Posts Tagged ‘Service Providers’

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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No Web Conference Software Necessary

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Web conference software has been around since the beginning of web conferencing. In fact in the beginning everyone needed the same web conference software on their PCs in order to have a web conference. Not really practical when you think about inviting people who are new participants to a web conference. What are you supposed to do send them the software ahead of time? It is easy to see how a service provider that made it easy could gain so much ground in the providing of web conferencing. But even service providers of web conferencing require that you download web conference software in order to use their service. Zip Conferencing has a web conferencing service that requires no web conference software for the participants which makes it easier on everyone. Here are some of the advantages of using a service provider and not using web conference software.

  • No Up Front Cost – If you buy web conference software there is going to be the up front cost associated with buying the software.  You then need to spend valuable time installing the software on the PCs you intend to conduct your web conferences with as well.
  • No Maintenance Cost – In order to keep your web conference software up to date you will need to buy regular maintenance updates on the software. 
  • Any Participants can Join – If you use a service provider instead of web conference software the participants can join a web conference without having to install software.  Participants generally are going to join your web conference last minute and you don’t want any delays while your participants are downloading software.
  • Full Support – If you purchase web conference software you are not going to get the kind of support you get with a service provider.  With Zip Conferencing you get support 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  You can even get support while in your conference call by simply pressing the star key followed by zero on your telephone.

These days with any number of web conferencing service providers out there that provide services at very reasonable rates you really have no reason to go out and purchase web conference software.  And the way that the service works with Zip Conferencing you and your participants don’t even have to download any software.  Since our service was built on a Flash platform you just need to have Flash on your PC.  These days anyone that surfs the Internet has Flash on their PC.  So anyone can join our web conferencing service without having to download any web conference software.

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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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What is a Web Conference Call?

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Conference Call Service Providers that have web conferencing  in their service offering provide the audio component of the web meeting in a couple of ways.  So I thought it would be helpful to explain what a web conference call was and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

  • VOIP conference call – One way to connect with your participants during a web conference call is to have the audio portion of the conference call go through the PC along with the web conferencing component.  The advantage to this is there is typically no additional cost to having parties connect using this method.  The disadvantages are that some people are not set up to listen through their PC or they are at work and can’t disturb the people around them by playing sound through their PC.  And most people do not have the ability to talk through their PC either.  That means it will be difficult to have your audience participate in the conference call.  Another disadvantage is that you are using up bandwidth by talking over the same Internet connection as the web conference.  This can create additional quality issues with the audio portion or web portion of the web conference call.
  • Local Access Number – Most web conferencing providers will provide a local access number to connect to the audio portion of the web conference call over a telephone.  The advantage to this method is that you are allowing participants to connect using a telephone and they don’t have to be on their PC to hear the conference call.  If someone is on the road and can’t access their PC they can still participate.  Also, the quality issue is now solved by separating the PC traffic from the voice traffic.  The disadvantage is that participants have to dial a local number somewhere and may get charged by their telephone company to connect to your conference call.
  • Toll Free Access Number – The toll free access number using a regular telephone conference call that is integrated to the web conference incorporates the advantages of using a regular telephone call with the convenience of a toll free connection.  Now you know that your participants will not see any hidden charges when they connect to your web conference call.

So when you are shopping for a web conferencing service provider you may want to pay attention to the web conference call connection methods they provide.  Zip Conferencing provides local and toll free access numbers using a regular telephone conference call for the maximum quality and convenience.

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An International Conference Call Service with Options

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Most people are pretty familiar with running or at least attending a conference call.  But what if you have international participants?  What is different about an international conference call service?  How do participants join your conference call if they are out of the country.  Conference call service providers offer a number of ways to connect to a conference call from outside the United States.  Zip Conferencing offers a number of international conference call service options for its customers.

  • Local Number Dial In Access – This international conference call service option is available from most every conference call provider.  Basically when you get a dial in reservation from the conference call service provider they give you a local number here in the United States.  And like any other local number you can dial into this number from anywhere in the world.  The cost to the Host of the call is usually the same as if someone dialed in from somewhere in the United States.  For the participant, however, they will pay whatever toll charges they would normally pay to dial into a local number in the United States.  Depending on where in the world they are this can get quite expensive for the participant.
  • International Local Access – A few conference call service providers, like Zip Conferencing, have local numbers in countries outside the United States that participants can dial into.  The international conference call service company transports the call back to the conference call system in the United States.  That way someone in another country can dial a local number but actually conenct to a call int eh United States.  They only pay for the call in their country and since it is a local call the cost is usuall minimal for free.  The cost to the Host of the call is more than if the participant used the local number in the United States but still less than an international toll free number.
  • International Toll Free Access – The most expensive, but certainly most convenient method for international conference call services is the international toll free number.  Zip Conferencing has toll free numbers in over 40 countries that terminate into their systems in teh United States.  That way the participant dials a toll free number in their country and connect to the conference call in the United States.

The main thing to consider when looking at international conference call service options is whether you want your participant to pay for any portion of the conference call.  The next deciding factor is whether they are near one of the local access point around the world.  And then depending on your relationship with your participant you may want to make sure they get the most convenient no cost option which is toll free.

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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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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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Free Conference Call Services

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

So, you think you want free conference call services?  Think again!  Like most things in life, nothing really comes for free.  And before you risk your reputation and business you will want to understand what free conference call services are all about. 

When the first free conference call service was introduced everyone in the conference call industry kind of shrugged and figured everyone would understand the deficiencies with the service and steer clear of them.  Well, free conference call services have survived because everyone likes something “free” so its attraction can not be underestimated.  But, is it truly free?  And what is the difference between free conference call services and paid conference call services?  Here are the details behind free conference call services.

  • Free Doesn’t mean No Cost- True, after the conference call is over you may not owe the free conference call service provider anything, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t cost you anything.  That is because all free conference call service providers give you a local number to access your conference call.  That “local” number is usually not local for anyone on the conference call which means you and you participants have to make a long distance call to connect to your conference.  Do you want your customer or prospect to get long distance charges on their phone bill for attending your conference call?
  • Will it be available when you dial in – The way a free conference call service company makes money is by getting the termination fee for having you call into a location where long distance providers pay the local telephone company to terminate the call.  The amount they are paid is very small so they can’t afford the best conference call equipment and have a limitation on capacity.  There is no guarantee that when you call in for your conference call that the capacity will be there for you.  Do you want to chance having the conference call available?
  • Toll Free at a Price – You can usually get a toll free access number for your conference call, but you will pay for it.  And if you find that if you shopped around the competition you could find a better toll free conference call rate from a company with better features and more reliable conference call equipment.
  • Support is Not Free – And if you need any support, how much support do you expect if the service is free? 

So, if you want to make sure your conference call is there when you need and not get hit with hidden charges you may want to examine what it means to be a free conference call service.

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Conference Call Service Reviews

Monday, September 28th, 2009

So, what makes for a good conference call service?  Is there a difference in conference call service providers?  What are the main things that you should make sure you get in a conference call service.

I have been in the conference call service business for over 14 years, so I know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in a conference call service company.  But, for the average user, has no idea and so many of the conference call service providers look the same from the outside how would anyone know the difference?  Maybe I can shed some light on some of the main things to look for in a conference call service company so you know what to look for and what to watch out for when selecting a provider.

  • Services
  • Quality
  • Reliability
  • Support

Services

First, you should make sure that the conference call service provider you are looking at has the service to match your needs.  You will need to know how many conference calls per month your company does.  This is easily calculated by finding out what the average number of people on a conference call is and how long, in minutes that they are typically on the conference call.  If most calls have 4 – 5 people for about an hour you simply take the number of participants (4) times the number of minutes (60 for an hour) and you will see that you generate 240 minutes per conference call.  Then by taking the number of conference calls per week that you do you can determine the number of minutes per month.  If you do about 3 conference calls per week then 3 times 240 times 4 weeks in a month gives you 2,880 conference call minutes per month.

Now that you know how much conferencing you do you should confirm the features that the conference call service provider offers to make sure it is what you expect.  Most conference calls that you have probably used in the past are the type that is called reservationless.  You are assigned a toll free access number and a passcode to get into the conference call.  Unless you want your participants to have to pay long distance charges while they access your conference calls you should make sure that the access is toll free.

There are a number of other features that you may or may not need so you should make a list of the things you need in a conference call service and confirm that the provider you are looking at does offer them because not all conference call service providers offer the same services.  A few features to consider are recording of conference calls, transcription, host controls, online account access and volume control on the conference call.

Quality

Quality really comes down to one simple thing.  Does the conference call sound good?  The sound on a conference call is really based on two factors, the conference call equipment itself and the network that connects the conference call equipment to the telephone network itself.  Since there are many options for a conference call service provider to choose from here, your best indication of quality is the conference call itself.  Can you clearly hear the participants, etc.  Most conference call service companies will offer a free trial of some sort to hear the quality of the conference call.

Reliability

Reliability is a tough thing to measure when looking at a conference call service company.  But you can find out a little about their infrastructure to give you an idea of how reliable their network may prove to be.  Does the company have more than one piece of conference call equipment?  If there is a problem on the conference call equipment your conference call is on can they move your conference call to another piece of equipment?  What long distance network are they using?  A major provider like AT&T or Sprint will have a network that provides some redundancy in the event of a problem where a smaller provider may not. 

Support

And finally, support.  You may never need to lean on a conference call service provider’s support team, but if you do will they be there when you need them?  Does the conference call service company offer 24/7 support?  Do they assign a representative to your account to provide a contact in case you have questions or issues that need to be addressed?  What about online support?  Does the conference call service company offer online self help in the form of a searchable database, user guides and account access tools so that you can make changes to your conference calls yourself?

So, when you are reviewing conference call service companies, remember that price alone should not be the only thing you look at to determine which company is right for you.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Options – Keep it Simple

Friday, September 18th, 2009

With Zip Conferencing, like many conference call service providers today, you can add a lot of options to your conference calls.  But, like most things, it may be best to just keep it simple.

Let’s take the way the conference call is set to start.  With Zip Conferencing, the default setting says that participants can speak to each other before the Moderator or Host of the conference call joins the conference call.  For most meetings this is preferable and participants are not left wondering where everyone is while they wait for the Host to join the conference call.  The other way to run the start of a conference call is to have the participants listen to music until the Host joins the conference call.  If the Host does not join the conference call the participants are left wondering what is happening.  So, for smaller meetings I would suggest you go with the open meeting approach which mirrors a regular in person meeting. 

Now that you have the participants on the call most people like to know who is on the conference call and at least know when someone joins the conference call.  This can be accomplished a couple of different ways.  The easiest is to allow a tone to play when a participants joins or leaves the conference call.  The tone is short and unobtrusive if there are not too many participants and if the participants are generally on time.  Another way to handle this is to have the participants name play in the conference call when they join or leave the conference.  But depending on how their name recording goes, this method can be a little disruptive during a conference call in my opinion. 

Another setting that can be troublesome if you are not careful is when a conference call is set to disconnect all participants when the Host leaves the conference call.  I think that many Hosts will tell you that the idea of this is good, but in practice the participants may want to carry on the conversation at the end of the meeting after the Host has disconnected.  If the Host enables this feature the participants are left to try to contact each other another way if the Host leaves the call.

I find that the use of too many of these bells and whistles only complicate things and can actually make what should be a simple thing, holding a conference call, complex and annoying.  So, my suggestion, like many things in life, keep it simple and you will probably be better served.

www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Quality

Friday, August 28th, 2009

There are a  fair number of conference call service providers in the market today offering conference call services at some pretty low rates.  Among these conference call service providers are a host of different features available for conference call users to choose from.  I have touched on some of these features in previous posts, but what is really important about a conference call?  The most important aspect of any conference call is that is work flawlessly.  And even though this is taken for granted, if the conference call service provider does not design their network correctly you can have lots of problems.

The first thing that you need to have is availability.  To make sure that your conference call is available when you go to use it, the conference call service provider needs to build redundancy and capacity into their network.  Conference call equipment is very complicated and like any piece of high tech equipment can have issues from time to time.  If you use a conference call service provider that does not have provisions for redundant equipment and the conference call equipment hosting your conference call has a problem you will have a problem.  The capacity of the conference call service provider network can also be a problem if they get unexpected traffic on their network.

The telecommunications network that your conference call service provider connects to is an important factor as well.  If the conference call service provider chooses a telecommunications provider solely on price, they may be playing with fire if their provider does not have a network with sufficient back up and networking options.  If a back hoe cuts a fiber link do they have a way to route around it and continue service without interruption?  If the telecommunications provider that connects to your conference call service provider has an issue and can’t get your call around the issue your conference call can’t happen.

The conference call is like the light in the conference room.  You just assume it will work, but if it doesn’t you cannot hold your meeting.  The network and equipment used by Zip Conferencing has been designed with one priority in mind, the quality of the service.  Because no matter what the price is for the service, if the service is not available and of high quality then customers will not be satisfied.   After 15 years of providing conference call services I understand that the quality of the service is the foundation of success in being a conference call service provider.  www.zipconferencing.com

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Conference Call Service or Do-It-Yourself?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

There have been do-it-yourself conference call service appliances available on the market for many years.  And like the conference call service pricing, the appliances have gotten less and less expensive.  So does it make financial sense to buy an in house solution or continue to use a conference call service?

There are several issues to consider if you think that you do enough conference calls to think about buying an in house solution.  The biggest reason to even think about firing your conference call service provider is cost.  And most of the things to consider revolve around some aspect of cost.  What are some of the costs when you want to do conference calls yourself?

  • Cost of the Conference Call Appliance
  • Telecommunications Cost
  • Maintenance Cost
  • Personnel Cost

Cost of the Conference Call Appliance – The cost of a conference call appliance can be anywhere from one thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The equipment used by conference call service providers, like Zip Conferencing, is hundreds of thousands of dollars.  But if you want to try to do-it-yourself with a lower cost piece of conference call equipment your are going to pay at least a thousand dollars for it.

Telecommunications Cost – The biggest cost to providing a conference call service is the telecommunications cost.  You have to get circuits terminated to the equipment and there is a monthly cost to that and then you have to pay the variable cost of the calls themselves. 

Maintenance Cost – Buying a piece of conference call equipment is just the beginning.  Next you will need to pay a maintenance fee to the manufacturer of the equipment to remain up to date with the software that runs the machine.  Like any  other computer on your network, you will need keep the machine up to date if you expect to have the latest security, patches anf eatures to keep the conference call equipment up to date.

Personnel Cost – And lastly, you will need to have someone in your company assigned to maintaining the conference call equipment.  No matter how self service the conference call equipment is, you will still need to maintain it and administer it.  If someone in your company is performing this function there is a cost to you.

So, let’s say you can pay $.01 per minute for toll free traffic to the conference call equipment.  On the surface sounds like you could buy a piece of conference call equipment and save money.  The circuits for the telecommunications connections are at least $1,000 per month for a T-1 which only provides 24 circuits.  So if you want more than 24 total conference call connections at a time in your company you will need more than 1 circuit.  Maintenance on the equipment is going to be at hundreds or thousands of dollars a year depending on the equipment and then someone is going to need to administer the conference call equipment.

You can see how your per minute cost for conference calls can quickly get over $.05 per minute and that is if you do thousands of minutes per month.  It is hard to beat using a conference call service when you get the latest features, no maintenance and 24/7 support for less than $.05 per minute.  A conference call service provider like Zip Conferencing is a better choice for anyone needing a conference call service.   www.zipconferencing.com

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Web Conferencing makes the Meeting Room

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

The mass adoption of web conferencing hasn’t really happened yet, but it is surely well along the adoption path lifecycle.  Don’t get me wrong, web conferencing is growing like a weed and is today almost a $1B business in North America.  But when you look at the sheer number of conference calls going on today and the number of them that contain a web conferencing element to them it is a drop in the bucket.  What we ahve seen in the industry so far is the adoption of web conferencing for the killer applications and those users love it and use it extensively.  That segment continues to grow as more and more people discover that they can conduct online seminars, sales presentations and training sessions remotely using web conferencing services.  What hasn’t quite happened yet is the use of the web conferencing element on an everyday conference call.  Conference call moderators don’t think “Maybe I should start a web conference with this conference call just in case we want to share something.”

This use of web conferencing as an integrated part of the conference call is the next step in getting web conferencing to be a part of the online meeting experience.  The technology certainly is there.  Web conferencing is easy to use and can actually enhance the conference call without even sharing any visuals.  When you have a web conference up and with it an integrated audio conference call you can actually see the participants talking and know who is talking and as a moderator you can control the audio element of the call through online controls in the web conference.  And the pricing is certainly there.  Most web conferencing service providers today offer an unlimited seat package.  That means there is no additional cost to having a web conference up during every conference call.

If you happen to have a web conference up during every conference call someone might share something they otherwise would not be able to since they can share the visual element that was missing before.  Have you ever been in a meeting room that does not have a white board or flip chart for use?  Most have them there because during any meeting it is sometimes much easier to explain something using visual cues than simply trying to talk through the issue.  And the same hold true for the virtual meeting room on a conference call.  If the capability exists to share something visually and participants are used to having those tools available, they will begin to use the tools more often.  This will encourage more participation from the people attending the conference call and improve the communication in the meeting.

So, what are you waiting for?  Try using web conferencing with every conference call and see if it doesn’t start a better conversation in your next meeting.  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 Features Make Remote Meetings Easy

Friday, July 24th, 2009

When Web Conferencing was first introduced it included a number of features that still exist in the web conference service business today.  But over time, conference call service providers and web conferencing companies have enhanced web conferencing to allow anyone to quickly and easily conduct a web conference without the need for a lot of training or experience.

The features that have always existed with web conferencing include:

  • Whiteboarding
  • Share Powerpoint presentations
  • Share Applications

The ability to whiteboard on a web conference allows participants on the conference call to participate on a virtual whiteboard by using their mouse and tools to annotate and collaborate with other participants.  The ability to share a Powerpoint presentation gives you the ability to broadcast your Powerpoint to the entire audience and the ability to share applications allows you to share virutally anything that is on your desktop with the other participants.

Over time additional functionality has been added to web conferencing including:

  • A Chat feature
  • Video conferencing
  • A Recording function
  • Q&A
  • Polling
  • Participant Registration Info
  • Exit Surveys

A chat feature was added to allow participants to chat with each other or the Moderator on a web conference.  The ability to share a video of yourself as the Moderator on the web conference gives the participants a face with the name on the conference call.  A recording function has existed for a while, but only recently has the full integration of voice and visual presentation recorded without the need for extra equipment become available.   A Q&A and Polling element on a web conference has also been available for a while but the tools provided to build the questions and tally the results have become much easier to implement and use.  And one fo the favorite tools of the Sales and Marketing users is the ability to create a registration process to capture participant informaiton on the front end of the web conference and a exit survey process to give the participants the ability to provide feedback after the web conference has been completed.

Even though the features available on a web conference have grown and enhanced, the inuitiveness of the interface has also improved to where anyone can conduct a web conference and look like a pro in a very short time.  Zip Conferencing like some other conference call service providers gives a 30 day free trial of the service to allow users to become familiar with the web confernecing service at no cost before they do a live presentation.

www.zipconferencing.com

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