Posts Tagged ‘Quality Conference’

Low Cost Conference Calls can be High Quality

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Everyone likes to save money but can you trust low cost conference calls to be high quality?  The answer is yes, but you still need to be careful to choose a low cost conference call provider that has taken the steps necessary to provide high quality conference calls.  So what are the things you should look for if you are looking for a conference call company?  Here are a few of things to look for when you are shopping for a conference call service provider.

Direct Digital Connections – One of the most important areas to ensure a high quality conference call is where the equipment is connected to the telephone network.  It may sound like a simple idea but having a direct digital connection to the long distance carrier’s network is not always available or provided depending on the location of the conferencing equipment and the carrier and other factors.  Zip Conferencing maintains direct digital connections with its long distance carriers that enables us to provide the clearest connections possible.

New Equipment – Conferencing bridges are the pieces of equipment that make conference calls possible and having the latest equipment ensures that you are getting the best quality and latest features available.  Zip Conferencing has the latest conference bridges available and provides its customers more features than most other conferencing companies.

Back Up Systems – A big part of providing high quality low cost conference calls is making sure the service is reliable and available when you need it.  After all, no matter how good the service is if it is out of service it is no good.  Zip Conferencing maintains back up conferencing equipment that is available without interruption of service in the event of an equipment failure.

Back up Power – Just like the equipment, if there is a power outage your conferencing service will be out of service unless they maintain back up power.  Zip Conferencing has battery and generator back up power that ensures the equipment will remain in service indefinitely in the event of a power outage.

Support – Many low cost conference call providers have limited support for their customers which certainly helps maintain low cost but also leaves you in the dark if you need assistance.  Zip Conferencing has support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is even available to join you on your conference call if you need assistance.

Zip Conferencing shows that you can have high quality low cost conference calls.  Make sure the conferencing provider you use can say the same thing.

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2012 is the Year for Conference Call Services

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a good 2011 and you have an even better 2012.  It looks like the economy could be on its way for better year which means we will all be that much busier.  If you are still on the side lines it is time to use conference call services to help you get the most out of your time in 2012.  Let’s face it, the past couple of years have meant downsizing and ultimately more work for those that still have a job.  And management expects everyone to do more with less.  So if you are looking for ways to save some money and increase productivity for yourself or those around you a quality conference call service is just the ticket for you in 2012.  Although there are many benefits to using conference calls for your business there are none more powerful than saving time and money.

Save Money – Conference call services have enjoyed extraordinary growth over the past 15 years partly due to all the money a conference call saves compared to an in person meeting.  Even if your meeting is fairly local it still costs money to get everyone together.  When you start traveling the cost really adds up.  If you are traveling by car there is the gas, tolls and mileage you are going to incur when you go to the meeting.  And if the meeting is across the country the costs are even greater with airline, rental car, hotels and restaurants all figured into the mix.  And I am sure you have noticed that none of these costs have gone down over the past few years.  But remarkably the costs of conference call services have declined over the past few years to all time lows.  For a combined cost of just a few dollars a group of people can get together and hold a meeting even if the participants are spread across the country.  And if you use a web conference along with the conference call you can have all the same tools at your disposal as if you were in a meeting room.

Save Time – If you are one of the many companies trying to do more with less resources you know how important your productivity is.  Wasting time in traffic or airports and airplanes can really cost you.  If you never had to travel to a customer again as a salesperson how many more customers could you sell?  I am certainly not advocating you never see a customer again but reducing the number of in person meetings increases the time you can spend acquiring new customers or dealing with the ones you already have.  A quality conference call service gives you everything you need to meet with people over great distances and be as productive as possible.

So I am sure when you look back on 2011 like me you will wonder where it went.  Time flies and there really is no time to waste.  So make 2012 the year you embrace conference call services and use our services to your advantage.  You will be glad you did.

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Conference Call Quality

Monday, July 18th, 2011

What are the factors that make up conference call quality?  After all, isn’t the ability to interact with the other participants like they are in the same room the most important factor in any conference call service?  At Zip Conferencing the quality and reliability of the conference call is the top priority.  Here are some of the steps we have taken to insure you have a quality conference call.

  • Network Quality – The most important factor in determining the quality of a conference call is the network it is connected through.  Just like any other long distance call if you have a bad connection it doesn’t matter how good the equipment is on the end of the call.  To insure our conference call quality is the best we have direct digital connections to our long distance provider’s networks.  Eliminating other switches eliminates additional trouble areas and pieces of equipment that can introduce noise as well.  We also only use top tier long distance providers for our conference call services.  We may be able to save a little money by using a smaller provider but since their networks are not as large as a top tier provider it introduces other networks to the equation further introduces trouble points.  We also use multiple carriers so that our network has a back up in place in the event of a major outage with one of the carriers.
  • New Equipment – Since our conference call company is fairly new, we have put the latest equipment in place to process the conference calls.  The newer equipment delivers a higher quality conference call and also is less prone to outages itself.  In addition, our conference call equipment has the latest features incorporated into it.  We also employ back ups of our conference call equipment so that we have full back ups in the case of an outage with the equipment.
  • Back Up Systems – Now that we have built out a network that delivers high quality conference calls we have also installed measures to insure the reliability of the network.  We have battery and generator back up systems in place to make sure that our network has power in the event of an outage.  As mentioned, we have back up long distance provider connections in the event of a major outage at the network level.  And we have back up equipment in the vent of an equipment outage.

When you do a conference call you just assume it will work, but as you can see, it is up to the conference call service provider to make sure there is conference call quality.

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Why doesn’t Zip Conferencing offer a Free Conference Call Service?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

When I started Zip Conferencing I formed the company around a strong foundation of offering a high quality, reliable conference call service with outstanding customer service.  And the idea of offering a free conference call service just did not match up well with these principals.  So why doesn’t Zip Conferencing offer a free conference call service?

  • Quality – The first thing to suffer when a company offers a free conference call service is the quality of the conference call.  In order to be able to provide a free conference call service the conference call service provider needs to keep their costs way down.  That is because they only earn money from the local phone company where their equipment is and the rate they earn is very small.  That is because the conference call service provider makes money on a free conference call by getting paid to terminate long distance calls on the local provider’s network.  And you and all of your participants are required to dial long distance to get to the conference call bridge.  The local phone company is paid by the long distance carriers to terminate calls and they in turn pay the free conference call service company.  So, typically the conference call equipment is not the best available and many times it is VOIP based and believe me you will hear the difference.  Zip Conferencing uses the latest conference call service equipment directly connected to the long distance carrier networks to insure the highest quality conference calls possible.
  • Reliability- Quality and reliability go hand and hand and if you are not using the best equipment you tend to have more issues than if your equipment is top of the line.  In addition, to keep costs down the free conference call service companies usually do not have as extensive a back up network in place in case there is an issue.  It cost money to have back up equipment on standby and to have back up generators and other systems in place to insure the conference call service is in place when you need it.  Zip Conferencing has back up systems and power in place for the highest standard in reliability.
  • Cost- Lastly is the cost.  But it is Free right?  Actually no.  A free conference call service makes you call a long distance number to connect to it.  So you and all of your participants are going to pay a long distance charge to connect to the conference call.  Do you really want your participants to have to pay to get on your conference call?  This hidden cost is the main reason to avoid using a free conference call service.  With rates for toll free conference calls as low as Zip Conferencing’s why make your participants pay?

So why should Zip Conferencing offer a free confernece call service when it can provide the highest quality, most reliable conference calls at rates that beat even the free conference call service providers?

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The Conference Call Company makes a Difference

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Conference calls have gone the way of long distance with ever decreasing prices and a seemingly endless list of providers.  But there is a lot more to a conference call than you think and the right conference call company can make a big difference in the quality of the call and the features available that can greatly enhance your experience.  Zip Conferencing has taken great care in creating a network that can deliver the highest quality conference calls to its customers and built a platform that provides an extraordinary amount of features that make our conference call service easy to use but feature rich.  Here are a few of the things we have done to ensure that we are the best conference call company in the industry.

  • Reliable Network – Like the foundation of a building, a conference call company needs to build their business on a network that can support the traffic they generate and be able to avoid outages at all costs.  But not all conference call companies have taken all of the steps that Zip Conferencing has because a solid network can be expensive.  Zip Conferencing has multiple telecommunications carriers installed in cae one of the companies has an outage.  We only will accept companies that can provide a direct digital connection to their network so we can have the clearest connections possible.  Our equipment is powered by a back up battery and generator supported power grid to avoid any power outages.
  • State of the Art Equipment – Our conference call company uses the latest conference call equipment that is more reliable than older equipment.  It also offers features many conference call companies don’t have because their equipment is out of date.  We also have spare conference call equipment that is powered up and connected to the network available to take the place of any piece of equipment that experiences any issues.  Most conference call companies don’t do this because it is expensive.
  • Feature Rich Services – Our conference call company has built features that enable our customers and make it easier to do business with us.  As a customer of Zip Conferencing you have access to your account online that enables you to access your account and see usage, add/edit moderators and conferences and order additional services.  But we also give you the ability to customize your conference call experience by being able to control many aspects of the conference call.  For instance, you can decide whether a tone should play when a participant joins or exits the conference call.
  • Superior Customer Support – If there is one area many conference call companies will try to save money it is in the area of customer service.  Our conference call company still provides personal service to its customers 24/7 and you can even get support while on a conference call by hitting *0 on your telephone. 

A conference call is not just a telephone call and many times the conference calls your company does are some of the most important communications you will have.  So, shouldn’t you deal with a conference call company that takes their role in your business communications seriously?

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A good Conference Call Rate is just the Beginning

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

I know.  The way the economy has been the last couple of years the price is very important.  And I agree.  Even with something as important as a conference call the rate is an important factor in deciding who to choose for a conference call service provider.  With Zip Conferencing the conference call rate is just the beginning.

At Zip Conferencing we believe that you should be able to get a quality conference call service and a good conference call rate.  In fact, our company was designed from the ground up to do just that.  First, we installed nothing but the latest equipment and connected it to the best phone networks available.  The quality of the conference call itself is the single most important factor in providing our customers a quality experience.  We also made sure that the equipment and network were fully backed up with hot stand by equipment and power back up to make sure the service is available 100% of the time.  Next, we designed our systems around the customer experience to provide a better way for our customers to maintain their accounts.  For this, we installed an online account interface that allows our customers to access their accounts themselves.  In addition, we gave our customers the ability to customize their own experience by giving them access to many of the popular conference options and letting them decide how their conference call should run.  For all of these features a conference call rate was not considered because we believe you need to have a quality experience above all else.

To mkae sure you get a conference call rate we did, however, design our company differently than other conference call service providers.  The main difference you will find is that we have automated all of the back office processes to keep costs down.  We also do not have expensive offices or field sales people.  Do you really need to see a salesperson in order to get your conference call service?  I think not.  We do not print paper bills which is not just environmentally friendly but saves money as well.  But none of the changes we have made to give you a good conference call rate diminish your experience.  We still provide 24/7 customer service and the highest quality conference calls and web conferences available in the market today.  But with our lower overhead we can also give you the best conference call rate available today.

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Conference Call Provider

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

The simple definition of a  conference call provider is a company that owns and maintains conference call service equipment and provides access for its customers to the equipment for a fee.  But what are all of the responsibilities of a conference call provider?  Is simply providing access to the conference call equipment enough?

Conference calls have become an important piece of business services that is now used around the world to help people communicate.  A conference call provider plays a role in each of its customers’ businesses that it cannot ignore.  Vital communications are being done everyday via conference calls and the responsibility to provide a reliable, high quality conference call service cannot be taken lightly.  There are many different options for conference call equipment and the way the telecommunications network that is set up on the equipment.  The level of service provided its customers is as varied as the equipment and the pricing options available can be confusing as well.  When selecting a conference call provider you should consider the following points.

  • Conference Call Equipment – Is the equipment the latest equipment available?  Are there back up systems available in case of an outage?  How much capacity does the conference call provider have?
  • Service Availability – Does the conference call provider have personnel available 24/7 to assist you in case there is a question or issue?  Can you easily reach someone from within the conference call?
  • Features – Does the conference call provider have the features you expect?  Can you customize the way your conference call works?
  • Support – Does the conference call provider have adequate support documentation?  Do they offer personal service representatives?

A conference call provider should be considered your partner in your business and provide a service that you are proud of because the conference calls you hold for your business are a reflection on you.  You cannot afford to have an issue in the middle of an important business discussion.  The conference call service needs to be available and provide a clear reliable connection.  And if there is ever any kind of an issue you need to be able to get assistance easily from the provider.  So, taking a little time up front to investigate the provider will pay dividends for a long time to come.

Zip Conferencing provides reliable, high quality conference calls for less.  If you spend the time to compare Zip Conferencing to other conference call providers you will see that Zip Conferencing is hard to beat.  The latest conference call equipment, installed directly on carrier networks provide feature rich conference calls.  Dedicated 24/7 support insures that you will be supported regardless of your needs.

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Discounted Conference Calling Services

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

What goes into the cost of a conference call service?  How good are discounted conference calling services?  Does cheaper conference calls mean bad quality conference calls?  Not necessarily.  If you understand the cost model of a conference call service company you will understand how you can get discounted conference calling services without sacrificing quality and reliability.

  • Sales Cost – A conference call service company that has been in existence for a while probably grew using typical Sales and Marketing efforts with salespeople doing cold calls to produce sales.  That means the conference call service company had to pay salespeople and probably has sales offices around the country or a telemarketing center which has fixed costs that must pay.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can take advantage of internet marketing without the need for a large sales force or remote offices.
  • Operations Cost – The older conference call service equipment requires more personnel to operate than newer equipment.  Operators needed to man the switch and baby site the equipment more than today’s equipment.  A larger group of operators and office space adds costs to the conference call service company.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can avoid some of these costs through more modern, automated equipment that requires less space and maintenance. 
  • Customer Service Cost – An older conference call service company has existing procedures and probably has not automated their operation too much over time.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can automate just about everything and provide the customer the ability to service their own account which reduces the number of customer service people required to service their customers thus reducing cost.
  • Back Office Cost – The older conference call service companies have not automated their billing, collections and other activities and have a higher cost to operate.  A newer conference call service company offering discounted conference calling services can automate billing, collections and virtually all back office operations which greatly reduces the cost to the company.

All of the efforts to reduce cost in a conference call service company do not take away from the quality of the conference call service itself if you do it right.  At Zip Conferencing, you get all of the same services at a discounted rate because we have designed and built a company to provide a high quality service but eliminated a lot of the cost associated with an older conference call service company.

www.zipconferencing.com

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A Conference Call Service for Today

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

If you were going to sit back and design a conference call service, what would it look like?  What features would it have?  Given all the options in the service and technology industries you could really put together a service that delivers high quality conference calls at a low cost and contained all the convenient attributes you have come to expect in a service company these days.  Well, that is just what we did when we designed the Zip Conferencing conference call service.  Here is a list of some of the things you should expect in a conference call service designed for today.

  • High Quality – Nothing but the latest conference call service equipment connected directly to the best telecommunications carriers.  The entire conference call service network designed with back up power and equipment to insure reliability.
  • Full Featured – All of the features you would expect to find in a conference call service like line muting, call recording and roll call.  And even some features you may not expect like the ability to record your conference call and download a copy.
  • Personalization – The ability to design your own personal web space for conference calls and have your own greeting for your conference calls.  You can even upload your logo and customize the colors of your web interface to match your company’s.
  • Account Access – The account access and convenience of an ATM with the ability to have control over all aspects of your account.  You can add Moderators and conferences and control conference call options like music on hold.
  • Personal Service – The ability to talk to a person 24/7 if you have any questions.  Our representatives are here to assist you whenever you have any questions about how to use the service.  Our technical representatives will assist you and your participants onto a conference call and can even assist you from within your conference call.
  • Flexible Pricing Plans – An easy to understand pricing plan that includes options for low and high volume users.  Our Pay-As-You-Go conference call service pricing plan has no recurring monthly charges so you only pay for what you use.
  • No Long Term Contracts – A service that keeps its customers because it delivers great service at a great price and not because customers have to sign long term contracts.

Zip Conferencing provides all this and more.  We are proud to have designed a conference call service that is designed for today’s market.  If you compare all of the features and services that Zip Conferencing provides I think you will agree that there is no better option in the market today for a conference call service.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Calls are Still a Great Value

Monday, October 19th, 2009

There have been many predictions ofValue the conference calls’ demise over the years.  First, the video conference was going to be on everyone’s desktop and people wouldn’t bother with regular conference calls anymore.  Then services came along that purported to provide free conference calls.  Then everyone was going to be speaking into their PCs and wouldn’t use a phone anymore.  And on, and on.  The fact that conference calls done over the telephone are not only still here but doing so well is the basic fact that there is no better value if you want to have a high quality connection and be able to speak to a group of people at a distance.

Video conferencing has been around for a long time.  So why aren’t we all looking at each other during our calls already.  There are probably many reasons.  But first and foremost it is not as easy as a conference call and not necessarily available to everyone.  I mean these days it is hard to buy a PC without a webcam attached, but many people don’t use them or know how to use them.  And the quality of the connection still has a lot to be desired.  If anything, the call can be more distracting than anything.  And then you have the whole social aspect.  The fact that most people don’t feel comfortable having their image in front of themselves and broadcast to many people.  It will be quite a while before video conferencing is as easy to use as a telephone.

I’ve addressed the concept of the free conference call in other posts, but in short nothing is really free.  You simply can’t get a high quality conference call with toll free access for nothing.  And toll free access for your participants is simply the right thing to do.  And if you want to make sure the call is there when you need it to be and want a good sound would you trust it to a free  service?

And we are also still a long way away from having an integrated device on our desktop that does all of our phone tasks as well.  Can you do it today?  Of course, but the complexities of getting it done is worse than getting the video camera to work and if you still have to connect to people using a telephone you still have to connect to the telephone network to do a conference call so you really aren’t gaining anything unless you eliminate that aspect. 

One of the big drivers for new technology is saving money.  Today, the costs of conference calls have come down to the point where it is difficult to justify putting up with any inconvenience to try to save a little money.  Let’s face it, everyone has a telephone and that is really all you need to have and know how to use in order to join a conference call.  And you will get a clear, high quality connection without any issues. 

So, given all the choices that are out there, conference calls continue to grow because they still deliver the best value for the money.

www.zipconferencing.com

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The Joy of being a Conference Call Service Provider

Monday, September 14th, 2009

I have been in the telecommunications business over 25 years and been a conference call service provider business since 1995.  When I first started in this industry I had no idea of the complexity of the business, the amazing number of applications the service is used for and the importance of a quality conference call service to the customers that use it everyday.  Now after fourteen years of providing such a valuable business service I can not imagine doing anything else.

Conference call services have evolved over the past fourteen years but their value to businesses has only grown and grown.  Especially in an economy like we are going through today, a quality conference call service provides businesses a way to cut costs without having their business processes suffer.  Meetings can still happen without the need to travel to far reaching locations, sales can meet with customers, employees can still be trained to provide a higher level of service to customers without having to attend a training class in some distant city and a conference call service provides an alternative to countless other costly travel plans. 

In an effort to save money, companies are discovering the other benefits of conference calls such as shortening the sales cycle.  Without conference calls, sales would have to travel to the customer site to perform a presentation or sales demonstration.  With the aid of web conferencing and a conference call, sales can perform a full scale sales presentation right from their desktop.  Beyond the cost of the visit, the salesperson has more time to perform other demonstrations for more customers.  A conference call service is more convenient for the salesperson and their prospective customer.  The same goes for other departments as well.  With a conference call, people don’t have to spend time getting to a conference room, waiting for the meeting to start and then returning to their desk.  Conference call service meeting attendees simply hang up the phone and return to work.  This increase in productivity is very important when your business is trying to do more work with less personnel.

And throughout your business, you will find that communication improves in general.  Making sure that everyone is on the same page is essential to running an effective business and staying in touch through a conference call service makes sure that even remote employees get the same message at the same time as the other employees. 

Now that I have been providing this essential service to businesses for over fourteen years I understand the importance of it in their everyday lives.  Providing a high quality conference call service is not an option it is a necessity.  Businesses rely on conference calls like never before and being able to provide this essential service is a very rewarding experience.  I take my responsibility in being a conference call service provider very seriously and I hope you value the service enough to make sure you get the best service available.

www.zipconferencing.com

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