telephone meeting Archives - Page 3 of 17

Custom branded conference calls for the ultimate first impression

Admin 1st October 2019

Personalisation is the word of the moment. In all things, we are leaning into individualism. People are increasingly comfortable with, even encouraged to embrace, the things that make them unique. And in turn, they want the things they have to be unique. Likewise, as markets become saturated and competitive, protecting and promoting your company’s brand is imperative. One step in making a fabulous first impression and ensuring your brand isn’t diluted is to use branded conference calls.

Do first impressions matter?

It might be somewhat of a tired truism to say that you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. But that doesn’t make it any less vital – particularly for businesses. The fact is, first impressions are made in a matter of seconds, but they can have a seriously long-lasting impact. In fact, a Harvard study found that fleeting and silent first impressions moulded people’s permanent feelings.

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AI and business communication – what can we expect?

Admin 30th August 2019

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, and it’s a slightly tricky topic. What we do know is that AI and business communication have developed a close relationship. And it seems built to last.

What is AI anyway?

But in the public consciousness AI manages to be at once ubiquitous and mysterious. Despite appearing in news stories and general conversation on a daily basis, there remains confusion about what AI actually is.

There are certainly helpful definitions of AI. Some experts even divide it into smaller categories. This has been done according to the technology’s scope, for example, with some classifying AI as either Artificial Narrow Intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence, or Artificial Super Intelligence.

Business Tips and Advice

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Will voice calls become obsolete?

Admin 29th August 2019

The past couple of decades have seen more inventions than any age. Speed of development is constantly accelerating, as innovations and ideas build on each other. But this also means we abandon more technology more quickly. As the newest thing is unveiled, it often replaces what came before. Devices and techniques fall to the wayside. With the plethora of communication technology available, will voice calls become obsolete?

Is there cause for concern that voice calls will become obsolete?

Communications technology and fashion – more connected than you think

We all remember the tremendous boom of the Blackberry. In the noughties, it followed flip phones and spy-esque miniature laptops like the LG Vx9900 which fuelled the trend for QWERTY keyboards and helped secure Blackberry’s place as the *it* phone. Celebrities were constantly spotted with them. Even the President of the most powerful country in the world, Barack Obama, publically pledged his allegiance to Blackberry.

Business Conference Calls, Learn About Conference Calling, WHYPAY? Features

How to set up a private conference bridge for less than you’d think

Admin 20th August 2019

Many people want a private conference bridge for their companies. They know how many different uses there are for group phone calls, but they want to be able to access their teleconferences by calling their own unique dial-in number. For some, this sounds like an arduous endeavour. They might think it’s a complicated process to obtain their own private dial-in number. People might even assume a private conference bridge requires special technology, like a conference call phone. Actually, getting a private conference bridge is probably easier – and cheaper – than you think. WHYPAY? can sort you out!

Business Conference Calls, Learn About Conference Calling

How to moderate a conference call – an easy guide

Admin 16th August 2019

Given the universally acknowledged usefulness of conference calls for businesses, you probably participate in one on an almost daily basis. In fact, it seems nearly half of all workplace meetings happen via teleconference, according to a Voxbone study. But, as we all know to be true at social events, attending and hosting are often very different experiences. If it’s your first time running the show, it’s natural that you might be unsure about how to moderate a conference call. Luckily, there’s help at hand. Arm yourself with both brilliant tips for planning conference calls and powerful moderation tools, and your participants will be coming to you for advice on how to moderate a conference call.

Business Conference Calls, Business Tips and Advice, Conference Call Tips

How to set up a custom conference call greeting

Admin 16th August 2019

At WHYPAY?, we pride ourselves on our super reliable, high-quality calls. And we know our participants appreciate the reliability of the service too. You only need to glance over Trustpilot to see it! Our reviews often talk about WHYPAY? calls’ simplicity, ease and constancy. But simple and reliable doesn’t have to mean basic, boring or predictable. In fact, WHYPAY? has just had an exciting refresh. Some of these brilliant new features we’ve introduced allow for awesome custom-branding on your conference calls. One effective and easy way to give a strong impression of your organisation is with a custom conference call greeting. Here, we outline how to do just that.

Business Conference Calls, Business Tips and Advice, Learn About Conference Calling

Conference call etiquette: the ultimate guide

Admin 28th July 2019

In today’s world, conference call etiquette is a vital part of your professional toolbelt. In fact, because of the many uses of group phone calls, knowing the expectations for hosts and participants is becoming a basic inter-personal skill. At the same time, though, planning a conference call requires you to consider some factors that don’t come into play in a business meeting.

And maybe the practice isn’t all that familiar to you. There are certain industries where adoption of new technology has been slower. Look at the charitable sector, for example. Despite how much charities can gain by embracing technology, and how useful conference calls are for non-profits, it’s a field notorious for struggling to keep abreast of developments.

Business Conference Calls, Business Tips and Advice, Conference Call Tips

Are there viable alternatives to PowWowNow?

Admin 14th July 2019

It’s a simple (and important question). Why even look at alternatives to PowWowNow if making the change won’t reap any rewards?

But each conference call provider is different, despite most offering the same basic functionality. There is huge variation in important factors like ease of use, call quality and call charges for your participants. PowWowNow’s costs are fairly reasonable as long as you’re savvy about which dial-in number you use, but there are so many other factors to consider too.

Things to consider

What do customers say about the service?
Look for testinomials and Check review sites like Trustpilot to get a more objective view of the service.

Is the service easy to use?
This is one of the most important traits for your conference participants.

Whats the call quality like, especially on larger conference calls?
Do customer reviews mention any interference or connection problems?

Would you like custom branded conference calls for a professional feel?
A small number of providers (including WHYPAY?) offer this, and for less than you might think!

Does it offer all the features you require, such as call recording?

Is WHYPAY? a great alternative to PowWowNow?

At WHYPAY?, we believe our free conference calls are a great alternative to PowWowNow. Here’s why…

Dial-in numbers count

A really important aspect of browsing alternatives to PowWowNow is considering different providers’ dial-in numbers. These can be key determinants in how much you and your participants pay. They’re just the telephone numbers you dial to join the call. Therefore, they can have service charges and connection fees.

PowWowNow recently introduced an 03 number for dialling into conferences from the UK, which we’ve been championing for years! Kudos! But watch out for the additional shared cost numbers which can confuse things a little, and may lead to unnecessary call charges if you don’t know what you’re doing.

At WHYPAY? we keep things simple – with an 03 number for all UK mobile and landline callers, and an 02 or 01 number for international participants. This makes call charges much easier to understand, and you can rest assured that (unlike with PowWowNow’s service numbers) there are never going to be any charges added by WHYPAY? for the call. More information on call charges here.

Custom branding

As an alternative to PowWowNow, WHYPAY? also boasts some extras in its paid plans. Custom branding lets you tailor your callers’ experience to reflect your company. You can upload a custom welcome greeting, which can be professionally recorded for a one-off £85 fee. Of course, you choose from a range of tracks for your waiting music too. You can also customise the conference invitations you send from your account by uploading your company logo and colour scheme.

Call recording

Our Pro and Plus plans feature an alternative to the popular PowWowNow recording feature. When you choose to host your conference calls with WHYPAY?, you’ll have the ability to record any conference and download the call within 14 days for complete convenience.

For more information, visit our conference call features page.

WHYPAY?

Trying out WHYPAY? as your new conference call provider doesn’t require any kind of sacrifice. Whether you want simple, hassle-free and zero cost conference calls, or have larger-scale teleconferencing needs, WHYPAY? has you covered. And with a stellar Trustpilot profile, the idea of taking a risk disappears… We have thousands of happy customers who can’t believe how simple, reliable, clear and affordable WHYPAY? truly is. We want to restore your faith that exciting things needn’t always be too good to be true.

Don’t just listen to us, listen to our customers

Take a look at these 5-star reviews from our users.

Kathy is keen to emphasise our reliability and trustworthiness, and how great the service is for charities and non-profits:

Delivers exactly what is promised. Great, reliable service, deliver exactly what they claim. Great for our not-for-profit business and sector.

Mike loves the reliability, too, as well as how easy WHYPAY? is to use:

Simple to set up and delivers a very reliable service.

Are you ready to take the plunge into the world of WHYPAY? You’ve got nothing to lose. Creating your first conference call with us is easy – simply sign up today and we’ll take care of the rest.

Browse our lastest, unfiltered reviews

Create your first WHYPAY? teleconference today by clicking the button below. Or click onto our homepage, or the plans section to browse our offerings.

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Could the grass be greener on the other side?

It’s often said that big risk brings big rewards. The business world is one in which courage and innovation are particularly valued. Stories are rife about entrepreneurs who pushed boundaries, staged Jerry Maguire-esque walk-outs or resolutely ignored all advice and conventions. In fact, such stories often relate to some of the biggest names out there. There are even Harvard scientists who say being a rebel is a key characteristic of leaders, while so-called ‘troublemakers’ are deemed prime candidates to become entrepreneurs in adult life. You could easily move outside your comfort zone today by considering the alternatives to PowWowNow.

Thinking ouside the box pays – but cockiness doesn’t

Thinking outside the box, daring to rethink the rules, and having the courage in your convictions to follow through even when you’re told ‘no’ are clearly valuable qualities. Humility has its place too, though. That same Harvard professor’s explanations also draw from the Zen Buddhist philosophy ‘sho shin’, which refers to the idea of having a beginner’s mind. It’s been usefully laid out by Suzuki Roshi, a monk, in the iconic text Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Considering yourself an expert can actually be damaging to how you conduct business. People get comfortable and complacent. Their thinking ceases to be fresh, they stop pushing boundaries, they don’t look for new opportunities or resources because ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’.

And this is can be a truly fatal pitfall. It can have dire consequences for you, your business, and your customers. That’s not to say this philosophy only applies to business: even within the charitable sector, many are all too ready to remain in the comfortably familiar. This has led to the sector’s infamous failure to keep up with technological developments.

What’s this got to do with alternatives to PowWowNow?

You might be asking yourself what any of this has to do with PowWowNow or conference calls. But we use lots of tools for communication and there are lots of providers out there. The pitfalls of sticking with what you know rather than branching out to a potentially better option apply to conference call solutions too.

There are a small number of extremely popular conference call services in the UK, and many businesses stick with the same service (such as PowWowNow) for years. Given how integral conference calling is to businesses, this is both logical and absurd.

On the one hand, it makes sense to fall into a safe pattern with something that you’re doing every day – and for many, teleconferencing is a daily occurrence, particularly if they work remotely or travel for work.

On the other, surely something that is so pivotal to your company needs to be the best it can. So why just accept the standard option rather than researching the best conference call providers? Why not consider customer reviews, for example, and see if your current provider stacks up to the competition. Choosing the default option isn’t always the best route for your business.

If you’ve been using a provider other than WHYPAY? and experienced issues with call quality or ease of use, you may find that your calls run much more smoothly with us. We’re consistently praised by our users for these qualities, and you’ve got nothing to lose by swapping a few of your usual conference calls to WHYPAY? to test things out yourself.

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Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash

Business Conference Calls, How Can Conference Calls Be Free?, Learn About Conference Calling, WHYPAY? Features

Project management tips for beginners: A simple, effective guide

Admin 16th June 2019

An interesting distinction exists between ‘job’ and ‘project’. According to marketing expert Seth Godin, the latter is more open, dynamic and less about obligation. In fact, a lot of us have projects totally unrelated to our professional lives. It might be to learn how to cook Thai cuisine, run a 10k, or practice meditation every evening. But many of us do get assigned projects as part of our working lives. If it’s the first time you’ve headed up a team and task, it can feel a little daunting. But with these project management tips for beginners, you’ll be feeling like a natural-born leader and trailblazer in no time!

Business Tips and Advice

Reservationless conference calling: Your best friend, in business & leisure

Admin 9th June 2019

A good teleconferencing system is at your beck and call 24/7. Always ready and waiting.

Much like a loyal pooch, your WHYPAY? telephone conference room is at your service with the click of your fingers (or a few taps of your smartphone). It asks for nothing in return for the service (it’s free to set up and use), and it’s always ready and waiting for you to dial-in with colleagues or friends on-demand.

Once you’ve created a WHYPAY? conference room it’s permanently yours. All you need to start a conference is…