We live in a consumer based economy, and big businesses are on the rise. With all of the expansions in the business world, there is money to be made. But it takes money to make money. In order to have unimaginable success in your company, you need to bring in more money than you are spending. Fortunately, other companies are over flowing with new and innovative ways to save you money within your company.
One of the largest costs a company will incur is communication and travel expense. These are unavoidable during company expansion and even during routine business for most companies. But fortunately, these types of charges can be bypassed or minimalized by using a web conference calling service.
Web conference calling makes meetings more convenient and a lot less expensive. It offers an opportunity to talk to clients in a different state or country, and show them your slideshows and other business material while having a virtual meeting online. Web conference calling is a quick and easy way to bridge communication gaps between your sister companies or even long distance clients. Let’s not forget there is no better way to convey your confidence in yourself and your business than face to face. It is the long distance hand-shake of the future. For a small company to impress a larger client, what better way than with cutting edge technology that shows you are not only serious about your business, but on the leading edge of technology.
Where To Find It
Web conference calling can be set up completely online, at your convenience. Places like SBC, ATT, and Verizon offer conference calling to companies at competitive rates. . These types of services are offered for as low as a quarter a minute! It requires no travel, virtually no prep time, and can usually be set up in minutes and is ready to go in about an hour. Web conference calling is a useful alternative to flying all over the country to meet clients in airport conference rooms, or even a clever way to have meetings between colleagues while staying in the comfort of your own home. Ultimately, Web conference calling can save your company thousands of dollars by allowing you to virtually meet, and show slideshows, calendars, and other important information without ever having to leave your computer. This is an unparalleled commodity to any company.
Source : http://www.refresharticles.com/
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
What Makes a Good Audio Conference Call?
When making conference calls, it's important to make sure first of all that everyone is seeing eye to eye on the technology that's going to be used.Sometimes, more traditional investors and older corporate managers may have a problem with appreciating new technology, so when using high-tech conferencing software, you may find yourself using the audio conference call features most frequently.
Remember back when teleconferencing was still new and corporate entities were still adjusting to it? You may come across that sort of psychological resistance when trying out new Web conferencing software. At any rate, your job is to make sure your audio conference call proceeds without a hitch!
A good audio conference relies foremost on the integrity of your connection. Are you and the other members of the conference all using fast connections to hook up to the Internet? Fortunately, a lot of audio conferencing software can adjust to the speed of the linkup of each individual user, so that even if the connection is relatively slow, he or she can still avoid missing out on key parts of the exchange.
The integrity of the software itself is also important. Do you have reliable, flexible software that doesn't crash or conflict with certain business-central programs? Does your software operate across a variety of platforms, and are there any restrictions on usage? In certain cases, enterprise-level conferencing software is paid for via subscription, which means you can't use your software anymore once the license you have purchased has expired. You have to renew the license, or seek another provider.
Audio conferencing isn't exactly outdated, given today's advancements in messaging technology; it still has its distinct advantages. For one thing, it's lightweight, so that a large number of people can connect to the central server via their software, without putting a strain on either the server or their computers. For another, software made purely for audio conferencing is inexpensive!
In some cases, it can actually be free! Modern chat messengers such as AIM, MSN and Yahoo allow free VoIP calls via headsets, and all you and the other person need to have is the same version of the free downloadable software. This works especially well for small groups, or one-on-one discussions. However, there are some security concerns. Free audio chat clients are generally insecure and if any important information is to be transferred online, they might get lost or hijacked along the way. For high-profile conferencing needs, purchasing professionally made enterprise-level Web-based audio conference call software is still the best option.
Source : http://www.webpronews.com/
A Professional Conference Call sold to N.Y. company
Conference calling services firm AT Conference Inc. has bought privately held A Professional Conference Call of Duluth, Ga., for an undisclosed amount.
"The acquisition of A Professional Conference Call represents AT Conference's commitment to diversifying and expanding our service offering," said David Jannetti, founder and CEO of Southampton, N.Y.-based AT Conference. "A Professional Conference Call customers will inherit access to an expanded customer support group capable of handling larger operator-assisted conference calls. In return, AT Conference customers gain access to WebTalk, a web-based portal that enables customers to directly control their own conferences using a dashboard interface."
AT Conference said the deal will help it maintain its position as one of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. It expects its revenue to jump 250 percent in 2008 compared with 2006.
Source : http://www.bizjournals.com/
"The acquisition of A Professional Conference Call represents AT Conference's commitment to diversifying and expanding our service offering," said David Jannetti, founder and CEO of Southampton, N.Y.-based AT Conference. "A Professional Conference Call customers will inherit access to an expanded customer support group capable of handling larger operator-assisted conference calls. In return, AT Conference customers gain access to WebTalk, a web-based portal that enables customers to directly control their own conferences using a dashboard interface."
AT Conference said the deal will help it maintain its position as one of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. It expects its revenue to jump 250 percent in 2008 compared with 2006.
Source : http://www.bizjournals.com/
Friday, January 11, 2008
Secured Web Conferencing - The Cost Effective Way
In due course, web conferencing has proved its worth over traditional audio or video conferencing. In those situations, where the basic meeting format is that of back and forth information flows, web conferencing is just second to face to face meeting.
However, security has always been a major concern with web conferencing. Mere SSL or AES encryption protocol cannot guarantee you complete access security though they are well known as industry standards. Corporate houses cannot ignore this viable communication media and at the same time cannot entirely depend on it for this very reason.
There are so many other problems in traditional web conferencing. The attendees who needed to deal with 3D CAD design, flash graphic design, and other similar collaborations of image based applications, had to fight hard to make the meeting effective up to the minimum level.
Another big problem with traditional web conferencing had been that the attendees had to download and install meeting client software. That is not all. The attendees needed to download Java, flash installations and others to support the client software. The whole process was tedious, time consuming and expensive (in some cases you need to pay monthly usage charges for your meeting client software).
Even after ignoring all these problems, you can not be sure that your meeting is held in a 100% secured atmosphere.
What next?
Here comes "on premise web conferencing appliances", a secured and easy to use conferencing tool for corporate communication. Just install the appliance and you are ready to start the conference - round the clock.
With these appliances you do not need to pay any monthly fee or you do not need constant IT support. To add to this there is no way that a firewall, proxy server or anti virus can block it. And thus you get a hustle free and smooth conference.
This appliance is supported by all the platforms like Mac, UNIX, Linux or Windows. To add to this, you can attend the conference using your iPhone too - thus you can stay connected even while you are on the move.
The best thing about "on premise web conferencing appliances" is that you can use your firewall to protect access security of web conferencing attendees. Alongside, with some of these appliances, you get the facility to Remotely Access your computer.
To sum up, "on premise web conferencing appliance for web meeting" provides you a simple, easy to use, cost effective and secured conferencing tool for internal and external meetings.
Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?
However, security has always been a major concern with web conferencing. Mere SSL or AES encryption protocol cannot guarantee you complete access security though they are well known as industry standards. Corporate houses cannot ignore this viable communication media and at the same time cannot entirely depend on it for this very reason.
There are so many other problems in traditional web conferencing. The attendees who needed to deal with 3D CAD design, flash graphic design, and other similar collaborations of image based applications, had to fight hard to make the meeting effective up to the minimum level.
Another big problem with traditional web conferencing had been that the attendees had to download and install meeting client software. That is not all. The attendees needed to download Java, flash installations and others to support the client software. The whole process was tedious, time consuming and expensive (in some cases you need to pay monthly usage charges for your meeting client software).
Even after ignoring all these problems, you can not be sure that your meeting is held in a 100% secured atmosphere.
What next?
Here comes "on premise web conferencing appliances", a secured and easy to use conferencing tool for corporate communication. Just install the appliance and you are ready to start the conference - round the clock.
With these appliances you do not need to pay any monthly fee or you do not need constant IT support. To add to this there is no way that a firewall, proxy server or anti virus can block it. And thus you get a hustle free and smooth conference.
This appliance is supported by all the platforms like Mac, UNIX, Linux or Windows. To add to this, you can attend the conference using your iPhone too - thus you can stay connected even while you are on the move.
The best thing about "on premise web conferencing appliances" is that you can use your firewall to protect access security of web conferencing attendees. Alongside, with some of these appliances, you get the facility to Remotely Access your computer.
To sum up, "on premise web conferencing appliance for web meeting" provides you a simple, easy to use, cost effective and secured conferencing tool for internal and external meetings.
Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Conference calls: Cutting the cord
While most of us here on planet small business have been sweating fancy productivity tools such as remote e-mail and the broadband Internet, old-school conference calling has quietly undergone a revolution. New online conferencing tools are cheaper and more powerful than ever. And they can add real value to your business.
Conference calling was strictly a high-end option until the mid-1990s, when digital telephony made the mandatory human operator obsolete. Today the Internet has spawned a veritable tidal wave of new multi-user communications tools. Audio-, Web-, and video-conferencing has grown to a $3.5-billion-a-year global industry. So-called reservationless conferencing accounts for roughly 95 percent of that market, according to research by Vapps (vapps.com), a Hoboken, N.J., provider of IP-based conferencing solutions.
Traditional carriers offer reliable automated conferencing, but they face rising competition from cheaper Web-based services such as WebEx (webex.com) - which will soon be acquired by Cisco Systems (Charts, Fortune 500) - and GoToMeeting (gotomeeting.com).
Skype, the IP-based free and low-cost phone service, is offering a new Skype for Business product that builds conferencing into a full suite of communications tools. Voice-over-Internet Protocol companies such as Vonage (Charts) (vonage.com) offer multiline conferencing as part of their service. One company, Accutalk (accutalk.net), even kicks in American Airlines reward miles with its conferencing packages. (But wasn't the idea of conference calling to skip the trip in the first place?)
Do these free or low-cost conference-calling products really work? Some discount services, such as WebEx and GoTo Meeting, are easy to set up and use - assuming call participants are at least a little bit Web savvy. Others, such as Skype, demand a fairly high degree of technological literacy.
The best bet for the weekly conference call in advance of my radio show, Strange New World (snwradio.com), turned out to be Skype for Business. Once you get it set up, the calling is easy, and integration of Internet and traditional phones is smooth. That's not to say that getting there was easy. While setting up Skype, we shared a number of exchanges such as "No, the pink wire goes in the other small hole." And more than once we had to make toll calls on real phones to get our "free" Skype conference call to work.
"This is turning into a major pain in my #%$," said "Ninja" Bob Fitzgerald, "head engineer guy" (his real title) at Hothead Studios, the New York City facility that produces the program. We also had occasional sound-quality issues. But in the end, Skype works. And there's no beating the price: Calls among Skype users are free, and calls outside the Skype network cost fractions of a cent per minute.
Mogistic (mogistic.com), a six-person custom-software developer based in Allentown, Pa., uses WebEx, which has emerged as a leading supplier of online teleconference, videoconference and meeting services. Mogistic's main product, Teamtivity, is a collaborative project-management tool that companies can use to organize and track their assets on the Web. After surveying the online conferencing landscape, Mogistic chose WebEx because it integrated well with Teamtivity, which the company uses to manage its own operations.
Each session, which includes voice and graphics, costs $1 a minute with no per-person charges. Mogistic spent about $2,000 last year for roughly 2,000 minutes spread over about 30 conference calls. Managing director Lawrence Wolfe says that he saves about $7,000 in travel costs for each client he can serve by teleconference. "We have 30 clients," says Wolfe. "That's roughly $200,000 per year in savings" - about 20 percent of Mogistic's total sales. Concludes Wolfe: "We simply could not be in business without the service."
So how to find the right option for your business? Comparison-shop and bargain. "Bundle up all your usage, find out exactly what it is you use, and then you have the ammunition to go shopping," says Ira Weinstein of Wainhouse Research, a Boston-based teleconferencing advisory firm. "Then you can save yourself a ton of money."
Source : http://www.openforum.com/
Conference calling was strictly a high-end option until the mid-1990s, when digital telephony made the mandatory human operator obsolete. Today the Internet has spawned a veritable tidal wave of new multi-user communications tools. Audio-, Web-, and video-conferencing has grown to a $3.5-billion-a-year global industry. So-called reservationless conferencing accounts for roughly 95 percent of that market, according to research by Vapps (vapps.com), a Hoboken, N.J., provider of IP-based conferencing solutions.
Traditional carriers offer reliable automated conferencing, but they face rising competition from cheaper Web-based services such as WebEx (webex.com) - which will soon be acquired by Cisco Systems (Charts, Fortune 500) - and GoToMeeting (gotomeeting.com).
Skype, the IP-based free and low-cost phone service, is offering a new Skype for Business product that builds conferencing into a full suite of communications tools. Voice-over-Internet Protocol companies such as Vonage (Charts) (vonage.com) offer multiline conferencing as part of their service. One company, Accutalk (accutalk.net), even kicks in American Airlines reward miles with its conferencing packages. (But wasn't the idea of conference calling to skip the trip in the first place?)
Do these free or low-cost conference-calling products really work? Some discount services, such as WebEx and GoTo Meeting, are easy to set up and use - assuming call participants are at least a little bit Web savvy. Others, such as Skype, demand a fairly high degree of technological literacy.
The best bet for the weekly conference call in advance of my radio show, Strange New World (snwradio.com), turned out to be Skype for Business. Once you get it set up, the calling is easy, and integration of Internet and traditional phones is smooth. That's not to say that getting there was easy. While setting up Skype, we shared a number of exchanges such as "No, the pink wire goes in the other small hole." And more than once we had to make toll calls on real phones to get our "free" Skype conference call to work.
"This is turning into a major pain in my #%$," said "Ninja" Bob Fitzgerald, "head engineer guy" (his real title) at Hothead Studios, the New York City facility that produces the program. We also had occasional sound-quality issues. But in the end, Skype works. And there's no beating the price: Calls among Skype users are free, and calls outside the Skype network cost fractions of a cent per minute.
Mogistic (mogistic.com), a six-person custom-software developer based in Allentown, Pa., uses WebEx, which has emerged as a leading supplier of online teleconference, videoconference and meeting services. Mogistic's main product, Teamtivity, is a collaborative project-management tool that companies can use to organize and track their assets on the Web. After surveying the online conferencing landscape, Mogistic chose WebEx because it integrated well with Teamtivity, which the company uses to manage its own operations.
Each session, which includes voice and graphics, costs $1 a minute with no per-person charges. Mogistic spent about $2,000 last year for roughly 2,000 minutes spread over about 30 conference calls. Managing director Lawrence Wolfe says that he saves about $7,000 in travel costs for each client he can serve by teleconference. "We have 30 clients," says Wolfe. "That's roughly $200,000 per year in savings" - about 20 percent of Mogistic's total sales. Concludes Wolfe: "We simply could not be in business without the service."
So how to find the right option for your business? Comparison-shop and bargain. "Bundle up all your usage, find out exactly what it is you use, and then you have the ammunition to go shopping," says Ira Weinstein of Wainhouse Research, a Boston-based teleconferencing advisory firm. "Then you can save yourself a ton of money."
Source : http://www.openforum.com/
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Verizon To Open Nework to Outside Devices
ADAPTING TO A SHIFTING MOBILE landscape, Verizon Wireless said Tuesday that it will allow customers to connect to its network with any device or application that meets minimal technical standards starting next year.
The move comes only weeks after Google announced an alliance with a group of wireless carriers and handset manufacturers, including Sprint and T-Mobile, to create a new mobile platform that will be open to third-party developers.
During a conference call, Verizon Wireless CEO and President Lowell McAdam said the decision to open up its network was driven by a rapidly expanding universe of options for mobile consumers. "We're constantly monitoring market forces, and have seen the accelerated pace of innovation and expanding degree of customer demand for multiple business models," McAdam says.
McAdam and other Verizon executives emphasized that its "Any Apps, Any Device" initiative would not change its existing "walled garden" business model. "We believe most customers still want the full-service model that exists today," McAdam says. "This will complement, not replace, our successful full-service model."
But he acknowledged that subscribers increasingly want more choices as cell phones turn into mini-multimedia players. "What this separate and distinct model does is really tap into those customers looking for complete control of their device," McAdam says.
Through its V Cast data service, Verizon already offers subscribers a variety of content from music to video clips to mobile TV at an additional charge. But the major carriers' own media offerings compete with a growing selection of "off deck" applications provided by outside companies and developers.
The largest U.S. wireless carrier plans to unveil open access nationwide by the end of 2008. Early next year, it will publish technical standards that allow outside developers to create mobile products that will run on Verizon's CDMA-based network. Any device meeting the criteria will be approved for use, and will allow consumers to run any application they choose.
Customers will be able to activate devices either online or by calling an 800 number set up by Verizon. Otherwise, responsibility for troubleshooting problems with devices or applications will rest with device makers themselves.
Verizon intends to host a conference early next year to explain standards and receive input from the development community on how best to meet consumer needs. In seeking to attract developers to create new devices and applications for its network, Verizon will be competing with Google's planned Android platform.
Google has already begun offering cash prizes to developers who come up with applications that are included its own mobile platform. The first Android-powered phone is scheduled to come out in the latter half of 2008 from T-Mobile.
During the conference call, John Stratton, chief marketing officer for Verizon Communications, said the company's move toward open access has no bearing on whether it will join Google's Open Handset Alliance of more than 30 carriers and device makers. But he added that any devices or applications created for the Android platform would not necessarily be precluded from using them on Verizon's network.
Some mobile analysts speculated yesterday that Verizon's initiative was prompted--at least in part--by the open access rules built into the upcoming auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum. The rules are intended to increase consumer choice on devices and applications used on the new spectrum. Google and various activist groups pushed for adoption of open access rules by the Federal Communications Commission.
But McAdam denies that regulatory pressure had any influence over its decision to open up its network. "What goes on Capitol Hill or what's being discussed about potential 700MHz rules really doesn't play into this," he says. "It's really focused on meeting customers' needs."
Analysts said the move could position Verizon well to expand its offerings while maintaining its traditional closed network. "Verizon Wireless' upside is that it will sell services to users that it wouldn't have had access to in its more traditional development and distribution model," said William Ho, a wireless analyst for technology research firm Current Analysis.
But they say questions still remain about how Verizon will monetize its open access business model and what impact it will have on quality of network service. "More devices mean more network usage, which means degradation of quality," wrote Om Malik, founder of the popular GigaOm technology blog. "Will Verizon keep investing ginormous amounts of money to keep the moniker, "America's most reliable network"?
Source:http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=71669
The move comes only weeks after Google announced an alliance with a group of wireless carriers and handset manufacturers, including Sprint and T-Mobile, to create a new mobile platform that will be open to third-party developers.
During a conference call, Verizon Wireless CEO and President Lowell McAdam said the decision to open up its network was driven by a rapidly expanding universe of options for mobile consumers. "We're constantly monitoring market forces, and have seen the accelerated pace of innovation and expanding degree of customer demand for multiple business models," McAdam says.
McAdam and other Verizon executives emphasized that its "Any Apps, Any Device" initiative would not change its existing "walled garden" business model. "We believe most customers still want the full-service model that exists today," McAdam says. "This will complement, not replace, our successful full-service model."
But he acknowledged that subscribers increasingly want more choices as cell phones turn into mini-multimedia players. "What this separate and distinct model does is really tap into those customers looking for complete control of their device," McAdam says.
Through its V Cast data service, Verizon already offers subscribers a variety of content from music to video clips to mobile TV at an additional charge. But the major carriers' own media offerings compete with a growing selection of "off deck" applications provided by outside companies and developers.
The largest U.S. wireless carrier plans to unveil open access nationwide by the end of 2008. Early next year, it will publish technical standards that allow outside developers to create mobile products that will run on Verizon's CDMA-based network. Any device meeting the criteria will be approved for use, and will allow consumers to run any application they choose.
Customers will be able to activate devices either online or by calling an 800 number set up by Verizon. Otherwise, responsibility for troubleshooting problems with devices or applications will rest with device makers themselves.
Verizon intends to host a conference early next year to explain standards and receive input from the development community on how best to meet consumer needs. In seeking to attract developers to create new devices and applications for its network, Verizon will be competing with Google's planned Android platform.
Google has already begun offering cash prizes to developers who come up with applications that are included its own mobile platform. The first Android-powered phone is scheduled to come out in the latter half of 2008 from T-Mobile.
During the conference call, John Stratton, chief marketing officer for Verizon Communications, said the company's move toward open access has no bearing on whether it will join Google's Open Handset Alliance of more than 30 carriers and device makers. But he added that any devices or applications created for the Android platform would not necessarily be precluded from using them on Verizon's network.
Some mobile analysts speculated yesterday that Verizon's initiative was prompted--at least in part--by the open access rules built into the upcoming auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum. The rules are intended to increase consumer choice on devices and applications used on the new spectrum. Google and various activist groups pushed for adoption of open access rules by the Federal Communications Commission.
But McAdam denies that regulatory pressure had any influence over its decision to open up its network. "What goes on Capitol Hill or what's being discussed about potential 700MHz rules really doesn't play into this," he says. "It's really focused on meeting customers' needs."
Analysts said the move could position Verizon well to expand its offerings while maintaining its traditional closed network. "Verizon Wireless' upside is that it will sell services to users that it wouldn't have had access to in its more traditional development and distribution model," said William Ho, a wireless analyst for technology research firm Current Analysis.
But they say questions still remain about how Verizon will monetize its open access business model and what impact it will have on quality of network service. "More devices mean more network usage, which means degradation of quality," wrote Om Malik, founder of the popular GigaOm technology blog. "Will Verizon keep investing ginormous amounts of money to keep the moniker, "America's most reliable network"?
Source:http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=71669
Monday, December 17, 2007
Conference Call Tips: A Common Sense Guide
No matter how often you speak on conference calls, a simple reminder or look at do's and don'ts can assist you with your next conference call. These conference call tips have been proven to eliminate annoyances and help you to convey the professionalism you desire. We will take a look at some conference call mistakes and how to avoid them. 1.Never use a cell phone to join a conference call. The only exception being if you are inside a car and everyone on the call knows you will be joining from the road. 2.Make sure the phone you are using has no static or other interference. There's nothing more distracting than someone's phone emitting strange noises, detracting from the year end review. 3.If you are a work from home employee, plan on immobilizing yourself for the duration of the call. Don't wash the dishes while the boss is detailing the fiscal year finances. It can really dry up your career potential if they hear that water splashing. 4.Know your devices. If you're using a speakerphone, know what buttons to push to mute the speaker. In fact, use the mute button to eliminate the chance of your coffee spilling onto your laptop and the explicative flying from your mouth. If you're using a headset, become accustomed to it before doing your first conference call. Know how the mute button works and test it out. It's better to be prepared then telling everyone how miserable you are on the call, when you thought only your coworker would hear. 5.Know the times and agenda for each meeting before calling in to the call. This conference call tips will help you to stay focused throughout the call and not talk about something unrelated, when you believed you were involved on a different call. 6.Take notes, but try to do it on paper, not with the clacking of the laptop keys resounding in the speakerphone. If you must use your laptop, mute the microphone until you need to be heard. After all, you can't take notes while you're speaking. 7.If there are a lot of people on the conference call, introduce yourself when you speak. It can be done without much formality, but its better they know who is sharing the golden idea, before someone else slips in to take credit. There are many conference call tips that can assist you in dealing with behaviors and appearances. It is important to remember to use common sense. The best conference call tips come from knowing yourself and your own limitations. By being professional, courteous, and insightful on the conference call, the rest will just fall into place.
Source:http://mesotheliomakiller.com/articles-directory/writing/article-writing/conference-call-tips-a-common-sense-guide.html
Source:http://mesotheliomakiller.com/articles-directory/writing/article-writing/conference-call-tips-a-common-sense-guide.html
Conference Call Tips: A Common Sense Guide
No matter how often you speak on conference calls, a simple reminder or look at do's and don'ts can assist you with your next conference call. These conference call tips have been proven to eliminate annoyances and help you to convey the professionalism you desire. We will take a look at some conference call mistakes and how to avoid them. 1.Never use a cell phone to join a conference call. The only exception being if you are inside a car and everyone on the call knows you will be joining from the road. 2.Make sure the phone you are using has no static or other interference. There's nothing more distracting than someone's phone emitting strange noises, detracting from the year end review. 3.If you are a work from home employee, plan on immobilizing yourself for the duration of the call. Don't wash the dishes while the boss is detailing the fiscal year finances. It can really dry up your career potential if they hear that water splashing. 4.Know your devices. If you're using a speakerphone, know what buttons to push to mute the speaker. In fact, use the mute button to eliminate the chance of your coffee spilling onto your laptop and the explicative flying from your mouth. If you're using a headset, become accustomed to it before doing your first conference call. Know how the mute button works and test it out. It's better to be prepared then telling everyone how miserable you are on the call, when you thought only your coworker would hear. 5.Know the times and agenda for each meeting before calling in to the call. This conference call tips will help you to stay focused throughout the call and not talk about something unrelated, when you believed you were involved on a different call. 6.Take notes, but try to do it on paper, not with the clacking of the laptop keys resounding in the speakerphone. If you must use your laptop, mute the microphone until you need to be heard. After all, you can't take notes while you're speaking. 7.If there are a lot of people on the conference call, introduce yourself when you speak. It can be done without much formality, but its better they know who is sharing the golden idea, before someone else slips in to take credit. There are many conference call tips that can assist you in dealing with behaviors and appearances. It is important to remember to use common sense. The best conference call tips come from knowing yourself and your own limitations. By being professional, courteous, and insightful on the conference call, the rest will just fall into place.
Source:http://mesotheliomakiller.com/articles-directory/writing/article-writing/conference-call-tips-a-common-sense-guide.html
Source:http://mesotheliomakiller.com/articles-directory/writing/article-writing/conference-call-tips-a-common-sense-guide.html
Advantages and Disadvantages of Conference Calling
As businesses evaluate the type of conference calling that is right for them they will need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. In this article we will evaluate and compare the three major types of conference calls including audio, web, and video conferencing.
The biggest advantage, for many companies, in choosing audio or web conferencing over video conferencing is the cost. Audio conferencing tends to be the cheapest. Virtually the only costs involved when choosing audio conferencing is the cost of a telephone and then the charge of a long distance call. Many companies already have phones with a built-in speakerphone and if not they can be purchased for as little as $100.
However there are disadvantages in choosing audio conferencing as well. The first distinct disadvantage is that businesses lose personal relations when all they hear is a colleague's voice. Jokes and remarks can be taken the wrong way or be offending when those involved can not see a caller's smile of facial expression. Another disadvantage to audio conferencing is that the quality of the call declines as additional locations are added. When several parties are involved the chance of two of them talking at the same time are great and neither of them will have their thoughts heard.
Web conferencing offers its rewards and shortcomings as well. While web conferencing can be free, it is usually in the companies best interest to choose to pay a little more to avoid annoying ads and pop ups. Web conferencing is especially useful for business calls that involve viewing digital files because these files can be sent in an instant via email to all parties involved. Documents can be viewed, analyzed and returned so they can be discussed all at once rather than waiting and communicating through mail or several phone calls. Web conferencing also allows more than one person to talk or type at once without going unheard.
Like any type of conference calling though, web conferencing also has its disadvantages. One of these down sides is that, again, it is difficult to gauge a person's seriousness or humor in a comment. There is no personality in a typed sentence. It is also difficult for those who are uncomfortable with technology to use web conferencing efficiently.
Finally the biggest advantage to video conferencing is that it offers a visual connection with the other attendees. When using video conferencing callers are able to view each other on a TV screen and hear each other through the speaker system. Associates are able to hear each other's voices, put a voice to a face, and understand each other's joke and comments. Financially, the cost of video conferencing is quite a bit higher due to the equipment that is involved. If equipment is not high quality it can also be limiting because the video feed can be jerky or delayed. Whatever type a business chooses, every type of conference call has it ups and downs.
Source:http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-conference-calling.html
The biggest advantage, for many companies, in choosing audio or web conferencing over video conferencing is the cost. Audio conferencing tends to be the cheapest. Virtually the only costs involved when choosing audio conferencing is the cost of a telephone and then the charge of a long distance call. Many companies already have phones with a built-in speakerphone and if not they can be purchased for as little as $100.
However there are disadvantages in choosing audio conferencing as well. The first distinct disadvantage is that businesses lose personal relations when all they hear is a colleague's voice. Jokes and remarks can be taken the wrong way or be offending when those involved can not see a caller's smile of facial expression. Another disadvantage to audio conferencing is that the quality of the call declines as additional locations are added. When several parties are involved the chance of two of them talking at the same time are great and neither of them will have their thoughts heard.
Web conferencing offers its rewards and shortcomings as well. While web conferencing can be free, it is usually in the companies best interest to choose to pay a little more to avoid annoying ads and pop ups. Web conferencing is especially useful for business calls that involve viewing digital files because these files can be sent in an instant via email to all parties involved. Documents can be viewed, analyzed and returned so they can be discussed all at once rather than waiting and communicating through mail or several phone calls. Web conferencing also allows more than one person to talk or type at once without going unheard.
Like any type of conference calling though, web conferencing also has its disadvantages. One of these down sides is that, again, it is difficult to gauge a person's seriousness or humor in a comment. There is no personality in a typed sentence. It is also difficult for those who are uncomfortable with technology to use web conferencing efficiently.
Finally the biggest advantage to video conferencing is that it offers a visual connection with the other attendees. When using video conferencing callers are able to view each other on a TV screen and hear each other through the speaker system. Associates are able to hear each other's voices, put a voice to a face, and understand each other's joke and comments. Financially, the cost of video conferencing is quite a bit higher due to the equipment that is involved. If equipment is not high quality it can also be limiting because the video feed can be jerky or delayed. Whatever type a business chooses, every type of conference call has it ups and downs.
Source:http://www.articlecircle.com/technology/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-conference-calling.html
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Multiple Conference Call Options Can Best Serve the Organization
It should be a given that communication within the enterprise is an important element. After all, one of the first things installed when opening a new office is the telephone. In the enterprise of today, planners must look at more than just this traditional communication channel to allow for a conference call to be made.
Organizations throughout the world operate as global corporations with offices, employees and customers located anywhere and everywhere. Often, the telephone can serve as a great means of communication, but in business processes today it is not necessarily the first. Instead, the corporation must be structured such that the communication channel, like a conference call can be selected to fit the communication need.
A Conference Call is especially handy when trying to conduct meetings or training sessions with dispersed employees. Organizations have found that significant costs can be cut in travel budgets by bringing together key employees on a conference call using teleconferencing platforms to conduct meetings or training sessions. With a conference call, the platform helps to facilitate team work and increased participation, without incurring travel costs.
As beneficial as a conference call can be, organizations must also rely on a video conference call to realize advanced benefits. With a video conference call, each member of the meeting can interact visually as well as audibly, and capture non-verbal communication, in addition to verbal communication while allowing participants to feel more valuable as a part of the team. In addition, a video conference call can play a key role in communicating with distant or overseas clients who desire a more hands-on relationship.
The enterprise can also take advantage of web conferencing options for their conference calls. Such a platform can deliver all of the benefits of teleconferencing, while also facilitating web interactions for live, interactive presentations. For those meeting or training participants who want a chance to review the content, it can be available online for reference or to be used again.
With so many options in communications, it can be challenging for the organization to select just one. The good news is that only selecting one will limit the organization’s ability to communicate in the method that best suits the meeting and its audience and the best method is to offer more than one option.
Take for instance the CEO who must sit it on the year-end meeting to appease board members and ensure the company is ready to release its quarterly reports. The CEO is actually vacationing in Mexico and the meeting is scheduled in the middle of his beach time. He can still adequately participate in the conference call via teleconferencing, but is likely to dislike the video conferencing option as he is sporting his latest beach wear.
While this example may be a little less likely, communicating with a client who prefers not to be on video is quite possible. Having the ability to offer this client their preferred method of communication is essential to making him or her feel comfortable – a key element to winning and maintaining his or her business.
For the most complete selection of conferencing tools available, organizations must turn to a vendor who can provide what they need and when they need it. A proven solutions provider can help to best identify those needs and the solutions to have in place to promote positive and productive communications. It is the necessary evil of the business world – and a great way to get things done.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/conference-call/articles/15767-multiple-conference-call-options-best-serve-organization.htm
Organizations throughout the world operate as global corporations with offices, employees and customers located anywhere and everywhere. Often, the telephone can serve as a great means of communication, but in business processes today it is not necessarily the first. Instead, the corporation must be structured such that the communication channel, like a conference call can be selected to fit the communication need.
A Conference Call is especially handy when trying to conduct meetings or training sessions with dispersed employees. Organizations have found that significant costs can be cut in travel budgets by bringing together key employees on a conference call using teleconferencing platforms to conduct meetings or training sessions. With a conference call, the platform helps to facilitate team work and increased participation, without incurring travel costs.
As beneficial as a conference call can be, organizations must also rely on a video conference call to realize advanced benefits. With a video conference call, each member of the meeting can interact visually as well as audibly, and capture non-verbal communication, in addition to verbal communication while allowing participants to feel more valuable as a part of the team. In addition, a video conference call can play a key role in communicating with distant or overseas clients who desire a more hands-on relationship.
The enterprise can also take advantage of web conferencing options for their conference calls. Such a platform can deliver all of the benefits of teleconferencing, while also facilitating web interactions for live, interactive presentations. For those meeting or training participants who want a chance to review the content, it can be available online for reference or to be used again.
With so many options in communications, it can be challenging for the organization to select just one. The good news is that only selecting one will limit the organization’s ability to communicate in the method that best suits the meeting and its audience and the best method is to offer more than one option.
Take for instance the CEO who must sit it on the year-end meeting to appease board members and ensure the company is ready to release its quarterly reports. The CEO is actually vacationing in Mexico and the meeting is scheduled in the middle of his beach time. He can still adequately participate in the conference call via teleconferencing, but is likely to dislike the video conferencing option as he is sporting his latest beach wear.
While this example may be a little less likely, communicating with a client who prefers not to be on video is quite possible. Having the ability to offer this client their preferred method of communication is essential to making him or her feel comfortable – a key element to winning and maintaining his or her business.
For the most complete selection of conferencing tools available, organizations must turn to a vendor who can provide what they need and when they need it. A proven solutions provider can help to best identify those needs and the solutions to have in place to promote positive and productive communications. It is the necessary evil of the business world – and a great way to get things done.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/conference-call/articles/15767-multiple-conference-call-options-best-serve-organization.htm
Friday, December 14, 2007
Conference Calling Services Extra Features
Choosing a conference calling service is not always simple as there are many types and options available. The type conference calling service a business chooses will need to fit their requirements and help their business to run more efficiently. The number and form of added options will also have to fit their needs bus also fit into their budget. A company should always remember that when choosing a service it should be what they need not what they desire. Conference calling features can add up and businesses don't need to break the bank when choosing them.
First, a company will need to choose which type of conference calling service is best for them. Un-moderated, pre-arrange conference is a popular option for smaller companies who do not use conferencing very often. When conferencing calling needs are low this type of service is extremely economical because it charges by the minute per participant. There is also the option of instant access conference calling which allows companies that use conferencing calling services frequently to not have to arrange the meeting in advance. When using this type of conference calling service a moderator is issued call-in numbers and room-access numbers that can be handed out and dialed in at a moment's notice. However, there are some limitations to instant access conference calling including limits set on the number of attendees. Also, there are not many add-on options available with instant access conferencing.
After choosing a type of conference calling service, businesses also have the option of adding extra features that can help enhance their conference calling needs. One of the most common add-on features is a meeting entry announcement function. When using this function, anyone who dials into the call will need to record their name prior to being admitted into the conferencing room. Once they are admitted their recorded name will play so all participant will know who is present.
Another popular add-on feature is combining voice conferencing with web conferencing, which includes not just hosting the conference call through the internet but adding a visual component. This visual component allows participants to follow along with a slide show presentation, discussion of a document or other graphic representation. This feature is especially beneficial to companies who have employees that travel often or companies that need to share data with associates across the globe.
A third add-on feature for conference calling services is the ability to record conference calls. Some services offer playback over the web which is available almost instantly after the meeting. Other services send recordings as a data file that need to be downloaded in order to play it back on a computer. Depending on your businesses needs some services can also provide a tape or CD of the recording. When choosing these extra add-on features make sure you keep in mind the budget and needs of your company. There is no need to spend money on a feature that will not be utilized regularly.
Source:http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Conference-Calling-Services-Extra-Features/92612
First, a company will need to choose which type of conference calling service is best for them. Un-moderated, pre-arrange conference is a popular option for smaller companies who do not use conferencing very often. When conferencing calling needs are low this type of service is extremely economical because it charges by the minute per participant. There is also the option of instant access conference calling which allows companies that use conferencing calling services frequently to not have to arrange the meeting in advance. When using this type of conference calling service a moderator is issued call-in numbers and room-access numbers that can be handed out and dialed in at a moment's notice. However, there are some limitations to instant access conference calling including limits set on the number of attendees. Also, there are not many add-on options available with instant access conferencing.
After choosing a type of conference calling service, businesses also have the option of adding extra features that can help enhance their conference calling needs. One of the most common add-on features is a meeting entry announcement function. When using this function, anyone who dials into the call will need to record their name prior to being admitted into the conferencing room. Once they are admitted their recorded name will play so all participant will know who is present.
Another popular add-on feature is combining voice conferencing with web conferencing, which includes not just hosting the conference call through the internet but adding a visual component. This visual component allows participants to follow along with a slide show presentation, discussion of a document or other graphic representation. This feature is especially beneficial to companies who have employees that travel often or companies that need to share data with associates across the globe.
A third add-on feature for conference calling services is the ability to record conference calls. Some services offer playback over the web which is available almost instantly after the meeting. Other services send recordings as a data file that need to be downloaded in order to play it back on a computer. Depending on your businesses needs some services can also provide a tape or CD of the recording. When choosing these extra add-on features make sure you keep in mind the budget and needs of your company. There is no need to spend money on a feature that will not be utilized regularly.
Source:http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Conference-Calling-Services-Extra-Features/92612
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Conference Call Tips: A Common Sense Guide
No matter how often you speak on conference calls, a simple reminder or look at do's and don'ts can assist you with your next conference call. These conference call tips have been proven to eliminate annoyances and help you to convey the professionalism you desire. We will take a look at some conference call mistakes and how to avoid them.
1.Never use a cell phone to join a conference call. The only exception being if you are inside a car and everyone on the call knows you will be joining from the road.
2.Make sure the phone you are using has no static or other interference. There's nothing more distracting than someone's phone emitting strange noises, detracting from the year end review.
3.If you are a work from home employee, plan on immobilizing yourself for the duration of the call. Don't wash the dishes while the boss is detailing the fiscal year finances. It can really dry up your career potential if they hear that water splashing.
4.Know your devices. If you're using a speakerphone, know what buttons to push to mute the speaker. In fact, use the mute button to eliminate the chance of your coffee spilling onto your laptop and the explicative flying from your mouth. If you're using a headset, become accustomed to it before doing your first conference call. Know how the mute button works and test it out. It's better to be prepared then telling everyone how miserable you are on the call, when you thought only your coworker would hear.
5.Know the times and agenda for each meeting before calling in to the call. This conference call tips will help you to stay focused throughout the call and not talk about something unrelated, when you believed you were involved on a different call.
6.Take notes, but try to do it on paper, not with the clacking of the laptop keys resounding in the speakerphone. If you must use your laptop, mute the microphone until you need to be heard. After all, you can't take notes while you're speaking.
7.If there are a lot of people on the conference call, introduce yourself when you speak. It can be done without much formality, but its better they know who is sharing the golden idea, before someone else slips in to take credit.
There are many conference call tips that can assist you in dealing with behaviors and appearances. It is important to remember to use common sense. The best conference call tips come from knowing yourself and your own limitations. By being professional, courteous, and insightful on the conference call, the rest will just fall into place.
Source:http://www.affordableconferencing.com/conference_call_tips.htm
1.Never use a cell phone to join a conference call. The only exception being if you are inside a car and everyone on the call knows you will be joining from the road.
2.Make sure the phone you are using has no static or other interference. There's nothing more distracting than someone's phone emitting strange noises, detracting from the year end review.
3.If you are a work from home employee, plan on immobilizing yourself for the duration of the call. Don't wash the dishes while the boss is detailing the fiscal year finances. It can really dry up your career potential if they hear that water splashing.
4.Know your devices. If you're using a speakerphone, know what buttons to push to mute the speaker. In fact, use the mute button to eliminate the chance of your coffee spilling onto your laptop and the explicative flying from your mouth. If you're using a headset, become accustomed to it before doing your first conference call. Know how the mute button works and test it out. It's better to be prepared then telling everyone how miserable you are on the call, when you thought only your coworker would hear.
5.Know the times and agenda for each meeting before calling in to the call. This conference call tips will help you to stay focused throughout the call and not talk about something unrelated, when you believed you were involved on a different call.
6.Take notes, but try to do it on paper, not with the clacking of the laptop keys resounding in the speakerphone. If you must use your laptop, mute the microphone until you need to be heard. After all, you can't take notes while you're speaking.
7.If there are a lot of people on the conference call, introduce yourself when you speak. It can be done without much formality, but its better they know who is sharing the golden idea, before someone else slips in to take credit.
There are many conference call tips that can assist you in dealing with behaviors and appearances. It is important to remember to use common sense. The best conference call tips come from knowing yourself and your own limitations. By being professional, courteous, and insightful on the conference call, the rest will just fall into place.
Source:http://www.affordableconferencing.com/conference_call_tips.htm
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
NoiseFree VoIP Enterprise Package Provides Significant Cost Discounts for Volume IT and Mobile Professional Teams
Noise Free, a leading provider of next generation software to enhance voice communications, announced today that it has created a new corporate pricing plan for its newly released noise free VoIP (call quality management software). The new noise free VoIP Enterprise plan gives large volume users a cost effective means to provide mobile personnel with call quality assurance solutions regardless of employee location and is offered in response to ever-growing requests from corporate customers.
"NoiseFree VoIP has proven to be a very effective tool for our company," said Bob Scarborough, President of Tensoft, (a multi-national software company serving semiconductor, software, and technology companies all over the world). "We make a lot of VoIP calls to a large division in India as well as customers and suppliers throughout Asia. Telecommunications is a critical component of customer satisfaction so we are using VoIP extensively. NoiseFree VoIP installed in our PCs and laptops has improved our call quality by removing background noise at both ends of our two party calls and our conference calls and we are very pleased with the results."
NoiseFree VoIP Enterprise is and easy-to-implement way to improve the quality of service for VoIP personal calls and VoIP conference calls. NoiseFree VoIP was launched as a beta version in October and the GA version was released in November and is available for individual download and purchase at the Noise Free Already more than three thousand users have downloaded the software application and Enterprise IT management is beginning to recognize the benefit of providing noise cancellation and the ability to boost voice signals for all VoIP based call services.
Since VoIP has no native noise cancellation or noise cancellation standard, NoiseFree VoIP provides a significant reduction in background noise which often hinders a VoIP call. Customers have marveled at the way in which the software reduces or eliminates such disturbances as PC/server fan noise, traffic and automobile noise, and many other types of noise that were prevalent in their VoIP calls from both home and office.
NoiseFree VoIP utilizes patented technology to deliver unrivaled transmit signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement in excess of 15dB, ensuring that callers can be heard clearly regardless of background noise environments including airport traffic, street noise and sirens, loud crowds, and even espresso machines. Noise in excess of 80dB is reduced or eliminated with the software. 80-85dB noise levels are prevalent in very loud restaurants where even a face to face conversation is difficult and around operating machinery such as tractors, airplanes, among others. For best results, both callers should install NoiseFree VoIP in their computers.
Noise Free VoIP Features-- Patent pending noise cancellation technology that detects and suppresses background noise to enhance user speech clarity -- Speech intelligibility enhancement -- Advanced Voice Activity Detection -- User-friendly installation -- Readily available through download -- Low power consumption -- Wide band codec
NoiseFree VoIP supports a wide variety of VoIP Software and Services Yahoo Messenger(TM), Google Talk(TM) and Soft Phones. It has been tested and is compatible with Windows(TM) XP and Vista (32 bit).
Source:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,239914.shtml
"NoiseFree VoIP has proven to be a very effective tool for our company," said Bob Scarborough, President of Tensoft, (a multi-national software company serving semiconductor, software, and technology companies all over the world). "We make a lot of VoIP calls to a large division in India as well as customers and suppliers throughout Asia. Telecommunications is a critical component of customer satisfaction so we are using VoIP extensively. NoiseFree VoIP installed in our PCs and laptops has improved our call quality by removing background noise at both ends of our two party calls and our conference calls and we are very pleased with the results."
NoiseFree VoIP Enterprise is and easy-to-implement way to improve the quality of service for VoIP personal calls and VoIP conference calls. NoiseFree VoIP was launched as a beta version in October and the GA version was released in November and is available for individual download and purchase at the Noise Free Already more than three thousand users have downloaded the software application and Enterprise IT management is beginning to recognize the benefit of providing noise cancellation and the ability to boost voice signals for all VoIP based call services.
Since VoIP has no native noise cancellation or noise cancellation standard, NoiseFree VoIP provides a significant reduction in background noise which often hinders a VoIP call. Customers have marveled at the way in which the software reduces or eliminates such disturbances as PC/server fan noise, traffic and automobile noise, and many other types of noise that were prevalent in their VoIP calls from both home and office.
NoiseFree VoIP utilizes patented technology to deliver unrivaled transmit signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement in excess of 15dB, ensuring that callers can be heard clearly regardless of background noise environments including airport traffic, street noise and sirens, loud crowds, and even espresso machines. Noise in excess of 80dB is reduced or eliminated with the software. 80-85dB noise levels are prevalent in very loud restaurants where even a face to face conversation is difficult and around operating machinery such as tractors, airplanes, among others. For best results, both callers should install NoiseFree VoIP in their computers.
Noise Free VoIP Features-- Patent pending noise cancellation technology that detects and suppresses background noise to enhance user speech clarity -- Speech intelligibility enhancement -- Advanced Voice Activity Detection -- User-friendly installation -- Readily available through download -- Low power consumption -- Wide band codec
NoiseFree VoIP supports a wide variety of VoIP Software and Services Yahoo Messenger(TM), Google Talk(TM) and Soft Phones. It has been tested and is compatible with Windows(TM) XP and Vista (32 bit).
Source:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,239914.shtml
Monday, December 10, 2007
Multiple Conference Call Options Can Best Serve the Organization
It should be a given that communication within the enterprise is an important element. After all, one of the first things installed when opening a new office is the telephone. In the enterprise of today, planners must look at more than just this traditional communication channel to allow for a conference call to be made.
Organizations throughout the world operate as global corporations with offices, employees and customers located anywhere and everywhere. Often, the telephone can serve as a great means of communication, but in business processes today it is not necessarily the first. Instead, the corporation must be structured such that the communication channel, like a conference call can be selected to fit the communication need.
A Conference Call is especially handy when trying to conduct meetings or training sessions with dispersed employees. Organizations have found that significant costs can be cut in travel budgets by bringing together key employees on a conference call using teleconferencing platforms to conduct meetings or training sessions. With a conference call, the platform helps to facilitate team work and increased participation, without incurring travel costs.
As beneficial as a conference call can be, organizations must also rely on a video conference call to realize advanced benefits. With a video conference call, each member of the meeting can interact visually as well as audibly, and capture non-verbal communication, in addition to verbal communication while allowing participants to feel more valuable as a part of the team. In addition, a video conference call can play a key role in communicating with distant or overseas clients who desire a more hands-on relationship.
The enterprise can also take advantage of web conferencing options for their conference calls. Such a platform can deliver all of the benefits of teleconferencing, while also facilitating web interactions for live, interactive presentations. For those meeting or training participants who want a chance to review the content, it can be available online for reference or to be used again.
With so many options in communications, it can be challenging for the organization to select just one. The good news is that only selecting one will limit the organization’s ability to communicate in the method that best suits the meeting and its audience and the best method is to offer more than one option.
Take for instance the CEO who must sit it on the year-end meeting to appease board members and ensure the company is ready to release its quarterly reports. The CEO is actually vacationing in Mexico and the meeting is scheduled in the middle of his beach time. He can still adequately participate in the conference call via teleconferencing, but is likely to dislike the video conferencing option as he is sporting his latest beach wear.
While this example may be a little less likely, communicating with a client who prefers not to be on video is quite possible. Having the ability to offer this client their preferred method of communication is essential to making him or her feel comfortable – a key element to winning and maintaining his or her business.
For the most complete selection of conferencing tools available, organizations must turn to a vendor who can provide what they need and when they need it. A proven solutions provider can help to best identify those needs and the solutions to have in place to promote positive and productive communications. It is the necessary evil of the business world – and a great way to get things done.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/conference-call/articles/15767-multiple-conference-call-options-best-serve-organization.htm
Organizations throughout the world operate as global corporations with offices, employees and customers located anywhere and everywhere. Often, the telephone can serve as a great means of communication, but in business processes today it is not necessarily the first. Instead, the corporation must be structured such that the communication channel, like a conference call can be selected to fit the communication need.
A Conference Call is especially handy when trying to conduct meetings or training sessions with dispersed employees. Organizations have found that significant costs can be cut in travel budgets by bringing together key employees on a conference call using teleconferencing platforms to conduct meetings or training sessions. With a conference call, the platform helps to facilitate team work and increased participation, without incurring travel costs.
As beneficial as a conference call can be, organizations must also rely on a video conference call to realize advanced benefits. With a video conference call, each member of the meeting can interact visually as well as audibly, and capture non-verbal communication, in addition to verbal communication while allowing participants to feel more valuable as a part of the team. In addition, a video conference call can play a key role in communicating with distant or overseas clients who desire a more hands-on relationship.
The enterprise can also take advantage of web conferencing options for their conference calls. Such a platform can deliver all of the benefits of teleconferencing, while also facilitating web interactions for live, interactive presentations. For those meeting or training participants who want a chance to review the content, it can be available online for reference or to be used again.
With so many options in communications, it can be challenging for the organization to select just one. The good news is that only selecting one will limit the organization’s ability to communicate in the method that best suits the meeting and its audience and the best method is to offer more than one option.
Take for instance the CEO who must sit it on the year-end meeting to appease board members and ensure the company is ready to release its quarterly reports. The CEO is actually vacationing in Mexico and the meeting is scheduled in the middle of his beach time. He can still adequately participate in the conference call via teleconferencing, but is likely to dislike the video conferencing option as he is sporting his latest beach wear.
While this example may be a little less likely, communicating with a client who prefers not to be on video is quite possible. Having the ability to offer this client their preferred method of communication is essential to making him or her feel comfortable – a key element to winning and maintaining his or her business.
For the most complete selection of conferencing tools available, organizations must turn to a vendor who can provide what they need and when they need it. A proven solutions provider can help to best identify those needs and the solutions to have in place to promote positive and productive communications. It is the necessary evil of the business world – and a great way to get things done.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/conference-call/articles/15767-multiple-conference-call-options-best-serve-organization.htm
Friday, December 7, 2007
Three Forms Of Conference Calling Services
All businesses, be it a small business or a world wide business, are beginning to use conference calling. What is a conference call service and what different forms of them are there? Below you will find the definition of a conference calling service and the different forms of them.
Conference calling services have revolutionized the way that businesses are run and have now allowed businesses to be ran all over the world from one place. This means that customers, associates, and even business partners are now able to communicate without having to travel half way around the world!
There are three main forms of conference calling and they are: audio conferencing, web conferencing, and video conferencing.
The most popular form of conference calling used is audio conferencing. The reason this is the most popular form is because it has been around for the longest and its cost effectiveness saves the company money. This is also the easiest form to use because all you need is a telephone. The only problem businesses have found is they are unable to see the people they are talking with and they are unable to see any images or information instantly.
The newest of the three forms of conferencing is web conferencing. This form of conferencing uses webcams to broadcast the conference over the internet. The biggest bonus of this conference is that all the participants are able to send all files, text messages, and visual aids instantly so that all participants are able to see them. The great thing about web conferencing is that you get all the great benefits of audio and video conferencing and you gain the ability to share files instantly.
The third form of conference calling is video conferencing. This is probably the most expensive of all the forms because of the cost of the equipment which means only the big companies use this form. Changes in technology have brought the cost down a little bit allowing smaller companies to use this form but many try to avoid it. To perform a video conference call you need to have a television and a camera on every end of the call which allows all of the members to hear and see each other but it is expensive. Video conferencing is effective if you plan to hold meetings frequently but you should expect to have many problems with equipment.
Those are the three forms of conference calling services that businesses can choose from.
Conference calling services have revolutionized the way that businesses are run and have now allowed businesses to be ran all over the world from one place. This means that customers, associates, and even business partners are now able to communicate without having to travel half way around the world!
There are three main forms of conference calling and they are: audio conferencing, web conferencing, and video conferencing.
The most popular form of conference calling used is audio conferencing. The reason this is the most popular form is because it has been around for the longest and its cost effectiveness saves the company money. This is also the easiest form to use because all you need is a telephone. The only problem businesses have found is they are unable to see the people they are talking with and they are unable to see any images or information instantly.
The newest of the three forms of conferencing is web conferencing. This form of conferencing uses webcams to broadcast the conference over the internet. The biggest bonus of this conference is that all the participants are able to send all files, text messages, and visual aids instantly so that all participants are able to see them. The great thing about web conferencing is that you get all the great benefits of audio and video conferencing and you gain the ability to share files instantly.
The third form of conference calling is video conferencing. This is probably the most expensive of all the forms because of the cost of the equipment which means only the big companies use this form. Changes in technology have brought the cost down a little bit allowing smaller companies to use this form but many try to avoid it. To perform a video conference call you need to have a television and a camera on every end of the call which allows all of the members to hear and see each other but it is expensive. Video conferencing is effective if you plan to hold meetings frequently but you should expect to have many problems with equipment.
Those are the three forms of conference calling services that businesses can choose from.
Friday, November 30, 2007
AT&T Delivers VoIP to Small Offices
Expanding its Voice over IP (VoIP) lineup, AT&T has begun marketing a customized version of its CallVantage service to small office/home office (SOHO) users, the company said.
The plan includes unlimited local and long-distance calling in North America, and the ability to send and receive faxes for $49.99 per month.
Subscribers can add premium features, such as choosing up to nine phone numbers with programmable calling features for $7.49 per number, per month. The additional numbers can be local to the firm or assigned area codes anywhere in the country.
Other options include directing calls based on who is calling for $1.99 per month and conference calling for up to 10 lines at a flat fee of 35 cents per minute.
Gary Morgenstern, a spokesman for the Bedminster, N.J., carrier, said the company's residential VoIP roll out last year "helped the business side of the house."
He went on to say that business decision-makers saw the technology was good enough to be deployed to residential users nationwide and were convinced it was ready for business use as well. Details of the company's marketing plan for the SOHO offering are not yet set, he said.
Several service providers have VoIP offerings that could fill the need for some SOHO customers, including telecom carrier Verizon and startups Vonage and Net2Phone.
And Covad Communications has been expanding its small businesses footprint.
AT&T first announced its VoIP plans in December 2003 and started rolling out service to residential customers in late March.
In recent years, the company's long-distance revenues have dropped sharply, as customers switched to regional telecoms and national wireless providers.
On the enterprise business side, AT&T already carries more IP traffic on its network than any other U.S. company. AT&T has been offering VoIP to business customers through virtual private network services since 1997.
The plan includes unlimited local and long-distance calling in North America, and the ability to send and receive faxes for $49.99 per month.
Subscribers can add premium features, such as choosing up to nine phone numbers with programmable calling features for $7.49 per number, per month. The additional numbers can be local to the firm or assigned area codes anywhere in the country.
Other options include directing calls based on who is calling for $1.99 per month and conference calling for up to 10 lines at a flat fee of 35 cents per minute.
Gary Morgenstern, a spokesman for the Bedminster, N.J., carrier, said the company's residential VoIP roll out last year "helped the business side of the house."
He went on to say that business decision-makers saw the technology was good enough to be deployed to residential users nationwide and were convinced it was ready for business use as well. Details of the company's marketing plan for the SOHO offering are not yet set, he said.
Several service providers have VoIP offerings that could fill the need for some SOHO customers, including telecom carrier Verizon and startups Vonage and Net2Phone.
And Covad Communications has been expanding its small businesses footprint.
AT&T first announced its VoIP plans in December 2003 and started rolling out service to residential customers in late March.
In recent years, the company's long-distance revenues have dropped sharply, as customers switched to regional telecoms and national wireless providers.
On the enterprise business side, AT&T already carries more IP traffic on its network than any other U.S. company. AT&T has been offering VoIP to business customers through virtual private network services since 1997.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Skype, Vapps offer free conference calling
Users of Skype's Internet telephony service can now create free conference calling with up to 500 participants on each call under a new service offered with VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) vendor Vapps, the companies said Thursday.
The two companies on Thursday launched,where Skype users can sign up for free conference rooms. Conference-call participants can also use traditional landline telephones to join the Skype conferences, but long-distance charges may apply. For Skype users, there are no fees, the companies said.
Last month, Skype announced thatall SkypeOut calls to landline and mobile phones within the U.S. and Canada will be free. The company hopes the free calling in those countries will expand Skype's penetration in North America, and willattract more people to Skype's premium products and services, Skype said.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East - January 23-25, 2008 in Miami Beach, FL.
services for mobile networks while decreasing the development costs.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East - January 23-25, 2008 in Miami Beach, FL.
services for mobile networks while decreasing the development costs.
Vendor Guru has done the research to help you quickly find respected, cutting-edge CRM companies with the products and services that are right for your business. Click here to learn more.
Vendor Guru has done the research to help you quickly find respected, cutting-edge Telephony companies with the products and services that are right for your business. Click here to learn more.
Skype offers SkypeIn, a pay service that allows users of landline and mobile phones to call in to a Skype phone. The company also offers a variety of VOIP-related hardware, some of it targeted toward small-business users. With hardware partners, Skype sells a speakerphone, a box that converts traditional phones to Skype phones, and a converter box for multiple users.
The new conferencing service appears to be targeted toward small and medium-sized business (SMB) users, as Skype looks to gain market share in that area, said Rebecca Swensen, a VOIP services analyst with IDC.
"Doing this helps them gain some market share in the market for enterprises and small businesses," Swensen said. "I'm sure Skype is trying to get them to see that using Skype in their sales departments is a lot cheaper that [traditional] telephone service."
Vapps, in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a supplier of VOIP conference-calling services and software focusing on the SMB market.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/01/1667170.htm
The two companies on Thursday launched,where Skype users can sign up for free conference rooms. Conference-call participants can also use traditional landline telephones to join the Skype conferences, but long-distance charges may apply. For Skype users, there are no fees, the companies said.
Last month, Skype announced thatall SkypeOut calls to landline and mobile phones within the U.S. and Canada will be free. The company hopes the free calling in those countries will expand Skype's penetration in North America, and willattract more people to Skype's premium products and services, Skype said.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East - January 23-25, 2008 in Miami Beach, FL.
services for mobile networks while decreasing the development costs.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East - January 23-25, 2008 in Miami Beach, FL.
services for mobile networks while decreasing the development costs.
Vendor Guru has done the research to help you quickly find respected, cutting-edge CRM companies with the products and services that are right for your business. Click here to learn more.
Vendor Guru has done the research to help you quickly find respected, cutting-edge Telephony companies with the products and services that are right for your business. Click here to learn more.
Skype offers SkypeIn, a pay service that allows users of landline and mobile phones to call in to a Skype phone. The company also offers a variety of VOIP-related hardware, some of it targeted toward small-business users. With hardware partners, Skype sells a speakerphone, a box that converts traditional phones to Skype phones, and a converter box for multiple users.
The new conferencing service appears to be targeted toward small and medium-sized business (SMB) users, as Skype looks to gain market share in that area, said Rebecca Swensen, a VOIP services analyst with IDC.
"Doing this helps them gain some market share in the market for enterprises and small businesses," Swensen said. "I'm sure Skype is trying to get them to see that using Skype in their sales departments is a lot cheaper that [traditional] telephone service."
Vapps, in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a supplier of VOIP conference-calling services and software focusing on the SMB market.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/01/1667170.htm
Friday, November 23, 2007
Best Buy: Free Conference Calling Services
There is much truth to this statement. If you buy a used watch on Ebay for $10, consider yourself lucky if it comes with a wristband- or hands. If you buy a jalopy for a hundred bucks from a used car salesman named Guido, cross your fingers before you turn that key. And how about that 6-day, 5-night getaway cruise to the Bahamas, for $200? It is probably nothing more than a ferry boat ride and a tour of roach motels. In one sense, you do get what you pay for. But there is also truth in the statement that "the best things in life are free." Watching a sunset, receiving a compliment, or seeing your firstborn child take her first step are all priceless moments. Free conference calling services can be one of life's priceless moments, too.
How It Works
After singing up for free conference calling services, you get your own conference number. You can use this number for any conference calls within the United States, and sometimes around the world as well. Companies can afford to offer free conference calling services because they charge for other services. Nationwide long distance carriers cover the fees. Sometimes, however, extra charges are required to avail of special services, such as downloading files or adding more conference participants, the number of which exceeds the maximum presently allowed.
No Free Lunches
These extra charges prove that nothing in life is really free, including "free" lunches. Someone pays for them. Likewise, free conference calling services are not totally free, and in the long term, traditional conferencing services could save your company more money. In fact, participants can avail of free conference calling services by paying the local or long distance charge to access the company's service computer. The exception is only when the conference organizer pays a small fee per minute per caller, to provide truly toll-free calling service to the caller.
To Free Or Not to Free - That Is the Question!
When choosing a conference calling service, find one that best meets your business' needs. Factor in such considerations as budget, scope, and size. To begin with, determine if free conference calling services is what you really need. A "Fortune 500" company that needs audio and web conferencing should go with a non-free conference call service provider. However, free conference calling services are generally ideal for small to medium-size businesses that can live without the extra services and features that full conference calling companies provide. Furthermore, if your company realizes that free conference services do not include toll-free calls and if they only need audio conferencing, then "free is key."
Benefits, Benefits, Benefits
When considering free conference calling services, it is wise to look at the features that may be included.
* No waiting and no reservations
* Digital fiber-optic lines
* Support for Voiceover Internet Protocol, or VOIP services
* Use of your conference number at any time and for an unlimited time
* Participant capacity ranging from 100 to more
* MP3 recording for archiving, sharing, and playback
* Support of any calling device, such as a cellular phone, broadband phone, traditional phone, desktop softphone, and many others
* Unlimited international conference calls using traditional calling tools, or VoIP
* Computers are unnecessary for audio conferencing
Free conference calling services are not perfect for every company. Neither do they come completely for free. They have their uses, however, and when utilized well, they can prove to be the best deal of the year.
Source:http://www.isnare.com/?aid=160256&ca=Opinions
Thursday, November 15, 2007
conference calling
CONFERENCE CALLS are an annoyance to entrepreneurs whose firms don't have advanced telephone systems that enable them to speak with multiple parties at once.
But with AT&T's new Click2Dial Conferencing , you use the Web to make these calls, entering the names and numbers of the people you want to call and when you want to call them. Click2Dial costs 15 cents per minute, per person.
At the scheduled time, AT&T automatically dials the listed parties. "All you need is one phone line and Internet access," says Janet Stone, a media relations director for AT&T. "The other people on the conference call don't even know you're using the Internet to call them."
Source:http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_4_27/ai_60036376
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Conference Calling
Originally the conference call was limited to businesses paying exorbitant fees to the telcos. For business, it still made sense economically because the costs were less than the travel costs involved in bringing the people together. Additionally, significant time savings are involved, both in terms of travel time and in being able to communicate fairly rapidly to an extended group.
Telcos then extended their market by providing conference calling services to home consumers for an added fee. For some, it made sense to be able to bring a family or group with common interests together easily, usually to plan some physical event.
With the expansion of the internet, and in particular, the increasing availability and decreasing pricing for high speed internet access, conference calling has expanded far beyond its original uses.
For business, it remains a vital tool and has, actually, become far more useful as prices fall and the ease of use increases. Real time audio/video conferencing is already in use (and in some organizations has been for quite some time). As the cost of bandwidth decreases and the technology underlying audio-video transmission over networks improves, true real-time video conferencing will increase dramatically.
With the growing sophistication of the typical surfer and the expansion of internet marketing, audio and video have become hot items. Within the internet marketing community, conference calls - usually known as teleseminars, have become a standard feature. Offering the opportunity to reach a large group of interested prospects in a relatively simple and inexpensive format, teleseminars also offer the marketer an opportunity to create an instant product. A recording of a teleseminar can either be sold as a stand-alone product or used as a marketing tool for back-end products.
Marketers are using both free and paid teleseminars. Generally there is a higher level of injected sales content in free teleseminars, but it does vary a great deal.
Solutions available now range from the rather expensive to essentially free. Your choice is going to depend on exactly what level of service you require. There are a number of providers which offer an introductory pricing scheme (I've seen it as low as a $1 for the first month), which gives you the opportunity to see firsthand how their service works at a very modest cost. You do need to make sure you understand just how your users will access the conference. Solutions which use telephone call-ins are generally more restrictive and/or expensive than those utilizing an internet connection or VoIP softphone connections.
True real-time audio/video conferencing hasn't arrived yet for most. The bandwidth requirements remain excessive and the quality of the video, in particular, is fairly low. If you ever done live chat with audio and a web camera, you've seen the limitations.
Most online presentations which involve both audio and video generally use static images which change either rarely or slowly, such as charts, website images, topic outlines and so on. This can be extremely useful for teleseminars, of course, because it makes it easier to demonstrate certain points and provides a visual as well as an audio focus for participants.
The combination of audio and visual elements is particularly useful in training situations where one can reinforce the other. Plus, you have the advantage of reaching those who learn better through visual means, as well as those partial to audio.
For those of you doing eCommerce the evolved conference call can be an incredible tool. Consider how much impact regular teleseminars about your area of expertise could have on future sales. You can provide buyers with instructional teleseminars. You can introduce new products. And in each instance you'll be generating recordings which you can either sell or make available on your sites, or use as added viral marketing tools.
With the increasing sophistication and usability of the tools for conference calling, the possibilities are virtually unlimited and well within the reach of every entrepreneur. You'll be hard pressed to find another tool that offers you the impact and potential of the conference call.
Source:http://ecommerce.articlesarchive.net/conference-calling-evolved.html
Telcos then extended their market by providing conference calling services to home consumers for an added fee. For some, it made sense to be able to bring a family or group with common interests together easily, usually to plan some physical event.
With the expansion of the internet, and in particular, the increasing availability and decreasing pricing for high speed internet access, conference calling has expanded far beyond its original uses.
For business, it remains a vital tool and has, actually, become far more useful as prices fall and the ease of use increases. Real time audio/video conferencing is already in use (and in some organizations has been for quite some time). As the cost of bandwidth decreases and the technology underlying audio-video transmission over networks improves, true real-time video conferencing will increase dramatically.
With the growing sophistication of the typical surfer and the expansion of internet marketing, audio and video have become hot items. Within the internet marketing community, conference calls - usually known as teleseminars, have become a standard feature. Offering the opportunity to reach a large group of interested prospects in a relatively simple and inexpensive format, teleseminars also offer the marketer an opportunity to create an instant product. A recording of a teleseminar can either be sold as a stand-alone product or used as a marketing tool for back-end products.
Marketers are using both free and paid teleseminars. Generally there is a higher level of injected sales content in free teleseminars, but it does vary a great deal.
Solutions available now range from the rather expensive to essentially free. Your choice is going to depend on exactly what level of service you require. There are a number of providers which offer an introductory pricing scheme (I've seen it as low as a $1 for the first month), which gives you the opportunity to see firsthand how their service works at a very modest cost. You do need to make sure you understand just how your users will access the conference. Solutions which use telephone call-ins are generally more restrictive and/or expensive than those utilizing an internet connection or VoIP softphone connections.
True real-time audio/video conferencing hasn't arrived yet for most. The bandwidth requirements remain excessive and the quality of the video, in particular, is fairly low. If you ever done live chat with audio and a web camera, you've seen the limitations.
Most online presentations which involve both audio and video generally use static images which change either rarely or slowly, such as charts, website images, topic outlines and so on. This can be extremely useful for teleseminars, of course, because it makes it easier to demonstrate certain points and provides a visual as well as an audio focus for participants.
The combination of audio and visual elements is particularly useful in training situations where one can reinforce the other. Plus, you have the advantage of reaching those who learn better through visual means, as well as those partial to audio.
For those of you doing eCommerce the evolved conference call can be an incredible tool. Consider how much impact regular teleseminars about your area of expertise could have on future sales. You can provide buyers with instructional teleseminars. You can introduce new products. And in each instance you'll be generating recordings which you can either sell or make available on your sites, or use as added viral marketing tools.
With the increasing sophistication and usability of the tools for conference calling, the possibilities are virtually unlimited and well within the reach of every entrepreneur. You'll be hard pressed to find another tool that offers you the impact and potential of the conference call.
Source:http://ecommerce.articlesarchive.net/conference-calling-evolved.html
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