Learning how to make an international conference call is crucial in today’s globalised and technically advanced world. Luckily, there’s a simple way. All WHYPAY? conference calls are accessed using an 03 number, which can be accessed from abroad. On top of this, we include a back-up international dial-in number, in case any foreign networks are struggling. International conference calls are easy and simple with WHYPAY? teleconferencing.

It’s a small world, so they say, and it’s getting smaller. As technology develops and spreads, we’re able to connect with more people, more instantaneously and more directly than ever before. One of the best and easiest ways is with an international conference call.
These kinds of tools open up a vast array of opportunities, something which can clearly be seen in the business arena. Thanks to international conference calls, you can have partners, investors, employees and clients all over the country, and even the world. You can make the most lucrative possible deals and work with the best and brightest in the field. But, of course, you need to make sure that you maintain open and straightforward lines of communication with your whole team and all of your customers or clients. That’s why a simple international conference call is such a powerful tool.

For most people, virtual meetings have become part and parcel of professional life. But for those who might still feel a little nervous about it, there are lots of useful tips for hosting a teleconference out there. You can find general advice on planning an audio meeting, and more specific stuff like holding an interview over the phone. Before we dive into international conference calling, let’s go over some basics.

UK conference calls

One of the things which has made teleconferencing so valuable in terms of business communication is the fact that, through conference call bridges like WHYPAY?, you can hold as many conference calls as you like. All our conference rooms accommodate up to 50 participants. There are no restrictive time limits. Best of all, WHYPAY? provides conference calls completely free of charge. You can choose to sign up to a paid plan if you want special features, but our free offering is sufficient for many.

What’s more, all our conference calls are free to for UK participants to join. If your participants are in the UK, by using WHYPAY? you’re guaranteeing that they don’t have to pay hefty conference call bills just for the pleasure of attending the meeting. This will work wonders for your relationship with any investors or potential partners, and shows any remote workers that you’re considering their needs even if they aren’t around. Crucially, it also sends a clear message to your customers that you are putting them first.

That’s because WHYPAY?’s audio meetings are accessed by dialling 03 numbers, which according to Ofcom rulings must be included within a caller’s bundled minutes. If they have no bundled minutes available, the call is charged at the standard rate for landlines (as any 01 or 02 number would be). Basically, 03 numbers are like UK geographic numbers, without giving up the prestige associated with non-geographic numbers.

Can I host an international conference call for overseas participants?

Of course, UK 03 numbers (including the ones used for WHYPAY? conferences) can still be accessed from overseas. Your ability to collaborate internationally need know no bounds. Technically, any WHYPAY? meeting could be an international conference call.

But it’s important to note that Ofcom’s rules on 03 numbers don’t apply to phone networks outside the UK. Anyone dialling into WHYPAY? from overseas will be making an international phone call. The costs of these can vary, and depend on the caller’s network plan.

The great thing about WHYPAY? is that it uses standard UK phone numbers. No premium rate or special rate dial-ins, which can be extremely expensive to call. With WHYPAY? you get the simplicity of a standard UK dial-in number, so the costs for overseas participants are simplified too, if you do host your international conference call with us. Any international participants dialling in from abroad can only ever be charged their standard rate for calling a UK 01, 02 or 03 number. Your international participants aren’t paying any additional charges for using the WHYPAY? service, they’re simply making a standard call to the UK. If they’re confused about how much the call will cost, they can easily obtain this information from their phone provider.

At WHYPAY? we like to keep it simple.

Tailored to you

Your choice of conferencing platform will be entirely dependent upon your needs and your attendees’. Stick with WHYPAY? for genuinely, completely free UK conference calls. Give some thought to where callers are likely to be dialling in from. If the majority of your virtual meetings don’t require an international conference call, WHYPAY? is a truly excellent option. Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer free-phone access from multiple countries around the world, or local dial-in number for specific countries. But if you have a WHYPAY? account, you’ll be notified once these become available.

Visit the WHYPAY? home page to create a free account now.

Pick up the phone and say ‘bonjour’ on your next international conference call

To get you ready and excited for your first international conference call, we’ll give you a quick run-down of how to greet all your foreign friends!

WHYPAY?’s top international participants are calling from the USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, China, India, Germany, UAE, Switzerland, Israel, South Africa, Portugal, Spain and France. Now, we probably don’t need to clue you in too much with the USA, Ireland, Australia or South Africa (although you could test out ‘hey’, ‘howdy’, ‘g’day’, ‘how’s the craic’ or even the Gaelic ‘dia dhuit’… but don’t hold us responsible for crickets at the other end).

Here’s how to start the call if you have callers from the non-English speaking spots!

International greetings

Canada: Of course, a lot of Canada is English-speaking, and a lot of Canadians speak near-native English. If you’re conferencing with French-Canadians, though, you can make them feel welcome with a simple ‘bonjour’ or a more casual ‘salut’.

China: The Chinese for ‘hello’ is pronounced ‘ni hao’.

India: To our Indian friends we say ‘namaskaar’.

Germany: This one’s not too tricky. Greet your German participants with ‘hallo’.

UAE: The Arabic way of saying hello is ‘marhabaan’.

Switzerland: Perhaps the trickiest of all nations to have an international conference call with, simply because they have four official national languages! Hopefully you’ll know which to go for, although you can always try all four. For French-speakers go with ‘bonjour’, German is ‘hallo’, any Italian-speakers will recognise ‘ciao’. If you’re going for Romansh, greet participants with ‘bun di’ (pronounced ‘boon dee’).

Israel: For Hebrew-speaking colleagues, you can opt for ‘shalom’.

Portugal: People dialling in from Portugal may begin with ‘ola’.

Spain: Pretty indistinguishable from above, greet Portugal’s Spanish neighbours with ‘hola’.

France: And we come full-circle to our French-speaking friends in Canada! If you have people dialling into your international conference call from France, you can stick with ‘bonjour’ or ‘salut’.