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Information on
Teleconferencing
Useful information on teleconferencing to save expenses and increase productivity
April 10, 2006
By: Alice Osborn
What is audio conferencing and where can one find
information on teleconferencing? This article will provide a
definition and some basic information about navigating the
world of audio conferencing. Although most people in today's
workforce know some facts about teleconferencing, most are
not sure how audio conferencing works or about the different
levels of service offered.
In a nutshell, audio conferencing takes the place of
face-to-face conferencing through the use of the telephone.
Audio conference calls allow three or more people to share
sales, customer, and product information without leaving
their respective offices and the conversations can be either
one- or two-way. In addition, audio conferencing allows a
conversation to take place on a secure private line over a
conference bridge that is outsourced, provided in-house, or
through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which takes
analog data and converts it into digital data that is
transferred over the Internet.
Audio conferencing saves time and money by reducing
travel costs and by bringing people together to make a
collective, timely decision. Audio conferencing is
especially favored by small and medium-sized businesses that
need to frequent connections with their clients and
partners, while saving office expenses. All that is required
is a telephone and a conference call provider who can set up
the business with a selection of several kinds of
conferencing call-in procedures including dial-in,
reservationless, and operator-assisted calls.
How does the conference call work?
- Reservationless and dial-in -- Companies can
either sign up with a conference call service provider
that offers reservationless conferencing, which allows
participants to dial the conference number toll-free, or
they can use a service that is dial-in, where all
participants must pay charges for the conference call.
Both services don't require the company to have built-in
PBX bridges, and the company doesn't have to have a
long-term agreement. A provider who offers single use,
flat-rate (for high volume conference call users), or
pay-as-you-go services allows affordable and flexible
teleconferencing.
FreeConference.com gives conference call participants
an 800 number, pass code and a designated time for the
conference call.
- PBX conference bridges -- Companies who conduct
frequent conference calls (10-25 per week) also have an
option to build their own PBX conference bridge to avoid
high toll costs. A typical bridge would be full-duplex,
meaning callers can have a normal back and forth exchange,
would have optimal sound quality, and would be capable of
handling multiple calls. Some PBX systems can handle 48
phone lines or more.
- Operator-assisted -- This is a more expensive
teleconferencing option, which makes it more ideal for
larger companies that need the extra services an
operator-assisted call provides. Reservations are
required, and with an operator handling the administrative
tasks such as roll call and finalization, the conference
call leader doesn't have worry about the call logistics
while facilitating the meeting. Operator-assisted calls
are ideal for conference calls involving 50 and more
people.
- VoIP -- More and more businesses are using VoIP
because of cost considerations and lower long distance
rates. VoIP is the result of voice information sent in
digital packets over the Internet, rather than in the
traditional analog telephone deployment. VoIP is also
known as digital phone service. Users generally purchase
software, use third-party services, or choose the option
of in-house deployment of Voice over IP.
Conference call features
These following features may be more available on
operator-assisted calls or with reservationless plans that
offer a per feature rate.
- Subconferencing -- This feature allows
participants to leave the main conference call and regroup
when they are finished communicating privately with each
other.
- Broadcast/listen only -- The conversation is
limited to one or two speakers and the others are in
listen-only mode. This is used most often in very large
conference calls of 3,000 or more people.
- Electronic Q&A -- This feature is used with the
Broadcast/listen feature in order to give the participants
a chance to ask the main speaker questions and have him or
her respond.
- Electronic polling -- With this feature, which
is activated through a touch-tone phone, the conference
call host can measure audience response, ask survey
questions, or record key points of a meeting.
Finding the right audio conferencing provider
Above all, a company needs to find the right audio
conferencing deployment (traditional versus VoIP) and the
right service provider if they don't plan to use their own
conference call bridge. Finding the right teleconference
service provider to meet the company’s conference call needs
is crucial for achieving that company’s sales and technology
goals. The best method for finding the right provider is to
ask for recommendations, ask how long that company has been
in business, and ask about what kind of training and support
that service provider can offer.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Audio-Conferencing-Guide.com. Your definitive guide to everything you need to know about
audio driven communications, including audio conferencing,
conference calling services, and VoIP telephony for business
and personal use.
Also See: [
Audio and web
conferencing using VoIP conference software ]
[ What is VoIP? Advantages,
disadvantages and benefits of VoIP technology ]
[ Negotiating
conference call etiquette for more effective meetings ]
Home Page:
[ Audio-Conferencing-Guide.com ]
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