Conference Call Service Options and Their Advantages That Will Save You Money

Conference call services are very beneficial to those who have groups of people who need to collaborate from various locations. The choice about what type of conference call service is needed depends on the needs of the group.

A basic audio only service is sufficient for some. For others, a web solution providing video or application sharing may be necessary. Some find a combination of the two to be most effective. What combination is the best depends on what the group needs to accomplish during collaboration and what resources are available.

For multi-party conference calls, the audio-only option is ideal. Conference call participants dial a central number in order to connect to the conference call. The party who is conducting the conference call can pay for every participant who joins the call or they can have the conference call set up that callers pay their phone companies for long distance charges.
For greater impact, the web conference call option is a good choice. In web conference calls, the moderator can show participants visual presentations such as slides, videos, clips and graphics. With the visual aspect added to the conference call, it is like conducting a standard meeting in the conference room.

Businesses and organizations can benefit from using conference call services. Perhaps the greatest benefit of using a conference call service is that meetings can be held whenever possible. There are no travel costs, a host of other unnecessary expenses, and lost productivity. Those who are not able to participate in conference calls can listen to conference call recordings at a later time.

Conference Call Decision: Web Conference Calling vs Offline Conference Calls

Web conference call is in its infancy and many people are not aware of its multifarious application. Initially, web conference call was used as an audio conference call and was limited to presentation calls. Live video conferencing became possible with the arrival of broadband. The right amalgamation of several features of Internet, computers and software has transformed web conference call to the level of face-to-face meeting.

The greatest advantage that web conference calling has over offline conference calls is that it gives real time interaction with several people. When implemented properly it is just like having a discussion in your conference hall. Unlike most offline conference calls, in web conference call the people engaged in conversation can share and exchange ideas by illustrating it on the whiteboard. This becomes very handy in cases where only drawings can clearly explain the idea. Since this is done in real time with the support of audio, the effect it has is far reaching and cannot be matched by offline conference calls.

Web conference calling is an ideal conference call service for business as it gives the opportunity to discuss issues and put them to vote and fix the issue on hand. This means that by sitting in your office in Manhattan through the conference call you can talk with your subordinates in any part of the world and discuss the business plans. There is no limit to the number of people who can take part in the digital web conference. Offline conference call has the limitation of number and when there are more than three locations it throws up several difficulties. The number of location is never a problem in web conference calling.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing entails meeting among people in various locations. Closed-circuit television and other telecommunications equipment make this possible. Audio conferencing, the most common form of teleconferencing, uses various types of audio equipment. Web conferencing, on the other hand, uses the lighting-fast speed of Internet and cable modems.

Teleseminar is a more complex form of teleconferencing. It is a tool for distance-education tool for communicating electronically from one source to several locations. Regardless of which form of teleconferencing you use, however, be sure to pick a service that comes at a reasonable price, and is right for you.

Clinching Deals With The Right Teleconferencing Service

Imagine that for the past year you have been negotiating a huge deal with an overseas firm. On the day the deal will be finalized, your company s big brass troops to the conference room. You are tickled pink that the deal will be completed using the teleconferencing service provider you just chose for the company. What's more, you saved a few bucks by picking a brand new start-up company!

With everything and everyone posed to close the deal, what could possibly go wrong? The answer is everything! The teleconferencing monitor at the front of the room short circuits. It is engulfed in a cloud of smoke. The executives run out of the room in alarm. The next day, they call the deal off. You lose what could have been the biggest coup of your career, and all because you didn't carefully choose your company s teleconferencing service provider.

Wealth Magnet System

Have you heard of the Wealth Magnet System? The Wealth Magnet System is a new business opportunity that is turning a lot of heads. The Wealth Magnet System has been designed for people who want to do NO selling or advertising to make money. This system is said to do 95% of the work for you.

The Wealth Magnet System was started by Jim Mack and Bryon Howell. Both of these guys have been top earners in other companies and are experts at internet marketing. I have personally spoken with Jim Mack and he offered me tips on how to improve my website and he didn't even know me, wow, I thought that was pretty neat.

The Wealth Magnet System has an exclusive database of internet marketing audio and video clips that are worth several thousand dollars. Until now there has been no one willing to teach people exactly what they do to make money online.
The Wealth Magnet System is not a 1 up system. This means that every member that joins will not have to pass up 1 sale to the person who introduced them into the business. This is what makes the Wealth Magnet System so great, you can start earning immediately unlike some other companies.

Types of Call Centers

There are different types of call centers, namely, inbound call centers, outbound call centers, web enabled call centers, CRM call centers, telemarketing call centers and telephone call centers.

Inbound call centers aid to handle calls coming from outside, mostly through toll free numbers. The services of inbound call centers are designed to handle catalog orders, and desk queries. They also incorporate customer care services, predict customer behavior and take action while the customers are still on the line. Inbound call centers employ teams of live operators, account representatives and program managers.

The success of outbound call centers depends on their extensive experience, technological solutions, quality assurance programs and commitment to customer service excellence. They ensure maximum results from direct marketing efforts. The integrated call management systems in outbound call centers systematically direct calls to consumers and transfer successful connections to a selected marketing representative (MR).

The use of web-enabled call centers are also on the increase these days. Web enabled call centers can fetch answers to questions or resolve customer service issues without having to disconnect from the Internet. A web enabled call center improves e-commerce initiatives by offering high quality customer service.

Telephone call centers offer flexible call routing and predictive dialing systems. Utilizing advanced telephony and Internet technology, the customer service representatives (CSR's) at the phone call centers provide accurate and timely information for the most complex inbound or outbound programs. Phone call centers offer personalized call management by a team of professional operators who personally know about the client and his business.

Life Happens Online In Real-time With Video Conferencing Equipment

Technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. People from opposite corners of the globe can now send and receive letters and documents in a matter of seconds. There are now a number of ways to carry out a conversation from thousands of miles away without paying thousands of dollars. And yes, face-to-face conversation across continents are now possible with video conferencing equipment.

Video conferencing equipment has made next-door neighbors of Europe and Asia. They allow people to interact as if they're in the same room through images, text, and sounds relayed real time. This technology is extremely beneficial for multinational businesses and companies with locations all over the globe, as well as for personal use.

Video conferencing can be either one of two types. Point to point, or P2P, allows live video and audio communication between two locations. Multi-point, on the other hand, allows links between three or more locations.
P2P and You In the past, video conferencing equipment was relatively expensive and was only utilized by businesses. However, with the evolution of technology, it is now possible for anyone with a decently running Internet connection to operate a video conference.

Video conferencing equipment includes the common and easy-to-use webcam. With this video conferencing equipment, you can stay in touch with family and friends wherever they may be in the world. And because you can actually see each other, conversations or chat sessions can be more personal, bridging the distance and bringing you and your loved ones closer. This is a good example of a P2P video conference.

Conference Call Services - Easy, Cheap, Effective

Conference call services are service providers facilitating conference call facilities to all those who want to perform an audio or web conference at a short notice. The clients can avail their services for a definite fee - that may vary from service provider to provider - and the users in turn are offered the best of services and support all through the session. The costs of a session are generally affordable, especially when compared with the expenses of a business travel and hotel accommodations, but may vary from one provider to the other. But, irrespective of the service provider, at the end of the day, the user may find that conference call services are the most cost effective way to arrange a trans-continental business meeting.

The conference call services as offered by the conference call service providers vary from simple audio conferencing to web conferencing, and each comes with different schemes and special offers. Audio conference call services or audio conference calls are for those who want to communicate things verbally, the same way as one does in a round table meeting, without any visual data exchange. On the other hand, web conference calling involves not only talking, but the participants can also see each other and share a document or parts of a document online if wished so. Audio conference call services are usually charged on a per minute basis while online conference calls levies a fee on a per seat per month basis. It may be $100-150 for a web conference session on an average and $60 for audio conferencing. Concessional rates may be offered to those who are using these conference call services quite frequently.

The communication domain is a fast changing one and hence it is only a matter of time before newer and better technologies emerge and replace the existing ones. In other words, web and audio conferencing, as it exists now, may be substituted by newer technologies in the near future. But until that happens, business will continue to rely on conference call services for their mass business communication, as a cheaper alternative for the costlier business travels, since conference call services are easy, cheap, and effective.

How To Set Up A Conferencing Call

Conference calling is changing the way business is getting done today. Business has always been accomplished through networking. Nothing can replace meeting face-to-face. Whether you are selling to a customer, providing service for client, forging agreements with a partner or training your employees, it's hard to beat the effectiveness of being able to see facial expressions, judge body language or provide product demonstrations. Unfortunately, the high cost and increasing security concerns of business travel in today's global marketplace is making meeting in person more difficult to accomplish.

Fortunately, technology is providing a solution. Conference calling services restore the personal touch of human contact without the need for physically changing your location. The audio conference call has been around for quite a while, but the capabilities, reliability and quality have taken a huge leap forward. Video conferencing has improved because new technology has eliminated the need for specialized equipment. Web conferencing utilizes the power of the Internet and provides a whole new range of capabilities.
There's no question that conference calling can improve your business relationships at a relatively low cost. But if you haven't tried conference calling yet, the whole idea may seem to complicated, difficult and maybe even a little scary. In reality, setting up a conference call has never been easier. New web-based conference calling services make setting up a conferencing call a simple, painless procedure.

One of the easiest ways to set up a conferencing call is to work with an online, reservation-less conference call provider. The first step is to visit their website and sign up for a new account. Setting up a new account can usually be accomplished in just a few minutes. You'll need to enter some basic information about yourself and your business, and you'll have provide and verify your e-mail address. You also need to set up a way to pay the bill for your conference calling services. The easiest way to handle billing is to provide credit card information. As long as you make sure you are dealing with a reputable company, there should be no worries about the security of your information.

Why Is Conference Calling An Important Business Asset?

Operating and profiting from a business has never been exactly what you would call easy, even in the best of times. But it seems like in today's global business environment that the margins have been squeezed even thinner. Even the tiniest gain in efficiency and effectiveness could have an impact on your bottom line. That's why conference calling can be considered an important business asset. Your business's profitability will be improved any time you can achieve the same or even greater effectiveness at a lower cost.

Business travel and physical business meetings have become more expensive and more dangerous. The price of oil has risen to historic highs and the cost of airline tickets and even road travel have increased accordingly. The threat of terrorism and the phenomenon of kidnapping for-profit have made large gatherings, especially at offshore locations, dangerous and unwise. Yet at the same time, companies have become more geographically dispersed. Workgroups that may have formerly been located in different parts of the building might now be located in different parts of the world. Product supplies, developers and customer support are often located away from the executive core.

E-mail can help but it will never replace personal contact. There's no way to be sure that you have communicated your ideas effectively in writing. There's no guarantee of understanding on the other hand. Even Internet chat cannot replace the give-and-take of a real face-to-face conversation. Conference calling provides the best solution to this dilemma.

Cheap Conference Calls, Are They Any Good?

Conference calls have been an alternative way of gathering people together in a business seminars or meetings. It can save everyone the hassle of traveling from one place to another just to attend a business gathering. Not only that, it can also relatively lower down company expenses because all you really need is a telephone system and you are good to go. Technology has really gone a long way and has helped the business sector in making cost-effective solutions that fits their needs.

You may think that setting up a call conference may be costly. Actually it need not be. There are a number of conference call service providers in the market that are offering affordable call conferencing packages which are available for everyone.

How come some cheap conference call providers can reduce their rates that low?

Firstly, offering cheap rates is their marketing strategy to get more people to commission their service. Second, cheap conference calls are often service providers themselves and have their very own network that they use during conference calls. This way, there are actually no or at least very minimal overhead cost. Without these additional costs, they can easily lower down their rates.

How do cheap conference calls work?
Providers usually would give their costumer a unique toll free number. The participants of the conference call will then dial-in the given number. The host would simply call the toll number and can easily conduct the conference right there and then.

Advantages of cheap conference calls

Reservation-less conferencing
Cheap conference call does not need reservations for a person to join the conference. A client can call a conference anytime he needs one without making prior reservations.

Call management system
Cheap conference calls also provide their own call management system. Just be sure to check with your provider other services and additional features that come with the package you paid for. Call management system would ensure that you have a smooth-flowing conference at all times.

What is a Ventrilo Server?

Ventrilo (also known as Vent) is a voice communication program allowing users to connect to a central server and chat with other users much like a conference call. This is essentially voice over IP technology, and in video game terms can often mean the difference between a successful raid run and a complete wipe.

Ventrilo is not free, however; the server is going to cost you. Prices range depending on the company offering the service and how many slots (users) you need to use at one time. Server rentals range an average estimate is about 15.00USD per month per 30 slots at many hosts, I would suggest shopping around as they do vary! Teamspeak is another option, and for non commercial end users it is free; if you want dedicated space however, dig out your wallet. Teamspeak tends to have issues for many players however, as the program itself takes up more resources than Ventrilo, and can cause lag or crashing problems if your system is not in tip top shape.

Then again, VOIP is certainly not exclusive to the video game world, there are many providers out there, and many free services that may meet your needs. Not everyone is going to require a 30 slot conference system, perhaps you only want to chat with 1 person at a time while questing! Windows Live messenger offers free pc to pc VOIP, and is compatible with many other instant messaging systems as well.

Annihilate Business Costs With Teleconferencing

A teleconference is a meeting (conference) held over a distance (tele), thus the name. It is a tool for firms to communicate over long distances. Using the telecommunications systems, two or more parties meet from two or more locations.

The advancements that come under for teleconferencing include video conferencing, audio conferencing, and info conferencing.

With the level of money that businesses are spending on these advancements increasing, it is obvious that the priority of teleconferencing in the corporate business world cannot be disregarded.

Teleconferencing technology allow firms to have meetings over long distances, conduct business briefings, employee training sessions, conduct interviews, organize workshops and seminars, just about everything between members who cannot easily come together.

It is most commonly used in the business environment for distance staff meetings, distances learning and training, and job interviewing. So, teleconferencing undoubtedly makes a business more efficient and helps the business to save money.

Phone Cards

Phone cards or calling cards let me tell you a few words about them. If you know what phone cards are you may skip reading this article, as the story goes about International calling cards. The best thing in life is the possibility to choose the Way "to live it your way". Here it means to choose the way to make an international call to a country to talk to somebody you need to talk to.

The choices are:

- use common phone
- call via cell phone
- use a prepaid phone card

Most of us use standard telephone service to make the calls we need. Maybe that s not a problem? Maybe not is only depends on just how often you need to call abroad. If it happens once a month for a few minutes that s fine. But! If you make international call more often, for a decent period of time, at least 20-30 minutes a month you may consider using prepaid phone cards. Prepaid phone cards (international phone cards) let you save your money on international calls up to 80% over a standard dialing service. NOTICE! MONEY SAVING UP TO 80% OVER A STANDARD CALLS!

So, answer these questions:

- how many international calls a month you make?
- How long does an average call last?
- How many minutes you spend for a call?
- How much money you spend on international calls?
- How much money you can save using phone cards?

Probably, if you answer these questions you will choose what to use. And the answer will be Phone calling cards.

How to Get FSBOs to Call You

Are you actively pursuing the FSBOs in your marketing area? You should be...because you'll generate a never ending supply of inexpensive purchase mortgage leads if done correctly.

Here's a really great tool to add to your marketing bag of tricks: "Hold a conference call for FSBOs." This idea can be used in other niche marketing areas as well...but, for now, let's concentrate on FSBOs.

Here's how it would work:

Set-up an account with a company that provides conference call capability. Check-out your local telephone company and compare rates and features to get the best deal.

You should look for the following features:

1. Dedicated phone number for your use. 2. Instructions on how to set-up the call. 3. Caller ID so you have a record of everyone that participated in the call. 4. No contract, no set-up fees, no minimums, no cancellation fees, no per conference fee. 5. Muting capability. 6. Permanent toll free number and pass code.

Pick a convenient date and time for your conference call and promote it. Create flyers letting FSBOs and potential FSBO know the date and time of your call.

Do you need a toll free number service for your business?

That is one of the first questions we should ask to ourselves when starting a business. In order to succeed in our new venture, we need to develop a marketing plan, that includes a communication strategy with our future customers, and it is one of the main reasons why we have to study all the different options available in the market, and the 1 800 number is one of them.

I am sure that you know what a toll free number is, and that you probably have called to one of these numbers in the past. Anyway I am going to explain what it is. A toll free number or "800 number" is usually setup by a company so the customers can contact them free of charge and then the recipient of these calls get billed by the phone company. The local calls you made to this vanity number are "free" because the company paid for the service. All these calls are already paid by the company and have no cost for the customer. The original area code of a toll free number was 800 but as time went by, phone companies were adding new area codes like 888, 877 and 866. A lot of people ask, is a 866 or a 877 a toll free number? The answer is yes, they are free, and probably new area codes will be added in the future. Well, now that we know what a toll free number is, we must find out if it is really necessary to get one for our company.

In my opinion an 800 number can be one of the best tools to increase your sales and you should have one, especially if you are a consulting services company. You can use it to teleconference with a group of clients, to offer training to your customers and it can also be used to accept credit cards, many people do not feel safe about using their credit cards online and they prefer to do it by telephone. Of course, you can use it to give customer support that adds a great value to the product you are trying to market.

The Best Conference Call Services For Business

Q. I truly think that a conference call service is something my business can use. What are some available conference call services for business needs?

A. Conference call services for business need range from very to simple to very elaborate. Whether or not you are able to benefit from these services is entirely dependent upon the type of business you are in, average budget and also whether or not this is a one time thing, or is it going to be frequent? Since none of this information was specified, I'll just cover them all. First of all, the question as to what exactly is a conference call service?
Well a conference call service is basically a company that does all of the legwork involved in a conference call for you. All you have to do is decide what time you want the conference call and who you are inviting. They handle everything else. A lot of conference call services for business provide walk through and instructional information on how to get the most out of their service. Answering questions like how will callers get connected? What in session option are available? How to go about using those options? The list goes on.

What a conference call service does is simply make all of this available to you as easy as possible. Some conference call services for business offer the option to use advanced services. Services like audio and video web conferencing are becoming more popular and are becoming more affordable. As far as the service options available, again it depends on the type of business you are involved in. Will you be able to communicate effectively using only audio conferencing?

Reservationless Conference Calls

In this day and age, there is no reason that a company should settle for anything less then reservationless conference calls from their service provider. With all of the advancements made in conference calling software, service providers that require that all conference calls be reserved in advance should be avoided.

Your company's sales are fueled by your ability to meet the needs of your customer in a quick and efficient manner. Whether you use conference call services to collaborate with other offices or to keep your client updated as to progress you should not have to put things off because you forgot to reserve a time with the conference calling company. Naturally it is to your advantage to pick a time in advance so that your attendees are able to make time in their schedule to attend the meeting, most conference calling companies offer software so that you can schedule times of the Internet for your meetings.

A company though, should always have the option to initiate a meeting within a matter of a few minutes. Things happen, businesses have emergencies and sometimes those emergencies make telephone of calling and leaving a phone message time consuming and unacceptable. Setting up emergency, reservationless conference calls can literally save a company money, time and even ensure that your client sticks around at least a little while longer.

Conference Call Guide - From Scheduling To Summing Up

A conference call is similar to a conventional telephone call in some extend, but with a conference call you can communicate to several people at a time. There are several types of conference calls such as audio conference calling, video conference calling and web conference calling. One can customize his/her conference call using any these different types of conference calls. One of the major advantages of conference calls over conventional telephone calls is that conference calls are quite easy to use and can save money, especially when compared with the expenses of a business travel and hotel accommodations. In this article, let us see everything about conference call-from scheduling to summing up.

Generally, conference call services are provided by dedicated conference call service providers, who offer the services at a fee on a per hour or per minute basis. Once the user subscribes with the service provider, he/she is provided with a toll free number and a PIN, which can be distributed to all the people who are supposed to participate in the conference call. Don't forget to mention the participants about the exact date and time of the conference call. Most conference call providers ask to book a time slot so as to avoid a clash or dates; there is a possibility for customer to ask for the same time slots on a particular date.

After getting a particular date and time, each of the participants can join the conference call meeting by dialing the toll free number and authenticating oneself with the given PIN. Once logged into the conference call, people can also take questions and give answers, and communicate each other as long as they want.

Polycom Communicator for Skype Released

The latest product released to work with Skype is the Polycom Communicator. Polycom is a leader in audio conferencing and video conferencing equipment. The product connects and powers through an integrated USB cable (no batteries needed) while also providing convenient buttons which enable you to launch Skype, pick up and hang up calls, and control volume with relative ease.

What this does is allow you have the ultimate hands-free Skype experience. The Polycom Communicator is based on the same technology used in Polycom's legendary SoundStation conference phones enabling crystal-clear, natural conversations when using Skype. No more restrictions using a headset while talking. You can also plug into a built-in stereo headphone port for private conversations.
Skype is used for business and personal use. Businesses using Skype can really benefit from the Polycom Communicator for their conferencing needs. The Polycom Communicator delivers high-fidelity wideband voice quality that sounds like you are in the same room with the people you re calling. Two high-quality microphones provide excellent range for group conversations with up to four participants. Polycom s Acoustic Clarity Technology eliminates echoes and feedback, maximizing your Skype experience.