Posts Tagged ‘Exit’

Flexible Audio Conference Calling Services are Better

Friday, October 21st, 2011

There is a reason that everyone doesn’t drive the same car and audio conference calling services are no different.  Different people like different options, colors and equipment no matter what you are talking about.  So why do so many people put up with the same audio conference calling service options?  Even in the same company why would the President of the company want to have the same options for their audio conference calling services as everyone else in the company?  With Zip Conferencing we allow you to customize the options within your audio conference calling so it is just the way you like it.  Here are some of the audio conference calling options that you can control with Zip Conferencing.

  • Entry and Exit Tones – One of the main things people like to alter with our audio conference calling services are the entry and exit tones in the conference call.  With most conference call service providers you either get entry and exit tones, which are the tones that sound when participants enter and exit the conference call, or you do not.  With Zip Conferencing you decide if you want a tone to sound when a participant joins the conference call or when they exit.  You can also have their name announced when they enter the conference call.
  • Music on Hold – With our audio conference calling services you can allow participants to speak to each other before the Moderator or Host of the conference call joins or you can make it so the participants listen to music on hold until the Host joins the call. 
  • PIN number entry – For additional security with our audio conference calling services you can require participants to enter a PIN, Personal Identification Number, when they join the conference call.  This will also identify for you who has joined the call.
  • Record Name/Roll Call – As Host of the conference call you can require participants to record their name when they join the conference call.  As Host of the call you can then listen to a roll call of participants when you join the call or have their names announced when they enter and exit the conference call. 
  • End conference when Moderator exits – As a Host of our audio conference calling services you are also in control of when the conference call ends.  You can let the participants keep talking, enter a command on your phone to end the call or set the call up ahead of time to end when you exit the call.
  • Post Conference Report – As host of the conference call you can also get a post conference report that shows the detail of the call via email.  On the report you will see the participants, the number they dialed in from and the duration they were on the call as well as the total duration of the conference call.

In addition to the options listed here, as a Host, you also have commands you can access while on a conference call.  You can mute lines, control volume and even record the conference call by using touch tone commands on your telephone.  So why settle for whatever the conference call provider wants to give you when flexible conference calling services are so much better.

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Fewer Conference Call Interruptions

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Anyone who has been on a conference call has experienced interruptions during the call.  I am going to provide some recommendations to keeping these interruptions to a minimum so you can have the most productive meeting possible.  Here are some of the ways that conference calls suffer interruptions and the ways to avoid those interruptions.

  • Sounds when people enter/exit the call – There is a feature used by most conference call service providers that has a tone play when a participant enters or exits the conference call.  Some people like this feature because they are able to know when a new person has joined a conference call.  But if you are less concerned about keeping track of people joining then you are about the noise this introduces into the call with Zip Conferencing you can turn these tones off.  In fact with our customizable conference options you can have a tone play only when participants enter the call or when they exit the call or none at all.  You can even have their name play instead of just a tone.
  • Background noise from participants- Many times people will multi-task when they are on a conference call.  The sound of typing is a very common noise heard on conference calls as participants do work while they listen to a call.  And today many people work from home and introduce all the sounds of their home into the conference call as well.  Kids, dogs and doorbells are all noises you are likely to hear on a conference call.   And then there is the cell phone which can make it easy to participate in a conference call from anywhere but introduce the noises from anywhere onto the call.  The best way to combat  all of the exterior noises is to make sure all of the participants use the mute feature whenever they are not speaking.  With Zip Conferencing it is a simple *6 command on your telephone to mute and unmute yourself.  So as the Host simply make people aware at the start of the call to use mute whenever they are not adding anything to the discussion and you will save yourself a lot of noise interruptions.
  • Unidentified speakers- You may find yourself on a call with a number of people you are not completely familiar with so when someone speaks you may not recognize their voice.  It is good conference call etiquette to introduce yourself when you are speaking.  A simple introduction will avoid any mistaken identity issues and keep everyone on the same page.  With Zip Conferencing you can also log into the conference call using your PC and see who is speaking by observing the talk icon on the screen.
  • Participants joining late – As a host it is important to start conference calls on time so people get used to the fact that your meetings will start on time.  As a further enforcement you can lock the conference call after you start your call so that no one else can join.  The *94 command will lock the call and not allow additional participants.  This may be a bit harsh but people will remember to join on time the next time.

Zip Conferencing has a number of tools to assist you with keeping the noise on a conference call to a dull roar.

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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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