I remember when large companies that did a lot of conference calls would naturally think about getting a conference call bridge of their own because they could save a lot of money over time instead of using a service. This made a lot of sense 15 years ago when the average rate for a conference call service was 50 cents per minute. Companies that were spending literally millions of dollars a year on a conference call service could buy a conference call bridge for $100,000+ and make up the amount spent in capital dollars rather quickly. But now that the rates have come down for a conference call service does it still make any sense to look for a conference call bridge? Here are a few things to think about if you are shopping for a conference call bridge.
- Cost of the Equipment – The cost of a conference call bridge has also come down just like the rates for conference calls. But as I point out, the cost of the conference call bridge is just the first cost you will need to pay. The cost of the equipment varies greatly as well depending on the type of equipment you get and whether you are going to connect it to an IP connection or regular phone circuits. But even if someone gives you a conference call bridge you may want to think again before you accept it because the cost of the equipment is a one time cost but the other costs will be with you forever.
- Telecommunications Cost- Once you have a conference call bridge you need to conenct it to the network so people can talk to each other. No matter what type of connection you have for the equipment you will need to dedicate circuits to the bridge. The cost of the circuits is a monthly constant and then you need to pay for the usage on the circuits because even with an IP type connection you still have to have telephone numbers come into the circuits and if you want a toll free connection that is another factor.
- Maintenance Cost – The equipment, like any PC or similar piece of equipment will need to be maintained. The company that sold you the equipment may discount the equipment itself but they will always get you with the maintenance. You really can’t let maintenance lapse as you will want support if somethings goes wrong.
- Personnel Cost – Even an automated type conference call bridge is going to eat up personnel resources in your company. Someone needs to maintain the equipment, add users, troubleshoot, etc. So you need to make sure you have someone in your company that is technically savvy enough to deal with all of the elements involved.
As you can see, buying and maintaining your own conference call bridge is not an easy proposition. It is easy to see why the conference call services industry continues to grow. You are generally much better concentrating on what you do best and leaving the conference calls to the experts like Zip Conferencing.