Posts Tagged ‘Web Conferencing Services’

Web Conferencing Software was all the Rage

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Okay, I am going to date myself a little with this post but what the heck. I spoke to someone the other day and he mentioned how he used to work for MShow and it brought back lots of fond memories. MShow was one of the first web conferencing providers and like the others at the time the way it all worked was with web conferencing software. You see back then, sounds like a long time ago but it was only the late 1990s, the Internet was still in its infancy and everyone didn’t have a broadband connection. Many of the things we now take for granted just did not exist. And in this environment someone had the brilliant idea that it would be great if people could share their computer screens across a network or do presentations and so web conferencing software was invented. And MShow was one of the leaders.

The way web conferencing software worked back then was every computer that you wanted to do a web conference with had to have the software installed prior to the conference call. And at the time downloading software on the Internet was not commonplace either. So you literally had to have the CD ahead of time and install web conferencing software. Once you had the web conferencing software installed you still needed a little help doing a web conference with more than one other computer. The company I worked for at the time actually built one of the first web conferencing bridges we had ever heard about. We rigged up a computer with a network hub attached to it because you literally needed a network connection for each participant. Pretty laughable now but we were able to get 5 computers on a web conference at a time, amazing! MShow ended up being acquired by a large conferencing service provider and Webex came along and the rest as they say is history.

Today, conferencing service providers like Zip Conferencing provide web conferencing services that accomodate over 100 participants and there is not even a need to download any web conferencing software. Zip Conferencing uses Flash which is already installed in everyone’s PC to enable the web conference. Everyone has a broadband connection to the Internet and it is easier than ever to do a web conference where you can share your computer screen, do a presentation and even share video from your desktop. Amazing. Like I said I am going to date myself a little bit but it was only 14 years ago that we were trying to figure out how to get 5 computers on a web conference at the same time. I wonder what the next 14 years will hold.

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

Web Conferencing Services should be Easy to Use

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Web Conferencing Services have helped companies save millions of dollars and are here to stay.  The use of web conferencing services is expected to continue to grow rapidly over the next 5 years as more and more people adopt them for their own use.  And the inclination of many of the web conferencing services providers is to add more and more features to try and attract customers.  But the one thing that you really need to have in your web conferencing services is their ease of use.  Zip Conferencing has gone to great lengths to create a web conferencing service that is powerful and yet easy to use.  Here are some of the features that make our web conferencing service one of the easiest to use services in the market.

  • Outlook Integrated Invitations- One of the complications of getting a web conference meeting going is inviting your participants.  Different web conferencing services do this in a variety of ways but all offer some type of email confirmation or a web page you can send your participants to in order to join the meeting.  These methods certainly work but why should you have to cut and paste and try to pull together the information for your participants.  With Zip Conferencing you can use our Outlook scheduling tool and integrate your web conference details right within Outlook.  That way you are able to put out a meeting request just like you would any other meeting, from within Outlook.  Invite participants and have them accept the meeting and have the meeting appear on your calendar all using the same steps you would take to schedule any meeting.  Now that is Easy!
  • Intuitive Control Panel – The actual functionality of a web conference is not that different across providers but what is different is that way that you access the functions from within the service.  With all of the different features now packed within the web conferencing services out there you sometimes have to navigate a maze of controls to find what you are looking for.  Zip Conferencing has put the most widely used features front and center using intuitive controls available with the touch of a button.
  • No Software Downloads – One of the hardest things to overcome with a web conference is getting on the meeting.  Many times participants who have not used the web conferencing services before will have to download software in order to join the meeting.  Many times adding software to a computer is prohibited by companies and participants are unable to join.  With Zip Conferencing there are no software downloads for the participants.  Our web conference service uses Flash which is already widely installed on people’s computers so there is no waiting for participants to download software. 

If it isn’t easy to use you probably won’t use it.  So if you are just starting out doing web meetings or you have struggled in the past to have a successful web conference give Zip Conferencing a try.

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

Hasn’t Congress heard of Conference Calling Services?

Friday, August 12th, 2011

I would not describe myself as a political activist, but like many people the latest display of ineptitude of our elected officials in Washington, DC I find myself wondering how these people can afford to take a 5 week vacation when their business (our country) is struggling like it is today.  Maybe they need some time back in their home states but haven’t they heard of conference calling services?  At least make it look like you are attempting to do something about the mess we are in by working a little while you are on vacation like the rest of us.  Seems like conference calling services would enable these people to keep things moving and maybe get something done.  After all I have never been able to take a 5 week vacation and I don’t know anyone who has in my lifetime.  I have been working since I was 14 years old and I have not had 5 weeks off ever.  In fact I took a two week vacation once and it felt like I was retired.  It was tough to get back into things when I returned and I have not taken a vacation that long since then.  Now when I am even out for a few days I use conference calling services to stay in touch with things at work.  It helps me to relax to know that things are running smoothly and I won’t be blindsided when I return.  If things at work need to be addressed I won’t even go on vacation let alone for 5 weeks!

Conference calling services are one thing but these people work for the government after all and have every means of communication imaginable available to them.  They could absolutely work from home and continue to accomplish things.  Many businesses now rely on a good portion of their employees working from their homes and it doesn’t slow them down.  Conference calling services and web conferencing services allow people to work from anywhere and still hold meetings and collaborate on projects.  So how about it Mr Congressman?  What do you say?  Can you possibly cut your vacation down to 2 – 3 weeks and get back to getting this country put back together?  We working stiffs who pay your salaries would surely appreciate it.

Zip Conferencing would be happy to provide conference calling services and web conferencing services to any elected officials who would like to keep working.  Drop us an email and we will set you up.

Posted in Conference Calling | Comments Off

Interactive Web Conferencing

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

As web conferencing has become more popular chances are that you have attended an online seminar where the presentation has been done via web conferencing.  Usually you are simply sitting in the audience on a conference call listening while watching the presentation on the web conference with little or no interaction with the speaker.  Although this is the most used method of web conferencing, the people who first came up with the idea had much bigger plans for web conferencing.

When web conferencing was first invented a lot of effort was made to make the service a collaborative tool where people could work on a document together from great distance.  This ability to collaborate was seen as the the killer application.  The adoption of web conferencing services is more and more widespread but interactive web conferencing is still lagging in its use overall.  Here are some of the features that allow for interactive web conferencing.

  • Application Sharing – Application sharing provides users the ability to share their desktop with the other participants on the web conference and permits any participant to control another computer.  This means that participants can actually control a document or spreadsheet and input or edit data on it.  Much like you would pass around a piece of paper in an in person meeting for people to mark up, you can actually change the document on the fly while on the web conference.
  • Whiteboarding- This application permits participants to mark up a virtual whiteboard seen by all participants while on an interactive web conference.  Much like someone would go up to a whiteboard to discuss things while in a conference room, participants can easily do the same on the web conference.
  • Polling/Q&A – Even a presentation can be an interactive web conference through the use of polling and Q&A features.  By engaging the audience you will have a more stimulating meeting and have better retention of the material.  Polling permits you to survey your audience during an interactive web conference and the Q&A feature allows you to conduct an orderly Q&A session for the presentation.

It seems that maybe people don’t work in a collaborative manner and allowing someone to control your PC is a little scary to some people as well.  But even if you are only doing a presentation using a web conferencing service you can make it an interactive web conference by adding polling and Q&A to your web conference.  You will find that the more you can make it an interactive web conference the more your participants will stay engaged with your presentation.

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

A Web Conference is Not that hard to do

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

I think that everyone is intimidated by new technology a little bit, but depending on the technology and the known benefits we will tolerate the learning curve.  Web Conferencing is no different.  Web conferencing has been around as a service for about 15 years now and even though its use is now pretty widespread, many people are still afraid to take the plunge.  But if you try a web conference once you will see that it is just not that hard to do.

Basically, anyone who can use a PC can do a web conference.  When the web conferencing services first came out there were downloads and PC settings to worry about just to get the web conference off the ground.  Today, however, starting a web conference is just a few clicks away.  Many of the services, including Zip Conferencing’s, do not require any download as they simply use the software that is already on your computer.  And the web conferencing service is usually integrated with an audio conferencing service, like Zip Conferencing does.  This makes it very simple to hold a remote meeting with a web conference and a audio conference call. 

To conduct a web conference as the Moderator all you have to do is open a browser, log into your web conferencing account, start a meeting by clicking on a start button and then click on Share your Desktop.  The participants on the web conference now see whatever is on your PC.  So to do a web conference presentation you simply need to be able to pull up your PowerPoint presentation, spreadsheet or whatever is part of your presentation and the audience will see it while you speak to them on the conference call.  It really is that easy.

A presentation that has visual elements is more impactful than just a conference call where you only listen to the presenter.  And in some cases you may need to share materials where without a web conference the only way to hold the meeting would be via a face to face meeting.  A web conference saves time, money and increases your productivity.  And it is REALLY easy to do!  So what are you waiting for?  Try a web conference today!

www.zipconferencing.com

Posted in Web Conference | Comments Off

Building the Best Conference Call Service in the World

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I have been in the conference call service industry since 1995 and in that time I have seen a number of conference call service companies from the inside out.  That is how I have been able to set out on my own and go about building the best conference call service company in the world.

When I first started to put ideas to paper on starting Zip Conferencing I began to put down all the ideas that have worked well for me over the years.  Naturally I would like to have a successful business.  But I also wanted to put into practice some of the ideas that may not be the most profitable ideas if you only look on the balance sheet, but provide a great amount of satisfaction for the customers.  Because I believe if you satisfy your customers you will be successful.  No one can sell your service better than a satisfied customer and it is always easier to retain a customer than gain a new one.  Some of the features of Zip Conferencing are simply there to make the conference call service experience better for our customers.

  • High Quality – You don’t have to worry about whether the call is going to work.
  • Feature Rich – The features available for our conference call and web conferencing services are hard to beat.
  • Self Service – I believe that customers would much rather service themselves, if you make it easy, than call into a call center, wait on hold, only to speak to an anonymous voice who may or may not do what you want them to do.  And will probably not tell you what the options are in the first place.  Zip Conferencing has an easy to use self service online account center that enables you to control just about every aspect of your account.
  • Dedicated Support – Every Zip Conferencing customer gets a name of a representative they can contact for assistance.  And out support is available 24/7 365 days a year.
  • Low Cost – I want our services to be available to businesses of all sizes.

The combination of these conference call service features are a culmination of my years of experience and desire to satisfy customer wants and desires for a conference call service company.  I think if you compare to other conference call service companies you will see that Zip Conferencing is built to be the best conference call service company in the world.

www.zipconferencing.com

Posted in Conference Call Service | Comments Off

Our Conference Call Service offers Service Beyond the Call

Monday, November 16th, 2009

I am sure there are several conference call service companies that offer a good conference call from a technical point of view.  What I mean is that you can call into the conference call without too many problems and the conference call quality once connected is decent and so forth.  But what happens if you need help?  Is the conference call service company there for you when you need them to be?

At Zip Conferencing we pride ourselves on not just providing the highest quality audio conferencing and web conferencing services available, but we also want to make sure that your needs are taken care of as well.  That is why we provide customer service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  And, because we know that people like to communicate in different ways we have supplied many different ways to communicate with us.  You can call us on the phone to speak to a representative or if you prefer, you can also chat with one of our representatives 24 hours a day as well.  The representatives that are available by chat are the same representatives that answer the phones and are well schooled in all of services and features of Zip Conferencing.  Or you can send us a Support Request Form via the web site to get an answer to your conference call question if you do not need an immediate answer.

In addition to the people behind the scenes at Zip Conferencing that are ready to assist you, you will find a helpful knowledge base of important conference call and web conferencing information.  The information is organized between conference call FAQs, How Tos and Billing questions.  You can even search the plentiful knowledge base or ask a question. 

We believe that just providing a conference call is not enough.  Standing behind the audio and web conferences that we provide with service is one of the important differentiators between us and other conference call service companies.  And if you ever have a questions about your conference call service I am sure you will agree.

www.zipconferencing.com

Posted in Conference Call Service | Comments Off

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

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

An Introduction to Web Conferencing

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

It may be hard to imagine, but there are still a good amount of potential customers that don’t understand the basics of holding a conference call.  We frequently get questions about how it works, how many people can you have on a call at once and what they need to do to host a conference call.  So, it is no wonder that many people out here have not have not been on a web conference and in fact don’t even know what it means to hold a web conference.  Today, I would like to talk about the general principles of web conferencing and what it means to hold a web conference.

When the industry first invented the web conference it struggled with what to call it.  Is it an online meeting, a web conference, a webinar or just a conference call?  Well, you will still hear it called a variety of things but a web conference has kind of stuck as a term to refer to any conference call that has a visual element you view over the internet.  Web conferencing has also become somewhat standardized in the functions that you can perform on a web conference no matter what brand you choose to use.  Basically, a web conference allows you to share what is on your computer with the participants on the conference call in addition to being able to speak to them.  And, just like any in person presentation, the ability to share images during your web conference has a positive impact in engaging your audience and improving their retention of the materials.

The web conferencing services have gotten pretty sophisticated in their feature set, but most people are still just using about 10% – 20% of the software’s ability.  This is not unlike any piece of “software” and you can still hold successful web conferences jus tusing the basics.  In fact, I know many users that have always simply used the application sharing abilities of the web conference alone no matter what they are doing.  This feature simply shows everyone what is on your computer screen as you see it.  Since the concept is simple and the web conferencing service does this with a single button it is understandable why people have gravitated to using this function.

A couple of the other standard features available are the ability to share a whiteboard on your computer with your participants while on a web conference, and the other feature used by most people is the ability to share a Powerpoint presentation.  Again, this functionality is familiar to anyone who does a presentation and once you start the web conference, showing your Powerpoint slides is as easy as doing it in person.  It is no wonder that web conferencing is expected to grow dramatically over the next five years.   www.zipconferencing.com

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

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

Posted in Web Conference | Comments Off

Web Conferencing changes Everything

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Web Conferencing started out as something you did on your company’s network and only if you and the person you wanted to web conference with had the same software installed on their machine.  The internet was still coming of age so many of the things we now take for granted did not exist.  In fact, I remember in 1995 taking some of the available software, buying a card for a computer that allowed multiple network connections and building a web conference bridge you could dial into so that up to 5 people could get on the same web conference.  As long as the 5 people had a good connection to the internet.

When I think about that now I laugh.  In the past 10 years the technology has come a long way.  Today you can easily hold a web conference with up to 100 people and you don’t even have to download any software.  High speed internet connections are taken for granted and conference calls are completed integrated into the experience to add voice and visual communications on a conference call. 

With the advent of web conferencing, you can easily add a visual element to your conference calls.  This makes your confernece call more compelling, encourages audience participation and helps with retention.  The applications are wide spread and more and more people are utilizing web conferencing services to help sell, train and inform to internal and external clients throughout the world. 

I don’ t know if anyone has attempted to calculate the savings in hours of productivity, travel costs and fossil fuels, but it must be enormous. The amount spent on web conferencing in 2007 was over $700,000,000 in the US alone and even as the service continues to be more affordable, it is expected that the amount spent in five years will be almost double what it is today.  That is because web conferencing services make sense to such a wide range of industries and applications.  Just like conference call volume has seen a tremendous amount of growth in the past 15 years, web conferencing is now enjoying that same growth.  That is because it is truly easy to use and affordable to everyone.

So the next time you register for that online “webinar” think about how what you would have to do to get that same seminar without web conferencing.  because web confernecing changes everything.

www.zipconferencing.com

Posted in Web Conferencing | Comments Off

Conference Call Applications – Training/HR

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Training sessions and and communication of HR policies are essential to any business.  New employees especially are in need of training and HR policy education and you can deliver effective training and communication from a distance with conference call services and web conference services.

Training Programs

Combining Audio and Web Conferencing services provides an effective way to deliver Training and Communication from a distance without the need to incur travel costs or spend the time necessary to go to remote locations. The features included in our conference calls and web conferences make your presentations powerful and yet easy to use.

  • Increase productivity – deliver more training in less time without the need to travel
  • Reduce Costs – eliminate travel costs 
  • Deliver Training and Communication more frequently –  conduct more training sessions more frequently and reach a wider audience

 

 

Conference Call Services to Help You Deliver Effective Training

  • Audio Conference Calls – A conference call allows you to deliver a consistent message to a large audience.  Host controls allow you to be in charge of the meeting and deliver your training in an effective way without audience interruption.  
  • Web Conferencing - Web Conferencing allows you to deliver your message in pictures as well as words improving audience interaction and retention of the information.  Our easy to use Web Conferencing tool enables anyone to be an effective presenter in minutes. 

 

 

Key Features

  • Host Audio Controls
    Control your audio conference using Host Controls through your telephone that allow you to mute all participants, take a roll call, conduct sub-conferences and more.
  • Distribute Information
    Allow participants to download files of your presentation at the end of your presentation.
  • Audience Participation
    Engage your participants throughout the presentation with the use of Q&A and Polling questions to keep them engaged in your presentation.
  • Branded Interface
    You can brand your online interface and the Web Conferencing tool itself with your logo to personalize your interface and put onn a more professional appearance to your online meetings.
  • Multimedia Content
    Your presentationscan include visual elements to egage your audience.
  • Polls and Surveys
    Conduct Q&A, Polling and surveys using Web Conferencing’s tools.
  • Invite Participants 
    You can invite your participants through the web conferencing interface or simply invite your participants to your online conferencing Hub where they can join web conferences.
  • Record and Playback
    You can record the audio and visual portion of your conference call and allow participants to view or listen to your presentation after the completion of the conference call.

 www.zipconferencing.com

 

Posted in Conference Call Service | Comments Off