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As global markets have emerged with multinational organizations and twenty-four hour trading, the need to get a reliable and cost effective method of communication on a worldwide platform has grown.
Logistical problems such as different time zones, busy schedules, expensive travel expenses for meeting, summits has commanded a more cost effective mean of communication within the business world
today.
Conference call is the most common and cheapest way of communication among more than two personnel across different region, at different time zone, talking to each other at the same time. In
conference calls, the participants can call into the conference call themselves, by dialing into a special telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge" (a specialized type of equipment that links
telephone lines) Most companies use a specialized service provider who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial to access the conference
call. International conference calls are becoming more and more common as international trade continues to thrive. International conference calling has opened up a wide world of marketing and Business
opportunities. One can now stay in touch with manufacturers and marketers without having to travel to international destinations. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, project
meetings and updates, regular team meetings, and communication to employees who work in different locations. Conference Calling has quickly become a popular means of business-related
communications. With the advent of modern technology, affordable conference calling systems have changed the previous ways of communication, with the state-of-the-art technology in audio systems
has improved our lives in ways that we cannot imagine 30 years back.
Conference calls are normally used in conjunction with web conferences, where presentations or documents are shared via the internet. This allows people on the call to view content such as corporate
reports, sales figures and company data presented together. The main benefit is that the presenter can give clear explanations about details within the document, while others simultaneously view the
presentation.
There are many types of conference rate or services offered some which are common are;
- Flat Rate Conferencing, enable conference call users to have unlimited access to a conference bridge at a fixed monthly cost. This is one of the most called out option gaining popularity as
Telecommunication carriers has offer free long distance bundled with local service.
- Prepaid Conference Calls, where one can purchase conferencing services online, and conduct conference calls on a pay-as-you-go basis. The conference call PIN and its associated calling instructions
are displayed immediately online after being purchased and/or sent via email. In general, prepaid conference call services are used with a landline telephone, mobile phone, or computer.
- Free Conference Calling, is different from traditional conference calling where the organizer of the conference call pays either a flat rate fee or per minute charge or a mixture of both. It has no
organizer fees and allows multiple people to meet at the price of their long distance connections.
In order to make sure every sure every conference call discussion is effective, out-front preparations need to be carried out;
- If you are the moderator or chair-person scheduling for the conference call, send out the needed meeting information out-front, stating the items on the agendas, toll free number for each country with a participant's PIN code, the start time and end time. Relevant documents can be sent in advance so that the invitees can have some time to review them before the meeting.
- Be punctual. Sometimes it is difficult to start on the hour because a previous call may be ending precisely on the hour or a few minutes later. But as the chair person or moderator, you will have to develop a reputation for being punctual so that the participants will follow.
- Build a strong reputation for ending your calls on time. This will create a sense of urgency for the conference calls as people came to realize that the objective of the call must be met in the designated amount of time. It will keep the participants focused.
- Complete the call with a brief summary of highlights and action items. If there are follow-up items , schedule the next phone call and use the summary highlights and action items as the agenda for the next conference call.
- Schedule a conference call for approximately 45 minutes and don't lengthen it. The shorter period of time and exact start and stop times will get the attention of the participants. There will be a sense of urgency among the invitees. End your call with a roll call of attendees and terminate the call at 40 minutes as planned. During a brief call as such, any side conversations and distractions will diminish, and participants will be more timely.
- Don't speak too quickly as participants in long-distance conference calls may experience a delayed transmission of voice.
- Some of the advantages of conference call services are ;
1. Company representatives can easily promote their product or service and present business proposals to remote clients without meeting face to face. This has saved the incident expenses of lodging and utilities. Apart from that, time allocation can be utilized more efficiently.
2. Efficient use of company time and resources: All delegates may be linked together and the meeting can be held faster than it will take to schedule an on-site meeting. Conference calling is accepted as a primary means of cutting travel costs and allowing workers to be more productive by not having to go out-of-office for meetings.
3. The biggest advantage is the cost of audio conferencing service which involved only a telephone and the charge of a long distance call, which is competitively affordable by even small company.
4. It is easier to get accessed to more people since it relies mostly on telephone lines. It is easier to use since it takes advantage of a technology which is relatively familiar to most of us. Audio conferencing has a great potential for larger groups to conference together as the technology used is fairly reliable.
5. We can further enhance the use of audio conferencing by combining communication lines with other mediums such as computers
6. Audio conferencing is user friendly in accessibility and consumes lesser time to set up.
7. Conference calls help organizations to take faster decisions on matters of urgent business operations.
8. Conference call service allows a group of people to have a conference without the need to squeeze all into one cramped room.
9. No reservations are required to conduct a conference call. All you need is a password and a number and you will be ready for your technology-driven meeting anytime.
10. A new popular add-on feature is combining voice conferencing with audio conference call, adding a visual component. This allows participants to follow along with a slide show presentation, discussion of a document or other graphic representation. This feature is especially beneficial for the companies whom have offices across the regions or companies that need to share data with associates across the globe.
11. The ability to record your discussions is one of the latest facility provided by conference call service providers. The chair person can prevent the risk of having any key items being missed out to be included in the minutes of discussions during the conference call.
12. In the medical field, audio video technology has enabled the patient to consult the doctor from a faraway place without visiting him. There are situations when conference calls bring in specialist from all over the world together to discuss and decide upon critical patient matters.
On the other side of the fence, there are disadvantages in audio conferencing as well;
13. The lack of inter-personal relations by having conference calls being the mode of communication. What we get to hear in conference calls are only our counterparts and colleagues' voice. We are visually unsupported as we cannot see and understand the body language and cues of the people you are talking to and vice versa.
14. The quality of the call declines as additional locations are added. When several parties are involved, the chance of having more than one talking at the same time are great and neither of them will have their thoughts heard.
15. Audio conferencing transmission may be of poor quality at times since it relies on phone lines and connections. Most of the time, noises can affect the conversation and may even cut the host or callers out. Also, the presence of a facilitator is essential especially when the conference constituete of a large number of people.
16. International conference number is equipped with a pre-defined number of lines. 20 lines is the most commonly used.. If the required audience is too large , then a 20 lines conference lines might not be adequate for that discussion at that time.
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