Today’s businesses rely heavily on conference calls as a means of communication. Companies have presence in different parts of the globe; colleagues, business partners, investors and customers can be located anywhere. Distance is not a concern in today’s globalised economy. Therefore businesses need a reliable method for communication without having to spend too much on travelling and accommodation expenses – a reliable teleconferencing serviceis the answer.
There are many conferencing solutions available with reputed conferencing service providers that allow businesses to save both time and money, while allowing for effective business practices. Call conferencing companies use a conference bridge which is nothing but a server that has the ability to answer multiple telephone calls simultaneously.
Participants of a teleconference dial into the bridge to connect to the call. The biggest advantage of telephone conferencing is that it is easy and accessible. All you need to have is a normal telephone line to start phone conferencing with any number of people located anywhere in the world.
To make the most of conference call services, keep the following tips in mind.
It is very important to start the call on time. Notify all participants of the exact start time of the call in their respective time zones. If a call does not start on time, it can cause difficulties with the service provider and waste the time of other participants.
Before the call starts, all members should identify themselves. Voice conference calls by their very nature rely entirely on the voice (except if it is a video conference), therefore it is very important for participants to identify themselves. They must also begin a comment or question by stating their names, else interaction might be difficult.
The moderator must encourage active participation. Otherwise some participants may get sidelined or ignored and nobody may even notice.
Conferences should be treated pretty much like normal business meetings. There has to be someone in charge. The chair person should address each item in the agenda.
If conducted well, teleconferencing can be as productive as normal business meetings. Provide the participants with the agenda a few days before the call. They can then consider the issues in depth and come prepared for the call.
Businesses today are distributed across the world. If enough attention is given to the way teleconferences are done, they can prove to be a significant time saving and cost effective way of conducting business.
