Conference Call Basics

The demand for companies to hold a conference call is on the rise. This increase in demand is largely due to the large number of employees who telecommute or work form home. Many companies also have staff at different locations and scheduling a regular meeting where everyone can be present is almost impossible. Holding a conferencing call is the perfect solution to this issue.

There are many different methods used for holding a conference call. Of course, you could just have all of the people involved dial the number of the person chairing the meeting, but this can prove extremely expensive – especially if attendees are in different areas of the country or even the world. The answer is to use a conferencing call service.

Conference call services are extremely simple to use. You do not need a special phone to participate, although one with a speaker facility is far more comfortable for the arm! The organizer of the meeting contacts one of the conferencing call service providers and schedules the date and time of the meeting. All participants are then sent an invitation with a unique number that they can use to dial in to the meeting. It really is as simple as that. The hosting company is responsible for all of the technical work involved in bridging all of the attendees into one conference call flawlessly.

The cost of this type of basic conferencing call has been reduced significantly and you may expect to pay $100 for a 5-person conference that lasts 30 minutes. If your company is going to hold a regular conference call, for weekly progress reports for example, then there are monthly flat rate services available. These can be as low as $30 per month. The added benefit of this service is that you are often allocated a toll-free number for your regular conferencing call – reducing the cost further.

The cheapest type of conferencing call is one that has been booked in advance. This gives the hosting company more time to set up the bridging service. However, the fluid nature of business today means that a conference call may be required at the last minute. There are a number of services that provide this immediate conferencing call service. The prices vary greatly, depending on the timing and number of attendees required.

Most conferencing call requests are simply to have a number of participants able to connect into a meeting. There is usually no need for any operator assistance as the attendees dial in to the conference call and the rest is left to them. This works very well for the majority of audio conferencing, but there are certain occasions where additional services are required. This type of operator assisted conferencing call requires much higher fees. If a company is holding an important conference call with potential clients, for example, it may be in their best interests to have this additional help to ensure that the call goes smoothly, leaving the participants free to negotiate rather than worry about the phone call itself.

What Advanced Conferencing Service Methods Are Available?

Just like the companies that use them, conference call providers are always looking to stay on the cutting edge of technology and are constantly exploring new ways to increase the services they provider. As conference calling continues to be become the primary means of collaboration for today’s companies, the quality of that collaboration can greatly affect the end results. The effort to provide advanced conferencing service methods has lead to several improvements. Many companies are adding additional security features to their software to ensure that the only attendees were invited.

Many companies are beginning to integrate technology that allows its users to initiate audio or web conferences “on demand”. Being able to hold an audio or web conference when needed is essential in the operations of a company. Many service providers are shifting away from requiring reservations, as these hamper the usefulness of the services provided. Most advanced conferencing service methods now feature "reservationless" conference solutions.

Conference call providers are now enabling their clients to take unprecedented control over their conference calls. Increasing security and usefulness of advancing technology. Control over the features available means that a business can tailor its services to what works for them as opposed to having to conform to a standard plan.

Advanced conferencing service methods have even implemented enhancements to web services to allow users to tailor their conferencing services to meet their specific individual needs.

These continued advancements in conference calling is making collaboration easier and faster for companies on a worldwide scale. A recent study conducted by Frost & Sullivan has determined that collaboration is an important factor in driving business performance. By adding more security features and streamlining existing ones, service providers who are advancing their conference call technology are making collaboration and the sharing of ideas easier then ever. Advanced conferencing service methods will continue to change to way conference calls are made. As more companies begin to use conferencing services, more enhancements can be made to greater meet the needs of the masses.