  So it appears free until you get your long distance bill or cell bill and see all the minutes on it.  And if the local number connection was so good why do all of the “Free” conference call companies offer toll free access?
  • Quality – A Free telephone conference call service is not concerned with providing a reliable and quality service to its customers.  It doesn’t have to because it is free.  It is hard to argue with free so people put up with capacity issues, unavailability and noisy connections.  Do you want to trust your important business calls to a free service where quality and reliability are not assured?  Also you will find that many of the features you expect to have on a conference call service are not there on a free telephone conference call service.  They can’t afford the best equipment with the latest features.
  • Support – Lastly, probably the biggest hole in the services for a free telephone conference call service is the support you will receive.  You will find that support is given to their customers that pay for the upgrade to toll free service but little is provided to the free conference call customers.  Its free so who can complain.

If you will look at the free telephone conference call service companies you will see they all offer a toll free service option but at rates higher than Zip Conferencing.  So why fool around with a service that will cost you anyway when you can get a toll free service that is highly reliable and high quality from the start for less money?

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Prepare for Hurricane Irene with a Conference Call Service

Friday, August 26th, 2011

As I sit here in New Jersey and wait for the arrival of Hurricane Irene I am inundated with news reports on how to prepare for a hurricane.  You are supposed to get batteries, water, gas for your car and non-perishable food among other items.  But for a business the most important thing you should make sure you get in place is a good communication plan in the event of a disaster that includes a conference call service.  If you don’t have a conference call service yet now would be a great time to get a service and be ready to conduct business remotely.  If you can’t travel the roads and get to the office you can still do a conference call and keep your business going.  These days most businesses are national if not global in nature and your customers don’t really care if your office is in harms way.  If you are supposed to have a meeting on Monday they expect you to have the meeting.  A conference call service can give you the tool you need to continue to have meetings without leaving your home.  Here are some of the reasons to line up a conference call service.

  • Natural Disaster – Like Hurricane Irene you just don’t know when a natural disaster is going to prevent you from getting to your office or your customers as well.  Having a conference call service as part of your business communications will allow you to schedule meetings and be able to attend the meetings no matter what the circumstances.  In addition to being able to attend customer meetings you can also have conference calls with your employees to prepare your response to the disaster and continue to plan in its aftermath.
  • Technical Issues – If your business experiences technical issues and needs to hold emergency meetings you can have a conference call at the ready and participants informed in an instant.  Everyone gets the same message and your technical issues are dealt with more expeditiously.
  • Company Announcements – If you need to communicate with your entire employee base all at once you can use a conference call.  Our conference calls hold up to 300 participants so capacity is not an issue.  You can instantly communicate with everyone at the same time to inform them of personnel changes, acquisitions and any other issues that may arise.
  • Planning – And if you know that the disaster is coming , like hurricane Irene, you can plan for it with groups of people who are otherwise separated my geography. 

So if you have a conference call service in your tool box you can simply pull it out and plan or respond to a disaster.  With Zip Conferencing’s Pay As You Go service there are no charges unless you use the service so why not be prepared all the time?

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Why doesn’t Zip Conferencing offer a Free Conference Call Service?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

When I started Zip Conferencing I formed the company around a strong foundation of offering a high quality, reliable conference call service with outstanding customer service.  And the idea of offering a free conference call service just did not match up well with these principals.  So why doesn’t Zip Conferencing offer a free conference call service?

  • Quality – The first thing to suffer when a company offers a free conference call service is the quality of the conference call.  In order to be able to provide a free conference call service the conference call service provider needs to keep their costs way down.  That is because they only earn money from the local phone company where their equipment is and the rate they earn is very small.  That is because the conference call service provider makes money on a free conference call by getting paid to terminate long distance calls on the local provider’s network.  And you and all of your participants are required to dial long distance to get to the conference call bridge.  The local phone company is paid by the long distance carriers to terminate calls and they in turn pay the free conference call service company.  So, typically the conference call equipment is not the best available and many times it is VOIP based and believe me you will hear the difference.  Zip Conferencing uses the latest conference call service equipment directly connected to the long distance carrier networks to insure the highest quality conference calls possible.
  • Reliability- Quality and reliability go hand and hand and if you are not using the best equipment you tend to have more issues than if your equipment is top of the line.  In addition, to keep costs down the free conference call service companies usually do not have as extensive a back up network in place in case there is an issue.  It cost money to have back up equipment on standby and to have back up generators and other systems in place to insure the conference call service is in place when you need it.  Zip Conferencing has back up systems and power in place for the highest standard in reliability.
  • Cost- Lastly is the cost.  But it is Free right?  Actually no.  A free conference call service makes you call a long distance number to connect to it.  So you and all of your participants are going to pay a long distance charge to connect to the conference call.  Do you really want your participants to have to pay to get on your conference call?  This hidden cost is the main reason to avoid using a free conference call service.  With rates for toll free conference calls as low as Zip Conferencing’s why make your participants pay?

So why should Zip Conferencing offer a free confernece call service when it can provide the highest quality, most reliable conference calls at rates that beat even the free conference call service providers?

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An International Conference Call Service with Options

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Most people are pretty familiar with running or at least attending a conference call.  But what if you have international participants?  What is different about an international conference call service?  How do participants join your conference call if they are out of the country.  Conference call service providers offer a number of ways to connect to a conference call from outside the United States.  Zip Conferencing offers a number of international conference call service options for its customers.

  • Local Number Dial In Access – This international conference call service option is available from most every conference call provider.  Basically when you get a dial in reservation from the conference call service provider they give you a local number here in the United States.  And like any other local number you can dial into this number from anywhere in the world.  The cost to the Host of the call is usually the same as if someone dialed in from somewhere in the United States.  For the participant, however, they will pay whatever toll charges they would normally pay to dial into a local number in the United States.  Depending on where in the world they are this can get quite expensive for the participant.
  • International Local Access – A few conference call service providers, like Zip Conferencing, have local numbers in countries outside the United States that participants can dial into.  The international conference call service company transports the call back to the conference call system in the United States.  That way someone in another country can dial a local number but actually conenct to a call int eh United States.  They only pay for the call in their country and since it is a local call the cost is usuall minimal for free.  The cost to the Host of the call is more than if the participant used the local number in the United States but still less than an international toll free number.
  • International Toll Free Access – The most expensive, but certainly most convenient method for international conference call services is the international toll free number.  Zip Conferencing has toll free numbers in over 40 countries that terminate into their systems in teh United States.  That way the participant dials a toll free number in their country and connect to the conference call in the United States.

The main thing to consider when looking at international conference call service options is whether you want your participant to pay for any portion of the conference call.  The next deciding factor is whether they are near one of the local access point around the world.  And then depending on your relationship with your participant you may want to make sure they get the most convenient no cost option which is toll free.

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Conference Call Services keep getting Easier

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

I have been in the conference call service industry long enough to see most of the innovations introduced over the years.  Every time a new feature is introduced I wonder how much easier you can possibly make a conference call.  Ever since the invention of the reservationless conference call it has become pretty easy to hold a conference call.  Yet the conference call services industry continues to improve and make holding a conference call easier and easier.  The latest innovation, the integration of the invitation process with Microsoft Outlook is no exception.  Zip Conferencing now offers the ability to integrate its conference call service into your Outlook with an Outlook Toolbar that can get your conference call going in just a click of the mouse.

The Microsft Outlook Meeting Toolbar from Zip Conferencing has a number of features that make assembling a conference call even easier.

  • Outlook Toolbar retains your conference call service information – Once you load the toolbar you never have to try to remember your conference call information again.
  • One click to start a meeting - The start a Meeting button means just that, one click and your audio or web and audio meeting begins.
  • Connect Me Service – Dial into the meeting as you always have or you can have the Zip Conferencing system dial out to your phone to connect you to the meeting.
  • PC Controls – Controls on your PC allow you to control the meeting including volume, muting and recording of the conference call.
  • Web Conferencing – From within an audio meeting you can easily switch to a web meeting or start a web meeting as easily as an audio meeting.
  • Invite Participants – Since the Toolbar is integrated with your Outlook you can easily invite participants using Outlooks’ scheduling tool.  That way you can easily send invitations to participants who are in your Outlook contact list.  You can do this for a meeting you want to start right now or one you want to schedule for later.
  • Online Account Access – The Toolbar also provides easy access to your online account where you can add Moderators, conference calls and control other options of your conference call service.

Zip Conferencing continues to make improvements to its conference call service that truly make it easier to do conference calls than ever before.

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A Conference Calling Service Pays for Itself

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

I think what has been lost in the sea of various rates and services you can get from all the conference calling service companies out there is the value that the conference call service brings to your business.  Even at the rates that conference calls were being sold in the early 1990′s a conference calling service easily pays for itself.  But a conference call has become so integrated into the fabric of businesses these days it has simply been expected as part of any businesses communications strategy and the benefits are often overlooked and taken for granted.  A conference calling service provides two main benefits, they save time and money.

  • A Conference Calling Service Saves Time- Think of all the time that is wasted if you have to leave your desk and travel to a meeting.  The meeting could be down the hall, around the corner or around the world.  The longer the travel the more time you waste just getting to and from the meeting.  And even with today’s communication environment there are going to be times during that travel period that you are simply unavailable and can’t work on anything because you are travelling.  And once you get to the meeting there is a lot of wasted time as people do the meet and greet process and everyone waits for the host of the meeting to get things together and so forth.  I know people who have travelled across the country to attend a one hour meeting.  And like everyone I agree with and endorse face to face meetings for certain situations but a conference calling service can save countless hours.  And the saved time naturally translates into increased productivity since you can attend a conference call without leaving your own desk.
  • A Conference Calling Service Saves Money- It really doesn’t matter what you pay per minute cost for a conference calling service because if you analyze it against an in person meeting you will see that a conference call will save you money every time.  The cost of travelling to the meeting is the first place you save.  There are also the costs of the meeting itself.  If you are meeting in person the host many times will feel compelled to provide refreshments for the participants and may even have to rent a room to stage the meeting.  And if you have travelled a great distance you have the cost of local accommodations in addition to the travel cost itself.  There just isn’t a less expensive or more convenient way to hold a meeting.  And if you choose a high quality provider like Zip Conferencing you will be able to conduct your meeting just like you were in the room together without any loss in fidelity and pay a great deal less than many other providers in the market today.

No matter what your circumstance you will quickly realize that a conference calling service pays for itself.

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Free Conference Call Services

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

So, you think you want free conference call services?  Think again!  Like most things in life, nothing really comes for free.  And before you risk your reputation and business you will want to understand what free conference call services are all about. 

When the first free conference call service was introduced everyone in the conference call industry kind of shrugged and figured everyone would understand the deficiencies with the service and steer clear of them.  Well, free conference call services have survived because everyone likes something “free” so its attraction can not be underestimated.  But, is it truly free?  And what is the difference between free conference call services and paid conference call services?  Here are the details behind free conference call services.

  • Free Doesn’t mean No Cost- True, after the conference call is over you may not owe the free conference call service provider anything, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t cost you anything.  That is because all free conference call service providers give you a local number to access your conference call.  That “local” number is usually not local for anyone on the conference call which means you and you participants have to make a long distance call to connect to your conference.  Do you want your customer or prospect to get long distance charges on their phone bill for attending your conference call?
  • Will it be available when you dial in – The way a free conference call service company makes money is by getting the termination fee for having you call into a location where long distance providers pay the local telephone company to terminate the call.  The amount they are paid is very small so they can’t afford the best conference call equipment and have a limitation on capacity.  There is no guarantee that when you call in for your conference call that the capacity will be there for you.  Do you want to chance having the conference call available?
  • Toll Free at a Price – You can usually get a toll free access number for your conference call, but you will pay for it.  And if you find that if you shopped around the competition you could find a better toll free conference call rate from a company with better features and more reliable conference call equipment.
  • Support is Not Free – And if you need any support, how much support do you expect if the service is free? 

So, if you want to make sure your conference call is there when you need and not get hit with hidden charges you may want to examine what it means to be a free conference call service.

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What is Teleconferencing?

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Like anyone else who has been in a technology business for a while you tend to develop your own language.  I am no different.  I have been in the telecommunications industry since 1981 and if any industry has its own language telecommunications certainly does.  The glossary for all the telecommunications acronyms being used would probably be 4 inches thick.  It really is its own language.  Teleconferencing as an off shoot of telecommunications is certainly guilty of this too but certainly not so bad.  But for those novices to teleconferencing, otherwise known as conference calls, I thought it might be helpful to explain a few of the main terms used in the industry to help you better understand what you are dealing with.

  • Access Code (Also known as the Pass Code) -  
    The personal access code that allows you to join a conference call. There are both Host and Guest codes used to access a conference call.
  • Access Phone Number – The telephone number used to reach the teleconferencing equipment where you input your Access Code to enter your conference call.
  • Bridge - The piece of equipment that performs the act of connecting multiple callers on a singe conference call.
  • CSP- This is the acronym for Conference Service Provider.  It refer to the companies that provide conference call services.
  • Digital Record and Playback –  A service offered by conference call service companies that allows you to record your conference call and play it back at a later time.
  • Host – The leader or Moderator of the conference call.
  • Mute- The Mute function on a conference call allows the participants to turn off the ability to be heard during the conference call.  The Host also has the abilitiy to Mute all participants.
  • Reservationless - Reservationless means that no scheduling, reservation or advanced notification is required for this type of conference call.  Once you have the Access number and Pass Code you can hold a conference call whenever you want.
  • Teleconferencing - Otherwise known as conference calling or audio conferencing, it refers to a telephone call where 3 or more people are connected and able to talk to each other at the same time.

This is by no means a complete list of terms used in the conference call service, or teleconferencing industry but this sampling should get you well on your way to being fluent in teleconferencing speak.

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Discounted Conference Calling Services

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

What goes into the cost of a conference call service?  How good are discounted conference calling services?  Does cheaper conference calls mean bad quality conference calls?  Not necessarily.  If you understand the cost model of a conference call service company you will understand how you can get discounted conference calling services without sacrificing quality and reliability.

  • Sales Cost – A conference call service company that has been in existence for a while probably grew using typical Sales and Marketing efforts with salespeople doing cold calls to produce sales.  That means the conference call service company had to pay salespeople and probably has sales offices around the country or a telemarketing center which has fixed costs that must pay.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can take advantage of internet marketing without the need for a large sales force or remote offices.
  • Operations Cost – The older conference call service equipment requires more personnel to operate than newer equipment.  Operators needed to man the switch and baby site the equipment more than today’s equipment.  A larger group of operators and office space adds costs to the conference call service company.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can avoid some of these costs through more modern, automated equipment that requires less space and maintenance. 
  • Customer Service Cost – An older conference call service company has existing procedures and probably has not automated their operation too much over time.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can automate just about everything and provide the customer the ability to service their own account which reduces the number of customer service people required to service their customers thus reducing cost.
  • Back Office Cost – The older conference call service companies have not automated their billing, collections and other activities and have a higher cost to operate.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can automate billing, collections and virtually all back office operations which greatly reduces the cost to the company.

All of the efforts to reduce cost in a conference call service company do not take away from the quality of the conference call service itself if you do it right.  At Zip Conferencing, you get all of the same services at a discounted rate because we have designed and built a company to provide a high quality service but eliminated a lot of the cost associated with an older conference call service company.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service or the Phone System?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

When I tell people what I do for a living they are surprised that there is an industry that exists to provide conference call services to businesses.  Many people think that the phone company is who provides the service.  Which has always been true.  But private companies have been providing a higher level of service for lower costs since the divestiture of AT&T in the early 1990s.  The other thing that people want to know is why people don’t just use their phone system which usually has the capacity to run a conference call.  Well, there are a number of reasons to use a conference call service instead of a phone system conference button to hold a conference call.

  • Phone systems have capacity issues – Most phone systems can only handle a limited number of participants on a conference call.  And you are also limited by the overall number of phone lines on the system.  If the people in the office are using a number of lines to make calls you may be limited with the number of people you can get on a conference call.
  • Phone systems require you to connect the participants – In order to connect people to a conference call using your phone system you will need to dial out to the participants through the phone system.  You have to get the people on the phone and sometimes they may be on the phone or out of their office and you can reach them by dialing out to them.
  • Call quality on a phone system degrades as you add participants – Phone systems are not made to hold conference calls and as you add participants the voice quality in the conference call degrades.  The more people you add the worse the overall quality of the conference call. 
  • Most people have difficulty operating the conference call function on a phone system – Since there is no standard on how the phone systems assemble a conference call you will need to learn how to assemble a conference call using the phone system.  Most people do not use this function often enough to be proficient at it and are not able to smoothly carry out the procedure.

The bottom line is a phone system does not provide a high quality conference call experience compared to a conference call service.  A good conference call service company provides a service that is easy to use and gives you an experience that is equal in quality to meeting in person.  And at the rates that conference call services are currently available it is no wonder that most people opt to do a conference call using a conference call service instead of a phone system.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Don’t get burned by a Conference Call Service company

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

I speak to many customers who come to Zip Conferencing after being “burned” by another Conference Call Service company.  I guess it is a factor of the competitiveness of this business, but I can’t see how tricking your customers is going to help you in the long run.  Here are a few ways you can be misled by a conference call service company.

  • Access is not Toll Free – Many conference call companies including the Free Conference Call companies offer an attractive rate that may look good but actually have hidden charges.  Any conference call service company that pushes a local or toll connection is making you pay long distance charges to connect to your conference calls.  It doesn’t appear on your conference call bill but it will add to your bottom line cost for you and your participants.
  • Long Term Contracts – Some conference call companies will make you sign a long term contract in order to get a good rate for the conference calls.  If your business needs change or your conference call needs change you can find yourself paying a penalty to get out of a contract for services you no longer need.
  • Hidden Charges – Make sure that all of the charges you will get for the service are spelled out ahead of time.  Some conference call companies will fail to tell you about connection charges or set up charges that you did not expect when you signed up for the service.
  • Per Moderator Charges – Some companies will charge you to add users to your account who can hold conference calls.

The bottom line is you need to ask lots of questions when you are investigating which conference call company to choose.  Make sure your are doing an apples to apples comparison so that you can sort through all of the offers to determine who will provide the best conference call service at the best rates for your needs.  Be sure to check out Zip Conferencing and you will find that the rates for the conference call services are straight forward.  There are no set up fees, no contracts and you can cancel at any time.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Building the Best Conference Call Service in the World

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I have been in the conference call service industry since 1995 and in that time I have seen a number of conference call service companies from the inside out.  That is how I have been able to set out on my own and go about building the best conference call service company in the world.

When I first started to put ideas to paper on starting Zip Conferencing I began to put down all the ideas that have worked well for me over the years.  Naturally I would like to have a successful business.  But I also wanted to put into practice some of the ideas that may not be the most profitable ideas if you only look on the balance sheet, but provide a great amount of satisfaction for the customers.  Because I believe if you satisfy your customers you will be successful.  No one can sell your service better than a satisfied customer and it is always easier to retain a customer than gain a new one.  Some of the features of Zip Conferencing are simply there to make the conference call service experience better for our customers.

  • High Quality – You don’t have to worry about whether the call is going to work.
  • Feature Rich – The features available for our conference call and web conferencing services are hard to beat.
  • Self Service – I believe that customers would much rather service themselves, if you make it easy, than call into a call center, wait on hold, only to speak to an anonymous voice who may or may not do what you want them to do.  And will probably not tell you what the options are in the first place.  Zip Conferencing has an easy to use self service online account center that enables you to control just about every aspect of your account.
  • Dedicated Support – Every Zip Conferencing customer gets a name of a representative they can contact for assistance.  And out support is available 24/7 365 days a year.
  • Low Cost – I want our services to be available to businesses of all sizes.

The combination of these conference call service features are a culmination of my years of experience and desire to satisfy customer wants and desires for a conference call service company.  I think if you compare to other conference call service companies you will see that Zip Conferencing is built to be the best conference call service company in the world.

www.zipconferencing.com

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A Conference Call Service is a basic business need

Monday, December 21st, 2009

If you were to start a new business today you would put some thought into all the things you will need to outfit your business.  No matter what business you are in there are some basic things you will probably want like a copier, some envelopes, paper, business cards and so forth.  One thing you should definitely consider for outfitting your company is a conference call service.  Zip Conferencing, like many providers of conference call services does not charge you anything to sign up for their service and you are not charged anything unless you use the service.  It is just like putting a stapler in your drawer so you can pull it out when you need it.

A conference call service provides you a high quality, low cost way to communicate effectively with your prospects and employees.  Let’s face it, as a new business you have to be careful of cash flow.  You can’t really afford to fly around the country to meet with prospects and clients.  But you do need to meet with prospects if you want to sell anything, so what do you do?  A conference call service will allow you to meet with parties around the country without leaving your desk.  It is easy to see that you will save a lot of money if some of your meetings are done using a conference call service.  And from the prospective customer’s perspective, people are very used to being on a conference call or a web conference and it is more than acceptable to hold a meeting using a conference call service.  It is now standard business practice to hold a preliminary sale s call using a web conference.  And you can share everything you would share in an in person meeting using a very affordable platform that eliminates the need to travel.  In addition to the cost you will save by reducing the travel expeses you will also get a whole lot extra time to do things other than travel.  And with a new business time is a commodity you simply can’t get enough of.

So, if you are just starting out in business, a conference call service is an essential business tool you should hire for your company.  It is a basic tool that will definitely come in handy and you don’t want to have to find one when you do need it.  Hire one now and then it will be there when you need it.

www.zipconferencing.com

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A Conference Call Service Provider should be Your Partner

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

I think that everyone is aware that conference calls can save you time and money.  It is easy to figure that holding a conference call is going to save you money if the alternative is flying to someone’s location to hold a meeting.  But what I think a lot of people miss are all of the options available with a good conference call service provider.  I know when I started in the teleconferencing industry in 1995 I had been on conference calls and just assumed that it was just a simple matter of getting a dial in access number and a pass code and holding your conference call.  Boy, was I wrong.  Most people have no idea of all of the options available for audio conferences and web conferences.  And that is why a good conference call service company should act as your partner and help you discover all of the options available so that you can customize the conference calls you hold to fit the needs of your company.

Even just a plain automated conference call can be customized with a number options.  For instance you can vary how and whether you are notified when a participant enters or exits your conference call.   With Zip Conferencing you can have a tone play, play the participants name or have no sound at all when they enter or exit the conference call.  And all three options can be enabled when entering, exiting or both.  Some people want to make sure that the conference call can not be used when the Moderator of the conference call is not present.  You can set the option to have the participants listen to music while they wait for the moderator to join the conference call.  This prevents participants from being able to use the conference call information to hold their own conference call.  Another measure to ensure that participants are only able to use the conference call when the participants are present is the ability to close the conference call when the Moderator exits the call.

There are also tracking features that some people like to keep tabs on what the call was about.  For instance, an attorney want to track the calls so that they can charge back their clients for the cost of the conference call.  You can enable a feature on the conference call that requires a Moderator to enter an accounting code at the start of the conference call.  An attorney would enter a Client Matter # and then they could track this back to the client at the end of the month.

All of these options and more are available, but most people don’t use them.  It is most likely because their conference call service provider has not taken the time to describe these option, listen to their business needs and suggest ways to best use the conference call service to fit their business needs.  That is where the conference call service provider can be an invaluable partner for your business.

www.zipconferencing.com

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A Conference Call Service Reflects on Your Company

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

As a business we sometimes get caught up in saving money on the things we use in the business and forget to think about how it will reflect on the image of our company.  Let’s face it.  We’ve all done it.  Save a little money by replacing a reliable service or product with a cheaper one only to find that in most case, you really do get what you pay for.  It is the same with a conference call service company.  It is okay to switch to a new conference call vendor to save some money, but you do need to be careful about the service you are getting as the participants on the conference calls you run will see the conference call service you use as a reflection of your company.

You see, you are going to invite customers and prospects to attend meetings you hold via a conference call or web conference.  And it is important that the meeting have the kind of quality and reliability you expect.  After all, you would not invite your guests to a roadside motel where the lights don’t work for a meeting, right?  With a conference call service company it is not always so apparent to see the differences in the companies, but if you know what to look for, at least you will have a chance.

First of all something for free is rarely free.  In some way or another you are paying for the service.  Many times there are advertisements associated with free conference call service that the company is putting in front of your audience.  And invariably, the conference call service is not as good as a fee based service either.  Free conference calls make the participants pay to connect to the conference call because they have to dial a long distance number to connect to the call.  And the conference call service company can’t afford the latest equipment or services, or the best connections tot he telephone network either.  And they might not even have the conference call capacity to support your call when you need it.  All of these things cost money and free doesn’t pay for them.

Some of the conference call service companies are now offering unlimited capacity and rates that are less expensive than a long distance phone call.  How do they do that?  Well, they are probably offering a service based on VOIP technology.  Don’t get me wrong, VOIP has come a long way in the past 5 years, but would you trust your business to it?  Again, if it looks too good to be true it probably is. 

In the end you should be looking for a conference call service company that uses the latest conference call equipment, solid connections to the telephone network, back up network provisi0ns and provides service to back up their conference calls like Zip Conferencing.  Because when you hold an audio or web conference, the conference call service company you choose will reflect on your company.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Our Conference Call Service offers Service Beyond the Call

Monday, November 16th, 2009

I am sure there are several conference call service companies that offer a good conference call from a technical point of view.  What I mean is that you can call into the conference call without too many problems and the conference call quality once connected is decent and so forth.  But what happens if you need help?  Is the conference call service company there for you when you need them to be?

At Zip Conferencing we pride ourselves on not just providing the highest quality audio conferencing and web conferencing services available, but we also want to make sure that your needs are taken care of as well.  That is why we provide customer service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  And, because we know that people like to communicate in different ways we have supplied many different ways to communicate with us.  You can call us on the phone to speak to a representative or if you prefer, you can also chat with one of our representatives 24 hours a day as well.  The representatives that are available by chat are the same representatives that answer the phones and are well schooled in all of services and features of Zip Conferencing.  Or you can send us a Support Request Form via the web site to get an answer to your conference call question if you do not need an immediate answer.

In addition to the people behind the scenes at Zip Conferencing that are ready to assist you, you will find a helpful knowledge base of important conference call and web conferencing information.  The information is organized between conference call FAQs, How Tos and Billing questions.  You can even search the plentiful knowledge base or ask a question. 

We believe that just providing a conference call is not enough.  Standing behind the audio and web conferences that we provide with service is one of the important differentiators between us and other conference call service companies.  And if you ever have a questions about your conference call service I am sure you will agree.

www.zipconferencing.com

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A Conference Call Service for Today

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

If you were going to sit back and design a conference call service, what would it look like?  What features would it have?  Given all the options in the service and technology industries you could really put together a service that delivers high quality conference calls at a low cost and contained all the convenient attributes you have come to expect in a service company these days.  Well, that is just what we did when we designed the Zip Conferencing conference call service.  Here is a list of some of the things you should expect in a conference call service designed for today.

  • High Quality – Nothing but the latest conference call service equipment connected directly to the best telecommunications carriers.  The entire conference call service network designed with back up power and equipment to insure reliability.
  • Full Featured – All of the features you would expect to find in a conference call service like line muting, call recording and roll call.  And even some features you may not expect like the ability to record your conference call and download a copy.
  • Personalization – The ability to design your own personal web space for conference calls and have your own greeting for your conference calls.  You can even upload your logo and customize the colors of your web interface to match your company’s.
  • Account Access – The account access and convenience of an ATM with the ability to have control over all aspects of your account.  You can add Moderators and conferences and control conference call options like music on hold.
  • Personal Service – The ability to talk to a person 24/7 if you have any questions.  Our representatives are here to assist you whenever you have any questions about how to use the service.  Our technical representatives will assist you and your participants onto a conference call and can even assist you from within your conference call.
  • Flexible Pricing Plans – An easy to understand pricing plan that includes options for low and high volume users.  Our Pay-As-You-Go conference call service pricing plan has no recurring monthly charges so you only pay for what you use.
  • No Long Term Contracts – A service that keeps its customers because it delivers great service at a great price and not because customers have to sign long term contracts.

Zip Conferencing provides all this and more.  We are proud to have designed a conference call service that is designed for today’s market.  If you compare all of the features and services that Zip Conferencing provides I think you will agree that there is no better option in the market today for a conference call service.

www.zipconferencing.com

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The Difference in Conference Call Services is Service

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Since I have been in the conference call service industry for over 14 years, I have tried to share some of my knowledge of what is behind the curtain at a conference call service company.  And there are a number of differences that you can and cannot see when you look at different conference call service companies.  But many times you will never feel the difference unless you have an issue with a conference call service company you may not notice if they have a back up system, etc.  What you can feel and should feel right from the start is service.

With the declining rates for conference calls many conference call companies are looking for ways to cut costs just like any other industry.  And in the conference call industry the two biggest expenses are the telecommunication costs and the cost of personnel.  Since the telecommunications costs are near the bottom, the only place to really save any money is on personnel.  The problem is that customers want a low rate but they also want to be able to talk to a person if they have questions or problems.  So, when a conference call company takes away a customers ability to talk to a person there is a definite drop in the level of service the customer receives.  That is why at Zip Conferencing I have refused to reduce the number of personnel that interface with the customer.  In fact, I continue to grow that staff in relationship to the number of customers because I am a customer myself and I know how much I value the availability of a human being when I have a question or problem.

Here at Zip Conferencing, there is a person available to speak to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  And every account is assigned an Account Manager to help them with their conference calls.  That way each customer will have a positive experience and I believe the best way to build a business is through referrals.  How does the saying go?  Have a good customer experience and you will tell 3 people, but have a bad customer experience and you will tell 10 people.  So, the long term benefits of providing exceptional customer service in a conference call service company easily outweigh the short term economics of slashing personnel to attempt to improve profitability.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Services with No Contracts

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

I have been in this business for a long time and in a service business like this I feel it is important to build a conference call service that customers will appreciate so that they will continue to use the conference call service for a long time.  And this philosophy has paid off over the years as customers have referred other customers to my conference call service company and thus the business has grown.  What surprises me, in this day and age with all the competition available, that some conference call service companies can make you sign a long term contract in order to buy their service.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a business person I certainly understand the value of a contract with a customer, but in the end a customer will get out of a contract if they want to.  So, what is the value of having someone sign a contract for your conference call service if they are simply going to leave you when the contract expires because they don’t like your service.  It seems to me that you really are only as good as your last conference call and as a conference call service provider you should be confident enough in the level of your service that you don’t need to strap people down in order to be confident that they are not going to leave you.

Another reason I feel conference call service companies should be flexible with customers is sometimes customers don’t need to run a conference call every month or sometimes their business needs change and as a service provider I feel a conference call service provider should be aware of that.

Anyway, as a customer I would certainly be wary of any service that I am going to subscribe to that makes me sign a contract right away.  With Zip Conferencing there are no contracts and no long term commitments for our conference call services and I think that is the way it should be.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service Reviews

Monday, September 28th, 2009

So, what makes for a good conference call service?  Is there a difference in conference call service providers?  What are the main things that you should make sure you get in a conference call service.

I have been in the conference call service business for over 14 years, so I know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in a conference call service company.  But, for the average user, has no idea and so many of the conference call service providers look the same from the outside how would anyone know the difference?  Maybe I can shed some light on some of the main things to look for in a conference call service company so you know what to look for and what to watch out for when selecting a provider.

  • Services
  • Quality
  • Reliability
  • Support

Services

First, you should make sure that the conference call service provider you are looking at has the service to match your needs.  You will need to know how many conference calls per month your company does.  This is easily calculated by finding out what the average number of people on a conference call is and how long, in minutes that they are typically on the conference call.  If most calls have 4 – 5 people for about an hour you simply take the number of participants (4) times the number of minutes (60 for an hour) and you will see that you generate 240 minutes per conference call.  Then by taking the number of conference calls per week that you do you can determine the number of minutes per month.  If you do about 3 conference calls per week then 3 times 240 times 4 weeks in a month gives you 2,880 conference call minutes per month.

Now that you know how much conferencing you do you should confirm the features that the conference call service provider offers to make sure it is what you expect.  Most conference calls that you have probably used in the past are the type that is called reservationless.  You are assigned a toll free access number and a passcode to get into the conference call.  Unless you want your participants to have to pay long distance charges while they access your conference calls you should make sure that the access is toll free.

There are a number of other features that you may or may not need so you should make a list of the things you need in a conference call service and confirm that the provider you are looking at does offer them because not all conference call service providers offer the same services.  A few features to consider are recording of conference calls, transcription, host controls, online account access and volume control on the conference call.

Quality

Quality really comes down to one simple thing.  Does the conference call sound good?  The sound on a conference call is really based on two factors, the conference call equipment itself and the network that connects the conference call equipment to the telephone network itself.  Since there are many options for a conference call service provider to choose from here, your best indication of quality is the conference call itself.  Can you clearly hear the participants, etc.  Most conference call service companies will offer a free trial of some sort to hear the quality of the conference call.

Reliability

Reliability is a tough thing to measure when looking at a conference call service company.  But you can find out a little about their infrastructure to give you an idea of how reliable their network may prove to be.  Does the company have more than one piece of conference call equipment?  If there is a problem on the conference call equipment your conference call is on can they move your conference call to another piece of equipment?  What long distance network are they using?  A major provider like AT&T or Sprint will have a network that provides some redundancy in the event of a problem where a smaller provider may not. 

Support

And finally, support.  You may never need to lean on a conference call service provider’s support team, but if you do will they be there when you need them?  Does the conference call service company offer 24/7 support?  Do they assign a representative to your account to provide a contact in case you have questions or issues that need to be addressed?  What about online support?  Does the conference call service company offer online self help in the form of a searchable database, user guides and account access tools so that you can make changes to your conference calls yourself?

So, when you are reviewing conference call service companies, remember that price alone should not be the only thing you look at to determine which company is right for you.

www.zipconferencing.com

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The Joy of being a Conference Call Service Provider

Monday, September 14th, 2009

I have been in the telecommunications business over 25 years and been a conference call service provider business since 1995.  When I first started in this industry I had no idea of the complexity of the business, the amazing number of applications the service is used for and the importance of a quality conference call service to the customers that use it everyday.  Now after fourteen years of providing such a valuable business service I can not imagine doing anything else.

Conference call services have evolved over the past fourteen years but their value to businesses has only grown and grown.  Especially in an economy like we are going through today, a quality conference call service provides businesses a way to cut costs without having their business processes suffer.  Meetings can still happen without the need to travel to far reaching locations, sales can meet with customers, employees can still be trained to provide a higher level of service to customers without having to attend a training class in some distant city and a conference call service provides an alternative to countless other costly travel plans. 

In an effort to save money, companies are discovering the other benefits of conference calls such as shortening the sales cycle.  Without conference calls, sales would have to travel to the customer site to perform a presentation or sales demonstration.  With the aid of web conferencing and a conference call, sales can perform a full scale sales presentation right from their desktop.  Beyond the cost of the visit, the salesperson has more time to perform other demonstrations for more customers.  A conference call service is more convenient for the salesperson and their prospective customer.  The same goes for other departments as well.  With a conference call, people don’t have to spend time getting to a conference room, waiting for the meeting to start and then returning to their desk.  Conference call service meeting attendees simply hang up the phone and return to work.  This increase in productivity is very important when your business is trying to do more work with less personnel.

And throughout your business, you will find that communication improves in general.  Making sure that everyone is on the same page is essential to running an effective business and staying in touch through a conference call service makes sure that even remote employees get the same message at the same time as the other employees. 

Now that I have been providing this essential service to businesses for over fourteen years I understand the importance of it in their everyday lives.  Providing a high quality conference call service is not an option it is a necessity.  Businesses rely on conference calls like never before and being able to provide this essential service is a very rewarding experience.  I take my responsibility in being a conference call service provider very seriously and I hope you value the service enough to make sure you get the best service available.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Is a Conference Call Service a Commodity?

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

In the past 15 years I have watched the average cost of a conference call service go from over 20 cents per minute to less than 10 cents per minute.  In that time one of the fundamental costs of the conference call service business, the cost of telecommunications, has dropped a lot so conference call service companies have been able to get more aggressive in their pursuit of new business by dropping rates as well.  As prices continue to fall and conference call service companies continue to think up new ways to package pricing to make the rates more attractive I thought it would be good to examine if a conference call service is a commodity.

In the eyes of the consumer on the surface it is difficult to see any difference certainly in a conference call service, especially if you are not too familiar with conference call features and so forth.  But, behind the curtain there are many things that distinguish differences in conference call services.  Some are plain to see, like the type of access the conference call service company offers.  A local access number is less cost to the conference call service company so they can charge less, but you will incur hidden cost by having to call a long distance number to connect to the conference call.  Another obvious difference can be the number of participants allowed on a conference call.  The more participants you can get on a call raises the cost of available equipment to the conference call service company.  And support is another cost that cannot be hidden.  If the conference call service company offers 24/7 support, which you would want, they will need to pass that cost on as well.

Some of the costs that you may not see, but you should look for in a conference call service company are the quality of its network, a redundant network to avoid catastrophic failure and the personal support you need to help you when you need it.  Zip Conferencing has taken all of the possible precautions to make sure that your conference calls are available when you need them and the support you need to make sure you get the most out of the service.  And all of the things that make for a high quality experience with a conference call service company have a cost to them.  So, even though they may all look the same on the outside, conference call service companies are not all the same.  And because of all the differences you can and cannot see, a conference call service is not a commodity.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service or Do-It-Yourself?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

There have been do-it-yourself conference call service appliances available on the market for many years.  And like the conference call service pricing, the appliances have gotten less and less expensive.  So does it make financial sense to buy an in house solution or continue to use a conference call service?

There are several issues to consider if you think that you do enough conference calls to think about buying an in house solution.  The biggest reason to even think about firing your conference call service provider is cost.  And most of the things to consider revolve around some aspect of cost.  What are some of the costs when you want to do conference calls yourself?

  • Cost of the Conference Call Appliance
  • Telecommunications Cost
  • Maintenance Cost
  • Personnel Cost

Cost of the Conference Call Appliance – The cost of a conference call appliance can be anywhere from one thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The equipment used by conference call service providers, like Zip Conferencing, is hundreds of thousands of dollars.  But if you want to try to do-it-yourself with a lower cost piece of conference call equipment your are going to pay at least a thousand dollars for it.

Telecommunications Cost – The biggest cost to providing a conference call service is the telecommunications cost.  You have to get circuits terminated to the equipment and there is a monthly cost to that and then you have to pay the variable cost of the calls themselves. 

Maintenance Cost – Buying a piece of conference call equipment is just the beginning.  Next you will need to pay a maintenance fee to the manufacturer of the equipment to remain up to date with the software that runs the machine.  Like any  other computer on your network, you will need keep the machine up to date if you expect to have the latest security, patches anf eatures to keep the conference call equipment up to date.

Personnel Cost – And lastly, you will need to have someone in your company assigned to maintaining the conference call equipment.  No matter how self service the conference call equipment is, you will still need to maintain it and administer it.  If someone in your company is performing this function there is a cost to you.

So, let’s say you can pay $.01 per minute for toll free traffic to the conference call equipment.  On the surface sounds like you could buy a piece of conference call equipment and save money.  The circuits for the telecommunications connections are at least $1,000 per month for a T-1 which only provides 24 circuits.  So if you want more than 24 total conference call connections at a time in your company you will need more than 1 circuit.  Maintenance on the equipment is going to be at hundreds or thousands of dollars a year depending on the equipment and then someone is going to need to administer the conference call equipment.

You can see how your per minute cost for conference calls can quickly get over $.05 per minute and that is if you do thousands of minutes per month.  It is hard to beat using a conference call service when you get the latest features, no maintenance and 24/7 support for less than $.05 per minute.  A conference call service provider like Zip Conferencing is a better choice for anyone needing a conference call service.   www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service Support

Monday, August 24th, 2009

No matter how self service our world becomes, everybody needs a little help now and then.  And Zip Conferencing’s conference call service is no different.  In fact, even though our conference call service has more ways to assist you than most conference call services, we also offer good old fashioned personal assistance too.  That’s right, you can actually talk to a human being if you need help with our conference call services.

Zip Conferencing’s conference call service offers a variety of ways to support your needs and answer your questions. 

  • Self service Knowledgebase full of FAQs, How Tos and User Guides
  • 24/7 customer service and conference call technical support
  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Online Chat
  • Support Contact Form 

 Knowledgebase – The online Knowledgebase is stuffed with useful information.  There are three main sections that make up the conference call service Knowledgebase.  The FAQ section keeps track of the most frequently asked questions.  The How To section explains step by step how to perform all of the functions necessary to maintain your conference call service account and the Meeting Guides section offers helpful hints on using a conference call service.  You can visit the ZIp Conferencing Knowledgebase here http://www.zipconferencing.com/kb/

24/7 customer service and conference call technical support – In case you need assistance with any call or question and you prefer to speak to a representative you can call our toll free number any day, anytime.

Dedicated Account Manager – An Account Manager is assigned to your account and becomes familiar with the details of your account to ensure your satisfaction.

Online Chat – If you prefer Chat over the phone you can also chat with a representative 24/7

Support Contact Form – If you prefer to contact us via email there is an online Support Contact Form available.

We have provided so many ways to contact us because we understand that your conference call service provider should be there when you need them and be able to be contacted the way you want to contact them.  Conference call service support is one of the many things that many customers do not think about when choosing a conference call service providers, but it is certainly noticed when you need it.  Be sure to compare the conference call service support options when choosing a provider.  www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service Support is the Key

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Everyone these days thinks that since the conference calls are automated you will not need to speak to anyone.  And in many cases this is true.  Conference calls have become so reliable that you rarely will have any issues that require any support or interaction with a conference call service provider customer service representative.  And the services are self explanatory enough that you really don’t need anyone to tell you how to do a conference call.  But let’s face it, everyone needs a little help with things from time to time and your conference call service is no different.

So maybe you have a question about how the conference calls operate, or maybe you forgot your password and can’t remember your conference call passcode.  Okay, well now regardless of price you are going to need to talk to someone at your conference call service provider or have access to the information to answer your question.  Zip Conferencing has developed a web site that allows its conference call service customers to access a large amount of information in a searchable knowledge base.  There are the answers to virtually any question you may have about the conference call service and if the answer doesn’t exist you can submit your question and the knowledge base will grow when the answer to your conference call service question is answered.

But our conference call service support doesn’t stop there.  If you need personal help with a representative you can speak to someone twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.  Because conference calls can happen anytime so can the support you get.  And that is important in a conference call service provider.  Because no matter what any conference call company tells you, there are going to be times when you need the support of a representative who can answer questions about your conference call and resolve any issues that might exist.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Applications – Training/HR

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Training sessions and and communication of HR policies are essential to any business.  New employees especially are in need of training and HR policy education and you can deliver effective training and communication from a distance with conference call services and web conference services.

Training Programs

Combining Audio and Web Conferencing services provides an effective way to deliver Training and Communication from a distance without the need to incur travel costs or spend the time necessary to go to remote locations. The features included in our conference calls and web conferences make your presentations powerful and yet easy to use.

  • Increase productivity – deliver more training in less time without the need to travel
  • Reduce Costs – eliminate travel costs 
  • Deliver Training and Communication more frequently –  conduct more training sessions more frequently and reach a wider audience

 

 

Conference Call Services to Help You Deliver Effective Training

  • Audio Conference Calls – A conference call allows you to deliver a consistent message to a large audience.  Host controls allow you to be in charge of the meeting and deliver your training in an effective way without audience interruption.  
  • Web Conferencing - Web Conferencing allows you to deliver your message in pictures as well as words improving audience interaction and retention of the information.  Our easy to use Web Conferencing tool enables anyone to be an effective presenter in minutes. 

 

 

Key Features

  • Host Audio Controls
    Control your audio conference using Host Controls through your telephone that allow you to mute all participants, take a roll call, conduct sub-conferences and more.
  • Distribute Information
    Allow participants to download files of your presentation at the end of your presentation.
  • Audience Participation
    Engage your participants throughout the presentation with the use of Q&A and Polling questions to keep them engaged in your presentation.
  • Branded Interface
    You can brand your online interface and the Web Conferencing tool itself with your logo to personalize your interface and put onn a more professional appearance to your online meetings.
  • Multimedia Content
    Your presentationscan include visual elements to egage your audience.
  • Polls and Surveys
    Conduct Q&A, Polling and surveys using Web Conferencing’s tools.
  • Invite Participants 
    You can invite your participants through the web conferencing interface or simply invite your participants to your online conferencing Hub where they can join web conferences.
  • Record and Playback
    You can record the audio and visual portion of your conference call and allow participants to view or listen to your presentation after the completion of the conference call.

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