Internet Conference Calls

Conference calls are not only made through telecommunication companies, but can also be hosted using the Internet, saving a lot of money on phone calls. An added advantage in Internet conference calls is the possibility of video conferencing, where a video clip of a product demonstration can be easily made or even conduct a seminar.

Internet conference calls can be widely used by businesses to have virtual meetings. This type of conference calls can be installed in systems that have Internet PPP connections with good quality full duplex sound card, speakers, and microphone. To implement the conference calls, initially the participants should be informed about the conference either through the mail or announced in a website known to them. Scheduling Internet conference calls is more important as the future date; time and topic have to be informed to the selected participants. This is done by a simple procedure that involves registration of the caller's identification such as name, username, password and call originating phone number with the Internet conference call service provider. Later, the selected participants' contact number and location is added one by one and are intimated about the date and time of the conference call. On the specified date, the caller and the participants execute the conference and hold discussions. New products launched, market strategies, sales charts and product demos can be viewed and discussed with concerned people anywhere in the world.

Not only in business, but also many educational institutions have implemented Internet conference calls to share, discuss and send feedback reports of various topics under discussion. Some conference calls also include visual aids like live camera; video clipping demonstrations, power-point presentations and many more can be viewed on computer screens while listening to the conversation simultaneously. Students are excited about this system and are encouraged to participate in sessions to widen their knowledge. Cost factor is never a problem, as it usually takes the cost of the phone connectivity to the local hub.

Conference Call Phones

Conference phones come in a wide range of variety based on shape, size and acoustical treatments. The features of these phones too are varied, from a simple reliable audio solution for a conference room to cordless conferencing. The kind of conference phone one should look for depends on the size of the room and the number of people attending the conference.

For example, some conference phone vendors suggest using a simple conference phone for a room size of 10 x 15 feet with number of conference participants around twenty. The same conference phones can be used with a couple of extra extension microphones in case the room size is over 30 x 30 feet and the number of participants is greater than 30. For large conference rooms with size of over 30 x 45 feet, and number of people above 45, slightly higher end conference phones with extension microphones and a subwoofer can be used.

These conference phones come with features such as a keypad dialer, mute button, noise reduction techniques, out of range alert and LCD Display. The cordless phones come with rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery which has a talk time of up to 8 hours or standby time of over 36 hours. Some other features that come with basic models of some conference phones are display of caller id, volume and ringer controls, PIN Code, phone directory, a 32-character Backlit LCD Display which can display many languages such as French, German, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Some cordless conference phones even let users send and receive SMS to and from fixed and mobile phones. Many conference phones also provide an option of attaching a headset with the phone and two lines, including call - waiting caller id.

Thus, conference phones should be chosen only after a careful and quantitative assessment of one's requirements.