Posts Tagged ‘Few Minutes’

Summertime Conference Calls

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Here it comes!  Summertime.  And we all look forward to spending time doing the things we love and spending time away from the office.  So why would I want to talk about conference calls in the summertime?  Well, when you thin about it getting on a conference call to stay in touch with things is sometimes a much better option than having to go into the office to meet with people.  In fact, summertime conference calls can really save your summer vacation.  How can a conference call be a good thing?

  • Conference Calls can be attended from Anywhere- I have taken a conference call in some mighty strange places.  But that is because I have not let the need to attend a conference call get in the way of a vacation day.  But I will never complan if I have to leave my chair at the beach for a few minutes to go to the air conditioned car where it is not windy so I can get on a conference call.  The alternative is I can’t go to the beach at all because I have to go to the office for a meeting.  So take your conference call wherever you need to as they don’t care if you are at the beach, boat, camp or wherever.  If your phone works so will your conference call. 
  • A Conference Call can happen Anytime – I have also been on a conference call at all times of the day.  With people all around the world being able to join a conference call with Zip Conferencing I have been on calls all hours of the day.  But wherever I am when the call happens I simply need to get on the telephone and can do that from the comfort of my home and go back to bed if necessary.
  • A Web Conference is Just like being There- If you add a web conference to your conference call you can colloborate with others just like you are in the room with them.  So if you really need to get some work done all you need is a PC and in internet connection and you can literally do whatever you need to do from a meeting standpoint from anywhere in the world.

So don’t think of a conference call as an interruption on your vacation but as simply a way you can do what needs to be done for work without the need to disrupt your summer.  Enjoy the summer!

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An Audio Conferencing Service Can Save the Snow Day

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Not sure where you are, but here in the frozen Northeast having an audio conferencing service is saving an otherwise dreadful winter.  We just can’t seem to catch a break with the winter weather and getting to work has become downright impossible on at least one day a week.  But with an audio conferencing service, businesses are able to continue to hold meetings and remain productive throughout the winter.  An audio conferencing service can really save the day in case of an emergency or like we have seen lately, a snow day.

The Zip Conferencing audio conferencing service is easy to use, reliable and offers features you will not find everywhere. And within a few minutes after signing up for the service you can be holding your first conference call.  Here are some of the features that the Zip Conferencing audio conferencing service offers.

  • Up to 300 Participants- Our audio conferencing service allows you to have up to 300 participants on a conference call at any time.  Many other audio conferencing service providers limit the number of participants you can have on the conference call to a just a few.  And you may think you will never need 300 participants on a call but isn’t it nice that it is there if yoiu need it?
  • No Reservations Needed – Our audio conferencing service does not require any reservations.  Whenever you need to hold a conference call you simply provide your participants with the dial in access number and pass code.  There is no need to reserve time for your call.
  • Host Controls- As host or moderator you will have access to a number of controls within the conference call with our audio conferencing service.  You can mute and unmute all participants, adjust the volume of the conference call and your line into the call, record the conference call, conduct a subconference and lock the conference to new participants.  In order to personalize your conference call you can also record your own conference introduction that will be heard by your participants when they join the conference call.
  • Customized Options – Our audio conferencing service also provides the administrator the ability to change a number of options for the conference call so that you can truly customize the way the conference call works.  You can decide whether you would like to have tones in the conference call when participants enter and exit.  You can also control whether the participants can speak to each other before you join the conference call and after you leave.  You can have them listen to music on hold and wait for you to join the conference call and then have the call breakdown when you leave the call.  You can even make it so that the participants on the conference call are required to record their name in order to join the call.  This recording can be used to announce their entry into the conference call and to provide you with a roll call of participants after you join. 

So don’t let a snow day slow you down.  Our audio conferencing service can turn an otherwise unproductive day into a productive one quickly and easily.

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Hosting a successful Conference Call

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

What This Guide Provides

This guide was designed to walk you through the steps to coordinating and hosting a successful conference call.
 
INVITE YOUR PARTICIPANTS
Send your guests, via email, fax, or word of mouth, the information listed below. All of the conference codes and Dial-In numbers can be found online by accessing your account.
 
Design an Invitation:
Date/Time of conference – you may want to include an agenda.
It is recommended that you inform your Guests to log into the conference no less than 5 minutes prior to start time. Guests joining the meeting prior to the Host will be placed on hold listening to music until the Host activates the conference.
 
Audio Conference Dial-In Info:
·          Instruct guests to dial into the Audio Conference approximately 5 minutes prior to the conference
·          Provide Dial-In phone number
·          Provide Guest Code
·          Require attendees to refrain form putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference. 

PRE-CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS

·          Set an agenda for the meeting.
·          If possible, send the agenda to all meeting participants.
·          Send out a reminder to participants for calls scheduled far in advance.
·          Make sure you are in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed
ACTIVATE THE CONFERENCE CALL
 
·          Be on time! It helps if the host or chairperson dials into the conference a few minutes early. This avoids confusion if guests dial-in early.
·          Turn off call-waiting. Most call-waiting features can be deactivated by dialing 70# before dialing into the conference.
·          Dial into the call using either the Toll Free or Direct Dial-In number provided. You will be prompted to enter your passcode.
·          Conduct a roll call to find out who has joined your conference.
·          Remind attendees to refrain form putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference.           Instruct everyone to state their names when speaking to avoid confusion. For example, “This is Karen, and I’d like to see…”
 
 
DURING THE CONFERENCE CALL
 
·          Ask for feedback from specific participants instead of from the entire group.
·          Postpone any discussions that are not relevant to the conference for another date and time.
·          Promptly deal with any noise or distractions.
·          Summarize the issues discussed and recap any action items resulting from the call.
·          Clearly state when you are ending the conference. Often a guest can be left on the line not realizing that the conference has ended.
www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Calls – The Basics

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

I take it for granted that people have done conference calls before, but if you believe the analysts the market for conference calling services is only penetrated at a rate of 58%.  That means that 42% of the possible customers for conference calling are not using the services today.  Which means that many of you have never done a conference call.  Here is a simple guide to holding a successful conference call.

INVITE YOUR PARTICIPANTS
Send your guests, via email, fax, or word of mouth, the information listed below. All of the conference call codes and Dial-In numbers can be found online by accessing your account when you sign up for Zip Conferencing.
 
Design an Invitation:
Date/Time of conference call – you may want to include an agenda.
It is recommended that you inform your Guests to log into the conference call no less than 5 minutes prior to start time.  Your guests can speak together prior to you joining the call.  You can change that by accessing conference call options in your account and change it so that the guests listen to music and can not speak prior to you joining.
 
Audio Conference Dial-In Info:
·          Instruct guests to dial into the Audio Conference approximately 5 minutes prior to the conference
·          Provide Dial-In phone number
·          Provide Guest Code
·          Require attendees to refrain form putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference. 

PRE-CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS

·          Set an agenda for the meeting.
·          If possible, send the agenda to all meeting participants.
·          Send out a reminder to participants for calls scheduled far in advance.
·          Make sure you are in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed
ACTIVATE THE CONFERENCE CALL
 
·          Be on time! It helps if the host or chairperson dials into the conference a few minutes early. This avoids confusion if guests dial-in early.
·          Turn off call-waiting. Most call-waiting features can be deactivated by dialing 70# before dialing into the conference.
·          Dial into the call using either the Toll Free or Direct Dial-In conference call number provided. You will be prompted to enter your passcode.
·          Conduct a roll call to find out who has joined your conference.
·          Remind attendees to refrain from putting the call on hold, as some companies have hold music that would disrupt the conference.           Instruct everyone to state their names when speaking to avoid confusion. For example, “This is Karen, and I’d like to see…”
 
 
DURING THE CONFERENCE CALL
 
·          Ask for feedback from specific participants instead of from the entire group.
·          Postpone any discussions that are not relevant to the conference for another date and time.
·          Promptly deal with any noise or distractions.
·          Summarize the issues discussed and recap any action items resulting from the call.
·          Clearly state when you are ending the conference. Often a guest can be left on the line not realizing that the conference has ended.
You will find that if you treat the conference call just like an in-person meeting you will get the same results.
www.zipconferencing.com

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