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Audio Conferencing Services

Low cost audio conferencing services for corporations, businesses and non-profits, including toll free, flat rate and operator conference calls.

Free Downloadable Conference Call Recordings Now Available

Submitted by lees on Sun, 2012-03-18 08:25

We now offer free downloadable conference call recordings.  With this feature, you can record your conference at will, and then download your recordings and use them anyway you want -- you can post them to your website, forward them to your colleagues, customers or prospects, or just save your recordings to your harddrive for later use, possibly to burn to CDs.

 
Better yet, the service feature is free and comes bundled with the conference plan you choose.  You can get toll free, non-toll free, per minute, pay-as-you-go conferencing, or you can get the unlimited flat rate conferencing plan -- whatever suits your particular needs.  They all come with free downloadable conference recordings.
 
How do you initiate your conference recording?  It's easy.  As soon as you are ready to start recording, you simply press *2 on your phone keypad.  Then follow the prompts.  When you want to stop recording, you just press *2 again, and the system will stop recording.  (Look at it as "toggling" back and forth.)  Then, when you want to access your recording to listen or download, you simply go online to our Digital Podium platform (we'll send you the link) and then put in your host passcode.  Then you just "Click to Download" and you're all set.
 
Conference recordings are becoming more important, especially in the small business and non-profit sectors.  Many consulting and/or educational businesses use recordings on their websites to provide examples of their services and enable prospects to better understand what type of service or product they are considering.  So recordings can be used not only to provide valuable information, but to also generate sales and revenues.
 
Again, this is a free service and comes bundled with the conference plan you choose.  (It is not available on the local access or the pre-paid Supersaver toll free plans.)  If you have any questions, please give us a call at 877-254-2424 and we'll walk you through the process.  When you choose Pay As You Go, or Flat Rate conference services, you can select the feature option on the Sign Up Now order pages.  We're proud to be able to provide you the latest cutting edge conference technology that will help your business or organization suceed.
 

Non-Profit Conference Call Services: Low Cost Conferencing for Non-Profits and Associations

Submitted by lees on Sun, 2012-01-08 22:25

 

Non-profits and associations can benefit greatly by using conference call services designed to improve productivity and cut expenses.
 
Over the years we've been able to save non-profits a considerable amount of money because they generally don't scrutinize or review their conference call expenses closely and seldom shop around for better rates.  "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is a usual refrain.  However, many non-profits have been using brand name services for years, never thinking that telecommunication costs have been cut substantially because of competition and overcapacity.  When non-profits look at the current rates offered in the conferencing world, sometimes they are shocked at how much they can save -- usually they can cut their conferencing expenses in half, or more.
 
That's why it's always a good practice to review the conference rates you are paying now and look for bids or quotes from other providers.  Moreover, there are additional conferncing services available today that didn't exist several years ago.  For example, rather than paying more for toll free service, you may want to investigate the new "local access" conferencing which provides a local call-in number.  If most of your conferees or guests are from your own city, you can cut your rates in half by just having everyone call a local number to access the conference.  No long distance costs, and you save resources to apply to other areas of your budget.
 
There is one more important aspect that needs to be mentioned -- the time and efforts of your volunteers.  Physical face-to-face meetings can kill a morning, afternoon, or evening for your volunteers.  Yes, the mission is important, but they donating services away from their businesses and families.  One of simple things you can do to make their lives easier is to have more conference calls that can accomplish the same results in a fraction of the time.  Your volunteers will thank you for valuing their time and make their jobs more convenient.
 
Overall, conference call services are a key component in managing a successful non-profit organization or association.  Big or small, conferencing can achieve results with your board, volunteers, sponsors, supporters or clients.  Take a look at our varied conferencing services across the top of the page and choose the one that works best for your organization.  We're here to help you so give us a call anytime -- there is no set-up fee and you can have your first conference call today.
 

Conference Calling Without Entering Passcodes or PIN Codes

Submitted by lees on Wed, 2012-01-04 15:12

 

It's not always necessary to enter a passcode to get into a conference call.  In fact, our Direct Dial service allows you and your participants immediate access to the conference bridge without the need to enter passcodes.  Nothing can be more convenient and your conference guests don't have to remember the codes.  They just dial the number and you're in!
 
Direct Dial conferencing is billed at our everyday-low rates, plus a $30 per month fee to provide you with your own unique dial-in number.  So for example, you can get unlimited usage with our Direct Dial flat rate service for 10 lines for $29 per month.  If you want to include Drect Dial with that, the cost would be an additional $30 per month.  In summary, for $59 per month you can get a conference bridge service that will give you unlimited usage for 10 people with no passwords or passcodes required.
 
Want a toll free number for everyone?  No problem!  Our pay-as-you-go toll free rate is just 7.9 cents per minute, per person, and you can enjoy the same Direct Dial, no passcode required, service anytime 24/7.
 
Give us a call and let us help you design a program that best suits your conferencing needs.  Chances are, we can not only improve the quality of your service, but save you time and money as well.

How Much Does a Conference Bridge Cost?

Submitted by lees on Mon, 2011-12-05 10:32

 

How much does a conference bridge cost?  It's a very common question and there are two easy answers, depending on your situation:
 
1)  You don't need to buy a conference bridge to have a conference call.  The cheapest and most effective way to conduct a conference call is to use a conference service on a pay-as-you-go basis that gives you access to our conference bridges which are already installed and operating.  It's like buying a time-share rather than the condo.  We have several plans to choose from (see the links at the top of the page for the various services.)
 
2)  If you are looking to buy and install your own conference bridge hardware and software, you need to be a very heavy user -- at least $2000 a month in conference call expenses -- to make it worthwhile.  We buy, sell and rent dedicated conference call bridges and would be happy to provide you a quote.  However, please understand that 99% of all businesses and non-profits outsource their conferencing to services like 24Conference.com because it is much more cost effective and there is no need to install additoinal phone lines, sign long term maintenance contracts, hire staff  to monitor and organize usage, not to mention the upfront capital costs associated with purchasing conference hardware which can run into the tens, or hundreds, of thousands of dollars.
 
Unless advancing technology changes the situation, our advice is to keep things simple and outsource to our service bureau.  Time and time again, we've seen occasions when companies get diverted from their core mission and start spending time and money trying to internalize technology because they "want to keep it inhouse."  All of a sudden, they get themselves into the conference call business, only to find out later it wasn't worth the investment.  (A perfect example of this is video conferencing:  Companies have spent hundreds of thousands trying to put in fancy hardware, only to find out that the trend is "desktop video" using a $25 webcam and an "in the cloud" service costing only pennies a minute.)
 
If you are corporate enterprise and you've made the decision to install a new inhouse conference bridge, we stand ready to assist you with your purchase or rental.  However, if you are medium to small operation, we highly recommend that you continue to do what you do best, while letting us take care of your conference needs.  You'll find that outsourcing not only saves you money, but the convenience and the time you save, especially with reservationless conference calling, will make your dealings and collaboration projects much more pleasant and easy.
 
We look forward to helping you set up the custom conferencing plan that best meets your needs and budget.
 

Audio Conferencing Services: Teleconferencing for Corporate Applications

Submitted by lees on Fri, 2011-09-23 15:05

 

Audio conferencing services for corporations and business are available in several different plans and formats.  Quality audio phone conferencing, a staple in the business world, will remain the most popular and preferred method to collaborate well into the future because it's easy (no reservations are required) and fast (on-demand) and simple to set up.  People may be using the latest smartphones to have a conference, but the underlying model remains the same as it did decades ago -- two or more people talking on the phone. 
 
At the top of this webpage, you'll see several different audio conferencing options, ranging from pay-as-you-go conference services to discounted pre-paid flat rate and toll free phone conferencing.  Also, professionally managed conference calls with operator assistance are also available, in addition to services that enables you and your participants to dial a local number, called Local Access Conferencing.
 
Here is a quick rundown on the audio conferencing features and advantages of each:
 
Traditional Audio Conferencing (toll-free and non-toll free):  Tried and true, traditional audio conferencing is used extensively by most corporations, businesses and non-profits today on an outsourced basis.  (Unless your conferencing costs more than $2000 per month, it's best to outsource conferencing, versus purchasing and maintaining your own hardware and lines.)  Costs are calculated on a per minute, per person, basis.   (i.e. 5 callers on the conference for 5 minutes = 25 minutes.)  You never pay for more than what you use and the lines are always open 24/7.  The hosts and guests call the conference bridge number and then put in their passcodes.  There is no monthly minimum, so if you don't use it, there is no charge.  You can choose from a toll free dial-in number, or a long distance number (slightly cheaper.)  
 
Toll-Free Audio Conferencing (pre-paid discounted):  This service is modeled after wireless plans which provide a set number of minutes each month, so if you can anticipate ahead of time how many toll free conference minutes you'll be using, you can cut expenses considerably.  Better yet, there is no long term contract and you can purchase the service on a month-to-month basis, adjusting your account to accomodate your next month's usage.  Needless to say, this is a very popular option that provides all of the benefits and convenience of having a toll-free dial in number, and works exceptionally well if you know how many total of conferencing minutes you average every month.  Take a look at your current invoice and compare rates.
 
Local Meet Me Conferencing (calling a local dial-in number):  We have over one hundred local numbers in the United States and Canada that you can use for your conference dial-in number.  This is our Local Access or Local Meet Me service and it's the best thing to happen in the audio conferencing industry in a long time.  Let's say you were organizing a conference call and you had callers in Philadelphia, Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and San Diego.  With Local Meet Me you can give each of your conference guests a local number in their specific area to call.  They don't have to dial long distance and you don't have to pay the extra expense of providing a toll free number.  And regardless of where they are calling from, they all end up in the same conference!  This is charged on a very low per-minute basis (2.9 cents per minute, per person) and is modeled after the pay-as-you-go plan. You are only charged for what you use and there are no monthly minimums.
 
Operator Managed Audio Conference:  This is top-of-the-line conferencng at its best.  Professionally trained operators provide full service and can call out to each of your participants and place them into the conference.  Your guests just have to answer the phone.  The operators can also provide different levels of service as well, including coordinating Q&A sessions, and managing legal and investor relation calls.  Another aspect is to having everyone call in themselves and have an operator greet them, gathering contact information from the callers.  That information can then be given the host.  The operator can then introduce each person to the conference as they enter.  A very nice professoinal touch!  This is an ideal set up for important high-profile calls or critical sales calls when you want to close the sale.
 
Fixed Rate Conference Service (pre-paid unlimited use):  Fixed Rate conferencing is ideal for heavy users because you get unlimited usage.  You can conference anytime you want, for as long as you want.  Everyone dials a long distance access number (we have a New York City 212 access number and others in the Mid-West) to get into the conference call.
 
While advances in video conferencing have been impressive, the vast majority of people who conference prefer an audio conference for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they don't particular care to broadcast their image over the Internet.  (No studies have been conducted that we are aware of, but anecdotally, most people tell us they self-consciously just don't like the way they look on camera.)
 
Overall, as companies look to save costs and boost productivity, audio conferencing services are near the top of the list to trim the need for physical meetings which eat into valuable time.  Give us a call today to find out how we can help.