Posts Tagged ‘Prospects’

What is the difference in Conference Calling Providers?

Friday, June 24th, 2011

If you are shopping for a conference calling provider it can be pretty maddening on trying to tell the difference in the services.  Some of that is created by the conference calling providers themselves.  When I look at some of the ads that are used to attract new customers and then look into the actual offers it is easy to understand how people can get confused.  Here are some of the things you should look for when shopping for a conference calling provider.

  • Quality and Reliability – It is funny, but when I talk to customers I rarely get asked about the quality of the conference call service.  Maybe conference calling has really become a commodity in customer’s eyes and they simply assume that the service will work no matter which conference calling service provider they choose.  Having been in the teleconferencing industry for over 16 years I have intimate knowledge of what goes into making sure that there is quality and reliability in a conference call service.  And I can tell you that not every service is the same in respect to quality and reliability.  It takes a real commitment on the part of ownership to make sure you do everything to insure the service is available and ready when people need it to be.  At Zip Conferencing we have done everything possible to make sure we are delivering the highest quality and reliability available.  After all, isn’t this the most important aspect of the conference calling service?
  • Toll Free Service- When you look at many of the advertisements of the conference calling service providers out there you will see some pretty low rates and even “free” conference calling services.  The last thing you want is to have your participants paying hidden charges to attend your conference call.  Imagine inviting prospects to your presentation only to have them paying to get there.  It certainly takes something away from your presentation.  Nothing beats the convenience and peace of mind that toll free conference call services can provide.  And at the low rates they are available today why would you want to do anything else?
  • Features- You may not use every conference calling feature that is out there because there are many.  But there is also no reason to try to save money by signing up with a service that has only limited features available.  Zip Conferencing is a conference calling provider that offers low rates with a full featured service.  Many of the features simply make your life easier before and during your conference call and some are essential conference call tools.  Why not have them and a great rate too?
  • Support – Hopefully a conference calling provider service will not require a whole lot of support because it works and is easily understandable.  But if you should need support, especially when you are in the middle of an important conference call, wouldn’t you want it to be there?  Zip Conferencing is a conference calling provider that has support available 24/7 and can even join your conference call for assistance if necessary.  You may never need it but isn’t it nice to know it is there if you do?

Conference calling services are an important communications piece of your business.  Make sure you look closely under the hood before you buy and get a service you will be happy with for years to come.

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Go International with an International Conference Call

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

The worldwide marketplace has really opened up with the Internet and many small businesses are finding themselves with the prospect of being able to sell their goods and services internationally.  But many of these businesses hesitate because of the expense of trying to sell to companies overseas.  With an International Conference Call you begin to forge relationships with companies overseas without ever leaving your office.  An international conference call can bring you together with customers and prospects around the world at a minimal cost.  Zip Conferencing offers several ways to have your international participants connect to your international conference call.  You can choose the method based on where your participants are located and the cost of the connection.

  • US Local Number - The least costly way for you to have participants connect to your international conference call is to have them dial the local number here in the United States that comes with your conference call reservation.  The local number is reachable from anywhere in the world.  The only drawback to this method is that your participants will have to pay for the long distance call to reach the number here in the United States.
  • International Local Number- The next best option from a price perspective for your international conference call is to give your participants a phone number located in their country.  Zip Conferencing has local access numbers in over 40 countries around the world.  Participants in Paris, France, fro instance, would dial a number in Paris and be connected to your international conference call here in the United States.  Your participant will only pay whatever it costs them to dial a local number in their country.
  • International Toll Free Number – The most convenient way for international participants to connect to your international conference call is to dial a toll free number in their country.  That way they do not incur any charges associated with your conference call.  This is also the most expensive way to connect to your international conference call.  Zip Conferencing has toll free access numbers in over 40 countries around the world.

With Zip Conferencing’s International Conference Call service you can take your company global without much expense to you or your customers.  So what are you waiting for?  Go global with an international conference call.

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Business Conference Calling in any Economy

Monday, November 15th, 2010

I get asked all the time “How’s Business?” and since I became involved int he conference calling business in 1995 the answer has remained the same, “Business is Great!”.  That is because business conference calling makes good sense in any economy.  Certainly since 1995 I have been through growth economies and recessions and the growth of business conference calling has not really changed.  Why is that?  Well, let’s examine what is going on for businesses in a growth economy and a down economy ans see why business conference calling continues to grow in either economic condition.

Downturn in the Economy - Over the past couple of years during the recession business conference calling has continued to grow.  That is because businesses are trying to save time and money.  Saving money is easy to understand when the economy is bad.  Businesses are generally selling less and trying to conserve cash until sales pick up.  But most businesses still have to continue to sell what they can and spend less doing it.  Because business conference calling saves a lot of money compared to conducting in person meetings businesses are happy to spend money on conference calls.  When you think about the cost of getting people together, especially when they are located a great distance apart you can see why spending money on conference calls makes sense.  And in addition to saving money on travel, business conference calling save a great amount of time as well.  In a down economy businesses are trying to do with less resources because sales are off and they can’t afford to carry the same staff.  But they still have work to do and meetings to attend with customers and prospects.  Business conference calling really helps businesses to put what resources they have on the job and spread those resources over more responsibilities.  Someone can sit at their desk and through business conference calling attend meetings across the country all day.

Growing Economy – In a growing economy companies are trying everything they can think of to get the most out of the situation.  And many times the growth in the economy follows a period of downturn in the economy.  During the downturn businesses have laid people off and now they are trying to keep up with the growth with the resources they have so business conference calling can really help.  Someone can get more work done than if they attempted to attend all of the business meetings in person.  Sales can get to more prospects in a day using business conference calling than if they tried to attend all meetings in person.  And even in a growing economy saving money is always welcome.  So if your business is trying to get more done with less resources and save money doing it business conference calling makes all the sense in the world.

So it really doesn’t matter what the economy is doing.  Business conference calling continues to grow because it makes a lot of sense to businesses of all sizes.

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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 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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Conference Calls for Small Businesses

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

According to a lot of the pundits out there, including President Obama, there is a surge in the number of new businesses that are getting started.  This is because people have been laid off from their existing jobs and are starting out on their own instead of trying to find a job which is difficult at best right now.  And with the start of all these businesses a lot of entrepreneurs are trying to figure out how to promote their businesses and stretch their precious capital.  This is just another reason why conference calls continue to grow, because they are a great way to reduce expenses but still get the job done.

New small businesses need to get their ideas to new customers, investors and prospects without breaking the bank.  One of the ways to do this is with a conference call instead of the expense of traveling.  It has been well documented in this blog how companies are saving thousands of dollars by choosing to conduct a conference call or a web conference instead of travelling to an in-person meeting.  Nowhere is it more important to save money than in a new small business.  Most small businesses just don’t have the money to be travelling around the country.  But with a conference call and a web conference a small business owner can present their product or service to potential customers around the country without leaving their office.  And the cost of doing a conference call or web conference these days is very affordable to even the small business owner.  In fact, with the advent of the Internet which has allowed small businesses to sell their products and services globally, the need to present to customers in remote locations has increased even more.  The ability to present to people from great distances using conference calls has expanded the marketplace for small businesses.  No longer are their goods and services limited to a local area.  The technology now available has literally helped some small businesses survive where they otherwise would not.  A conference call and web conferencing can also make a small business look bigger in the eyes of the customer by allowing them to present to anyone, anywhere.  And their office is simply a PC and a telephone.

If you have a small business and you are not taking advantage of conference calls and web conferencing in your business I urge you to examine your processes and try using the technology available to help expand your business and reduce your costs.  It may just make the difference in the life or death of your business.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Calls in a Tough Economy

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

I get asked all the time, “How is the conference call business doing?” and I always answer “Great!  Because in the 14+ years I have been in the industry there has always been a good reason why more and more businesses are adopting conference calls.  And in a tough economy there is all the more reason for businesses to be doing conference calls.

Let’s look at the recent events and see why the conference call service business continues to grow while other businesses are shrinking.  The first thing that has hit many businesses is the reduction in force that they have taken to combat the reduction in business.  In many cases the reduction in the numbers of personnel to run their business was not in direct relation to the reduction in business they felt.  So, one of the things these businesses are facing is trying to do more business with fewer employees.  This artificial need to increase productivity is a reality that the employees that are left to run the business have to face whether they like it or not.  Conference calls are an easy way to help improve the productivity of your employees.  When someone does a conference call it is usually in lieu of an in person meeting.  And whether you would normally be meeting across town or across the country, the conference call eliminates the time you would spend to get to the meeting and return to work.  In fact you don’t even have to leave your desk to attend a conference call so you have more time to do work thus increasing your productivity.

The next priority for businesses is reducing expenses so that they can remain profitable during times when sales may be lower than normal.  And one of the big areas targeted for reducing expenses is the travel budget.  So businesses are looking for ways to continue to meet with other employees, customers and prospects without having to travel to their location.  A conference call provides an easy way to eliminate the travel expense without eliminating the meeting itself.  Because let’s face it, you still have to have these meetings or the business can not continue to operate and grow.  A web conference and a conference call combination gives you everything you need to meet with a prospect or customer and have the same fulfilling, engaging meeting you would have if they were in person.  Don’t get me wrong, a conference call does not eliminate the need to get together with remote employees, customers and prospects,but the use of conference calls can eliminate some of the travel you may otherwise have taken.  And with the expense of travelling these days, every trip you can eliminate can really add up to your bottom line.

Conference calls and web conferences provide businesses the ability to remain effective while reducing expenses and increasing productivity.  So in a tough economy, the conference call service business continues to thrive and grow as more and more businesses realize the benefits that conference calls can offer.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Calls with International Participants

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

The world is shrinking and virtually every business has a need to communicate with associates, partners and prospects around the world.  Like other ways to communicate, conference calls have had to adapt to this reality and make it easier to allow international participants on the call. 

There are a few ways to allow international participants onto a conference call.

  • Have an Operator dial out to the participant
  • Provide the participant a local number in the US they can dial into
  • Provide a local number in a foreign city that connects with the US conference call equipment
  • Provide a toll free number that can be accessed in a foreign country

All of these methods can work, but one may be better suited to your conference call needs than the others.

Operator Dial out to the International Participant

Having an operator dial out to your international participants used to be the way all participants connected to a conference call.  This method, however, has its draw backs.  The participant must be at a predetermined location and phone number so that the operator can reach them.  This is the highest cost method to connect a participant to a conference call since an operator is involved in putting the call together.

Provide the participant a local US number they can dial in to connect to the Conference Call

Most people use a toll free number in the US to assemble participants which works great if you are in the US.  People outside the US cannot access a US toll free number.   But you can provide the local US access number and this number can be used to connect to the conference call from anywhere in the world.  The cost to the Moderator or Host of the conference call is low but the participant will pay a toll charge to call into the US just like they were calling any other number in the US.

Provide a local number in a foreign country that is connected to the US conference call equipment

Not all conference call service providers have this option, but it works well for all involved.  Basically, in large foreign cities there is a local number in that city that is networked back to the US conference call equipment.  This means the international participant only has to call a local number in their city and the US Moderator pays a lower cost to transport that participant back to the US conference call equipment.

Provide a toll free number that is accessible in a foreign country

This option provides the greatest flexibility but does add some additional cost to the conference call.  The international participant simply dials a toll free number in their country and they are connected to the conference call in the US.  The cost of toll free access is higher than the local number access bu the international participant incurs no cost and does not need to be in a large city to access the number.

So, as you can see the conference call service providers now have a variety of ways to access their conference calls from around the world.  www.zipconferencing.com

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Web Conferencing – The New Meet and Greet

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Holding a free seminar on a subject of interest to your prospects in a hotel or other public space and inviting potential customers has always been a good method to attract these prospects to a place where you can meet them and begin to build a relationship.  This strategy for sales has been around for a long time and can be pretty effective if you have a good speaker and a topic they will make the time for to attend.  There are, however, several obstacles to overcome in making this an effective sales tool.

  • The prospects need to make a large time and effort commitment
  • The speaker and subject matter needs to be very compelling
  • The cost of the space and refreshments
  • Personnel on your part to coordinate and man the event

Today, using a Web Conference, there is a new way to meet and greet your potential customers with what has been called the “webinar”.  A webinar is simply a seminar you hold on the web using web conferencing services.  There are a host of advantages to holding a virtual seminar instead of an in-person event.

  • Prospects are more likely to attend since the commitment is much less on their part
  • The cost to you and your prospects is much less
  • No refreshments or hall rental necessary
  • You can gather information on your customers when they register

And, even though your meeting is virtual, you will not give much up in the way of tools to make your seminar an effective way to introduce your prospects to your good or services.  With Zip Conferencing’s web conference service you can craft an invitation and require your guests to provide information in the process about themselves to assist in your marketing efforts.  Once they join the web conference you can better engage your audience through the use of multiple presenters, Polling questions, audience interaction and a Q&A session at the end of your presentation.  When your guests leave the web conference you can also provide a thank you email and survey if you like so that the audience can provide feedback.

Zip Conferencing’s Web conferencing is so easy to use anyone can do it and it cost nothing to test drive your own webinar and see if this service can help you get to your prospects quicker, easier and less expensively.  You can start a FREE TRIAL of web conferencing by going to https://www.zipconferencing.com/web-conference-demo.php

www.zipconferencing.com

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