Posts Tagged ‘Access Number’

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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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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Conference Calls make the World a Smaller Place

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

A conference call has the ability to bring people together from great distances so that they can meet when it otherwise would be impossible.  And today, with the globalization of many companies there really is no better option than a conference call to keep your organization going around the world.  And with Zip Conferencing you can even have your participants around the world dial into the conference in their country.  We routinely have customers who will have participants on a conference call that are in Europe, Asia and the US at the same time.  There is not an easier more cost effective solution to hold a meeting with participants in these locations than a conference call.

There are currently 40 cities where you can dial a local number in that city to connect to a conference call with Zip Conferencing that can have participants on it from around the world.  Any size company can look like a large company when you have the ability to have your customer in Paris dial a local number to get on a conference call with you in the United States and you can also share a presentation by using web conferencing as well.  The way it works is there are 40 cities around the world that have a local access number that transports the participant to the United States conferencing center through our network.  So, what looks like a local number to them is actually a connection all the way back in the United States to the conference call. 

Another way to connect from around the world is by using an International Toll Free access number that is available in over 30 countries around the world.  If someone is in France but not local to Paris they can still join the conference call by dialing a toll free number in France and they will get connected to the conference call in the United States with you.  The Toll Free access is a little more expensive but certainly impressive when your customer or prospect is dialing a toll free number outside the United States to join your conference call.

As technology progresses the world continues to get smaller and with an International conference call you can help make the world a lot smaller for your company.

www.zipconferencing.com

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From Russia with Conference Calls

Monday, October 26th, 2009

I guess the cold war has really officially ended.  Zip Conferencing now offers local number access for participants of your conference calls from Moscow and St. Petersburg.  That’s right, you can access our conference calls from Russia. 

The world continues to shrink and businesses continue to expand so it is only normal to have enough demand for conference call services in places all over the world including Russia.  In fact there are participants on our conference calls from all corners of the globe.  That is why over time we have continues to expand the coverage of our network to include access from every major city in the world.  There are a couple of ways to access conference calls from outside the United States.

Toll Number Access – The most common way to access a conference call from outside the United States has always been by using the toll or local number provided with a conference call.  That is because the toll free number is not accessible from outside the Untied States, but you can call a local number in the United States from anywhere.  The one drawback to this type of access is that the participants have to pay the long distance charges to access the call from outside the Untied States.  Which if it is an internal company call this may not be a bad thing, but you certainly don’t want a customer or prospect to have to pay to join your call.

International Local Access – Zip Conferencing provides access through local numbers in a number of large cites internationally.  That way if a participant is in that city they simply have to call a local number in their city to get on a conference call in the United States.  Thay way they also don’t need to pay any long distacne charges to access the conference call.  It is just like any other local call to them.

International Toll Free Access – For participants who are not located in a major city that has a local access number, they can dial into the conference call using an International Toll Free access number.  No matter where they are in that country they can dial the toll free access number in their country and not incur any charges to access the conference call.  The only drawback to this service is that it is the most expensive way to access an international conference call.

The bottom line is that there are now many options on how to access a conference call from an international location.  And now with the addition of Moscow and St. Petersburg, there are very few locations that do not have an access number.

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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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 Access – Toll or Toll Free

Monday, August 31st, 2009

There are two basic ways to connect to a conference call, through a toll or toll free phone number.  Which one is best for you? 

Originally, the way you were connected to a conference call was to have the conference call operator call out to you and connect you to the conference call.  You didn’t have to worry about access numbers or codes, you simply waited for the call from the operator to come to you and connect you to the conference call.  These types of calls still exist, but they are generally expensive since an operator is involved in the process.  They are also not very convenient or even realistic in today’s environment when you could just as easily be joining the conference call from your cell phone while travelling.  So, when the reservationless type conference call was invented where you dial an access number and put in a passcode to connect to the conference call there were two main ways to connect, a toll free access number or a toll access number.  Ten years ago the cost of telecommunications was much higher and the cost of toll free access was much higher.  So, having an alternative made a lot of sense to some people.  Let’s examine both w2ays to connect to a conference call and see if having the local or toll connection still makes sense.

Toll or Local Access – A toll or local access number for a conference call is simply a number that is local to where the conference call equipment is located.  Since the conference call service company does not have to pay any long distance charges to get you connected to the equipment they can offer a lower rate to you.  Another advantage of this type of conference call access number is the fact that you access this number from anywhere in the world.  The disadvantage of this type of conference call access number is that you and your participants have to pay a toll charge to call this number.  Let’s say the conference call equipment is in Boston, MA and you are calling from California.  You will pay your long distance phone company a per minute charge to be connected tot he conference call quipment and the toll access charge to the conference call service company.  If you do not want you customer, prospect or employee to incur any charges for attending your conference call then you should not use this type of number.

Toll Free Access – A toll free access number for a conference call is an 800, 866 or 877 number that you would dial to connect to the conference call.  The conference call service company is typically going to charge a little more for this type of access because they are paying the long distance charges to connect you to the conference call.  The advantage on this type of number is that you or your participants do not have to pay any access charges to your long distance company to access the conference call.  This type of call is good if you do not want your participants to incur any hcarges to attend your conference call.

As prices for long distance have declined over the years there has become a smaller difference between the cost of local versus toll free access.  Today some companies, like Zip Conferencing, have rates so low that there is no difference between the cost of local and toll free access to the conference call.  And with rates less than 5 cents per minute it is hard to justify the reason to go with a local number since all of your participants will have to pay to get to your conference call.  The most convenient and now the lowest cost method to access a conference call these days is using a toll free access number.  www.zipconferencing.com

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