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Teleconference Service

Teleconference services including high quality toll free, flat rate, local access and operator managed audio conferencing.

Conference Bridge Hosting: Tips on Getting Started

Submitted by lees on Sun, 2013-04-21 13:29

Author: Lee Simonson

 

The bottom line on conferencing:  You can hire a conference hosting service for far less than what it would cost you to buy and maintain your own conference bridge equipment and hardware.  Here are some rules of thumb:
 
1)  If you are small to medium size company or association (less than 500 employees/members), your best bet is to retain the services of a reliable provider (like us) to give you secured access to one of our conference bridges.
 
2)  If you are a large enterprise and do a lot of conferencing, then yes, you should look into renting or buying your own conference call hardware.  (We can help you with that, too.)  However, when you consider telecommunication line costs, staff time, and maintenance, chances are you'll find outsourcing your conferencing is still less expensive.  It boils down to how you want to use your staff resources.  More often than not, you'll want your staff and associates spending their time on your business, and not trying to manage being in the conference call business.
 
Getting started to retaining the services of an conference bridge hosting service is easy and only takes a few minutes.  For the sake of example, let's say you wanted to retain our services here at 24Conference.com.
 
Here is the process:
 
-- Decide what kind of conference service you want?  Pay as You Go, or Flat Rate Unlimited?  Toll-free access, or non-toll free access?  Reservationless (you can conference on-demand, anytime) or Operator Managed (we call your participants for you and place them into the conference call.)  You can research all the alternatives, rates and features, by checking out the links at the top of this page.
 
-- Once you decide, you can call us at 877-254-2424, or you can fill out the online order forms.  There is no set up charge and no long term contracts.  You use your service month-to-month, and we charge your credit card accordingly.
 
-- When your order is received, we will set you up, usually within 30 minutes.  You will get an email with your conference call-in number, along with a set of two passcodes -- one for the host/moderator and the other for your guests/conferees.  You'll also receive simple instructions and control functions.  You can start using your conference service immediately once you receive your email.  Just have all your guests call the access number and use their passcode when prompted.  Remember, everyone has to use the # sign after inputting their 7-digit passcode.
 
It's that simple, so don't think that conferencing is complicated or confusing.  Let us know how we can help you enjoy the benefits of phone conferencing and collaboration by using our conference bridge hosting service.
 

24-7 Conference Call Services Are Available on Demand

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:29

Author: Lee Simonson

 

On demand, 24-7 conference call service is offered by nearly all conference vendors in various formats to fit budget conscience users. With the advent of global communications, and with business contacts and associates scattered throughout the world, the availability for 24-7 access has become ubiquitous.
 
Regardless of the time of day, conference users can access conference bridges on-demand to conduct business with no need to make reservations. When you sign up for a conference service you will be provided a call-in number and passcodes to enable you to begin your conference call at any time with any number of participants. You will either dial a toll free number, or a regular local number to get into your conference. Regarding costs, you can choose to pay a per minute cost or a monthly flat rate that provides you unlimited usage.
 
24-7 phone conference calling is gaining in popularity because it is cost effective and convenient. No matter where your contacts are in the world and no matter what time zone they are in, everyone can easily pick of the phone to stay connected. Maybe it's a software development project you are advancing in India. Or a manufacturing deal in China. Your contacts can collaborate and share ideas easily over the phone.
 
Scheduling is easy and is usually done with email notices sent out to all the participants, usually a couple of days before the conference call. Reminder email notices are sent closer to the actually start time.
 
Of course, all of this contrasts with the "the olden days" when the only conferences were provided by AT&T and you need to reserve an operator's assistance ahead of time. Conferencing was expensive back then but was not available on demand. Not only that, but many places in the world were not even wired for telephones. Today, nearly every corner of the world has access to wired or wireless phone technology. That fact itself has accelerated the use of conferencing as an important and essential business toll in a world economy that never sleeps.
 
Even in the event of disaster, most conference bridge service providers have redundant systems and back up plans to transparently re-route conference traffic. As a customer, you would never know the difference if you were using another back up bridge.
 
So whether the sun is rising or setting wherever you are, rest assured that the conference bridges you use never take a break.
 
Click here to get more information on 24-7 conference call services: http://www.24conference.com/flatrateteleconference

Outsourcing Conference Call Services

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:25

Author: Lee Simonson

For businesses and organizations who want to focus on their core mission and responsibilities, and have no interest in getting into their own conference call business, outsourcing is the logical choice. There is stiff competition in the conferencing field which have caused rates to fall. Moreover, there are deals out there that can offer you unlimited conferencing for one low flat rate a month, with no long term contracts.

Phone conference call companies can easily provide outsourced services that can save you a substantial amount of money.

In fact, if you spend less than $1000 a month on telephone conferencing services, you are way ahead by using the services of a professional conference call company. If you spend more than $1000 a month, you can still save by outsourcing, but you should also look at leasing or buying your own conference equipment. It all depends on your usage, what you anticipate your needs will be in the future, and if you want to go to the expense of maintaining the hardware and software.

 
When shopping for a phone conference company, here are some of the things that should be included in your checklist:
 
1) No long term contract. Don't tie yourself into a contract unless you are absolutely sure that the conference company can offer you high quality and good customer service. Use the service for a couple of months and get a hands on experience using the system.
 
2) Good customer service. Does someone answer the phone when you call?
 
3) Testimonials are good. See if their website has comments from customers.
 
4) A variety of plans and options. Do you want toll free or non-toll free service? Do you want to pay-as-you-go with a per minute account, or use the flat/fixed rate conferencing service? Do you need professional operators on the call to help you manage the conference or to call up the participants and put them into the call for you?
 
5) No set up fee. Most conference call companies do not require you to pay an upfront cost to set up an account.
 
Overall, telephone conference call services are saving organizations a substantial amount of money and time by enabling convenient discussions among colleagues and contractors without the need for additional hardware or software. The outsourced conferencing services are easily accessed and participants can schedule meetings over the phone at anytime. Companies, large and small are realizing substantial savings in reducing travel and meeting costs.
 
Businesses and non-profits can choose from several types of phone conferencing formats and features that can fit any particular budget. The bottom line is that conference services can benefit almost any organization that needs to improve communications within and among internal and external people and groups.
 
You can get more valuable information about phone conference companies here: http://www.24conference.com

Law Firm Conference for Legal Depositions and Attorney Conference Calls

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:21

Author: Lee Simonson

In an effort to save time, more law firm conference and depositions are being conducted over the phone. Teleconferencing is proving to be a boom in expediting legal processes that used to tie up manpower and office staff. In other words, more cases can be handled in less time.

 
There are many applications and reasons why law firms are adopting this technology. But primarily, attorneys are finding that depositions, or conferences with judges, are ideal purposes for using audio conferencing.
 
Law firms have the choice of getting their own conference hardware and software which can be quite expensive to set up and maintain. However, the vast majority find that is much less trouble to just outsource the conferencing service. There are no up front costs, no set up fees, no equipment to buy or maintain, no long term contracts, and you are only charged for what you use -- avoiding all overhead costs. Better yet, you can get invoices from the conference vendor that can be coded to specific cases so accounting can have a much each job of allocating expenses.
 
Law firm administrators who used to be forced to divide the costs of legal conference calls among the various participants and opposing law firms, are relieved to find out that those days are long gone. Law firm conference services can bill each party separately, thus saving additional aggravation and streamlining back office operations.
 
The biggest advantage to outsourcing law firm conferences is the having being managed by a professional operator. Operator conference calls constitute the highest level of service available and involve full time operators who call each participating party and put them into a conference call. Quite simply, a list of the participant names and phone numbers is emailed to the phone conference call company, along with the schedule and time of the conference, and whatever billing codes the law firm assigns the case. At the designated time, operators will call out to each participant and begin the conference call. This is very convenient and there is no requirement for you to call into the conference yourself. If requested, an operator will be on the call to handle any technical issues that may arise.
 
Another service option is to have all the parties call a toll free conference number themselves, with an operator who greets each caller and collects the billing code information. This works, but since it's generally the same per minute rate as the operator dial out service, most law firms opt to have the operators call them. Transcription and translation services are also available for an additional fee.
 
Court reporters can also resell or become agents and increase revenues for their firms by adding a value added service such as law firm conferencing to their menu of available services. They can simple outsource the service as well, without the need of hiring additional staff or worrying about equipment costs.
 
Billing is pay-as-you-go, so you are never charged for more service than what you need or use. If there are some days, weeks or months the service isn't used, there are no costs levied and no monthly minimum usage. All in all, the adoption of teleconferencing to better manage depositions and increase law firm productivity is soaring in popularity.
 
Give us a call today at 877-254-2424 and we'll be happy to help you get set up quickly and easily for your next legal conference call.

Business Teleconference Services Recommended for Collaborative Projects

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:16

Author: Lee Simonson

Organizations are adopting teleconferencing to cut down on meeting time and to reduce travel costs. Loosely speaking, teleconferencing also includes new communication tools such as web and video conferencing.

Business teleconference services are widely available and its usage is growing substantially within business and non-profit communities, particularly in North America. 

 
Since it is much less expensive to retain an outsourced business teleconference service than it is to purchase and maintain conference hardware and equipment, teleconferencing has been universally adopted by both large and small firms who now have a wide variety of excellent plans and programs to choose from.
 
There are plans available that fit almost any teleconferencing need or budget. For example, there are fixed and flat rate teleconferencing services that provide unlimited usage, 24/7. You can use the service as much as you want, whenever you want, for one rate per month. On the other hand, there are pay as you go services where you are only billed for what you use. Plans can provide for toll free or non-toll free conferencing, and also the use of professional operators to coordinate and manage calls.
 
More often than not, web conferencing that enables you to share such things as PowerPoint presentations and "whiteboards," usually use teleconferencing as an adjunct service. In other words, collaborators use the Internet to share visual information or even videos, while the audio portion of the conference is conducted over the phone. The exception to that is when the audio is transmitted as VOIP (voice over Internet protocol.) The reason the VOIP alternative still lags behind regular fiber-optic or analog technology is because the use of Internet microphones and speakers has not been universally adopted. It is much easier to have the visual components of the conference over the Internet, while simultaneously conducting the audio portion over regular phone or cell connections. 
 
Setting up a teleconferencing account is relatively simply and easy. You can find the teleconference service you are looking for online and sign up quickly. Your account is set up by your provider and you will receive a call in number and two passcodes. After that, you set up a time you want your teleconference to begin and alert your associates of the time they should call in. Everyone calls the same number, and the moderator or host of the conference punches in his or her passcode, and the participants or guests put in their passcode. The moderator passcode is separate because the moderator has the ability to mute everyone on the call to eliminate distracting background noises. More than one person can call in on the moderator code, so if for example, three people are going to do most of the talking, and fifteen people are on the teleconference, those three people would call in on the moderator passcode and everyone else would be muted.
 
Directions on how to conduct a teleconference service call on a do it yourself basis are straightforward and easy. You won't need any time to set up or practice. And generally you can record the call and playback at no additional cost for certain amount of time. After that you can get a digital or hardcopy for a nominal fee. 
 
Getting a teleconference service to help you improve communications and enable you to discuss issues and projects with associates who are dispersed geographically will be the quickest and most effective way to collaborate and achieve results. Whether you use teleconferencing for sales, internal management, teleseminars, educational applications or just talk to family and friends, you'll find it a convenient and beneficial technology that saves you time and money.
 
Give us a call, and we'll do our best to insure you are getting the best value for your particular needs.  Call us at 877-254-2424.
 

Small Business Conference Calling

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:12

Author: Lee Simonson

Small business conference calls are growing in popularity because they enable small business owners and operators to save a tremendous amount of time while communicating less expensively with more contacts. With telecommunication costs going down, and travel and meeting costs going up, it is only logical to see small enterprises converting to teleconferencing.

 
Small businesses have a number of conference calling options available to them. The vast majority of companies with less than 500 employees outsource for conferencing services and do not maintain or staff conferencing centers. The vast array of conferencing services, combined with very competitive pricing, makes the idea of purchasing conferencing hardware or software impractical.
 
Outsourcing your conference calling services is quick and easy. Establishing an account is usually free, and once you are set up you will receive via email a call-in number and a set of passcodes -- one passcode for the moderator or leader of the conference (there can be more than one leader) and one passcode for the participants or conferees. At the designated time, everyone calls the same phone number, punches in their passcodes and your conference begins. You can also obtain web conferencing or video conferencing services which will enable you to show PowerPoint presentations or live video streams during your audio conference. Conferencing can be simple or sophisticated, depending upon your particular application or needs.
 
One of the most popular services is called flat rate teleconferencing which provides for unlimited usage for a fixed monthly fee. You can access your conference bridge anytime 24/7 and talk as long as you want. There are no reservations needed and no per minute charges. Small businesses find flat rate teleconferencing convenient and much less costly than traditional conferencing.
 
Another option for occasional conference call users is the pay-as-you-go service which bills you on a per minute basis. You pay for what you use, no more or less. You can also get a toll free access number with this service which is portrays a professional image, especially for prospects or customers. There is another toll free service that is similar to a cell phone plan, where you can purchase a set number of minutes per month for a discounted price, and pay extra for any minutes that go over your plan.
 
The most professional and exclusive conference call service is operator assisted teleconferencing. This is when professional operators manage and organize your call. They can even call out to participants and place them in the call for you, providing the ultimate convenience. These calls are used when talking to investors or high profile sales calls. 
 
All in all, small business teleconferencing will continue to grow in importance and popularity as managers look for more ways to cut costs, improve productivity, and enhance connectivity between internal and external company contacts.
 

Audio Teleconferencing Services Include Pay As Go You Plans

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 08:07

Author: Lee Simonson

Audio teleconferencing services are proving to be extremely valuable for business organizations and non-profits that are looking to save time and money communicating with associates, customers, prospects and membership.

 
In fact, audio teleconferencing is probably the simplest, easiest and fastest way to see immediate savings in increased productivity, faster decision making, and reduced travel and meeting costs. There is no ramp up time or investment, because the savings begin the minute you pick up the phone to start a phone conference call. Best of all, you don't need any special equipment or hardware to get started.
 
Setting up an audio teleconference service can be done in a couple of minutes. There are several different kinds of audio teleconference services and you need to pick out the right one for you.
 
"Pay as you go" audio conference plans are popular because you only pay for what you get -- no more or less. They are based on a per minute rate per person. In other words, 10 people on an audio conference for 10 minutes would equal 100 minutes. If for example, your toll free conference number was charged at 9 cents per minute, your cost for 10 people on the conference for 10 minutes would be $9 (100 minutes times 9 cents.) There is usually a slight premium paid for the advantage of using a toll free service, versus a non-toll free service. But either way, pay as you go plans offer audio conference users many benefits.
 
Another alternative, if you are a heavy and consistent user of audio conferencing, is a flat rate conference service that provides unlimited usage for set amount every month. For example, you could pay $29 a month for all your conference needs, and you would pay that flat rate whether or not you actually used the service. It can be extremely cost effective, however, the only catch is that the service does not provide an 800 conference number. Everyone who has to call into the bridge uses a regular non-toll free number. (Of course, if you have free long distance bundled with your local service, or are calling from a cell phone, you would not incur any expenses.)
 
All in all, audio teleconferencing has become a valuable addition to a suite of outsourced business solutions that have revolutionized the way people do business and communicate. Add in web and video conferencing, and you have created a new virtual environment where you can not only talk to colleagues and customers, but see and interact with them as well. Technological breakthroughs continue to make the world flatter and more accessible and those businesses and organizations that use cutting edge communication tools to improve their productivity and work flow will reap the greatest rewards.
 
For more information about audio teleconferencing and pay as you go conference plans, give us a call.  We look forward to serving you.

Audio Conference Services from 24Conference.com

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 07:58

Author: Lee Simonson

Audio conferencing services are becoming a valuable tool in the business and non-profit world because they bring convenience and cost savings to users. Audio conferences are also known as voice or phone conferences. They differ from web or video conferences because they transmit only sound.

 
While audio conference calls can take on many forms, including web-based VOIP (voice of Internet protocol), the vast majority of audio conferences take place over the phone, either with regular analog or cell phones. In fact, many of the conference bridges in use today are having a difficult time accepting incoming calls from VOIP connections because of the different technology used to transmit voice signals.
 
There are several options available to organizations interested in using audio conferencing to save time and money. The first option, of course, is to go and buy your own conference bridge. Unless you are a very large company, this option doesn't have too many advantages. Second, you can buy the service and leave the maintenance headaches to someone else. This is by far, the most popular alternative.
 
Audio conference service providers have a variety of programs available for almost any application or budget. Everything from unlimited flat rate service to the more professional operator assisted calls are services that are offered. 
 
There are pros and cons for each service and you'll have to decide which service works best for you. For example, unlimited flat rate service is extremely cost effective since there are no limits on usage and you can talk as long as you want, anytime you want. However, it is not toll free and participants have to dial a long distance number to access the conference bridge. While that used to be an issue several years ago, nowadays, most organizations have free long distance (or nearly free) and the long distance call is not an issue. While you have unlimited usage with flat or fixed rate conferencing, the downside is that you pay for it during the months you may not use it at all.
 
On the other hand, occasional conference users may prefer the pay-as-you-go conference plans that bill you for minutes used, no more or less. For toll free convenience, you will pay a bit more than you would for non-toll free pay-as-you-go service.
 
Top of the line service is the operator conference call, where professional conference operators either call out to the participants or greet conferees on the phone and place them manually into an audio conference call, introducing each caller to those participants who are already in the conference.
 
There are other forms of audio conferencing as well, including events where there may be several hundred people on the call at once. During those calls, the moderators or leaders of the calls can mute all the participants so only the leaders can be heard. That is called "lecture mode" and is the only feasible way to conduct a conference call of that size because of the noise generated by so many callers.
 
Audio conference plans and services are growing in importance as companies realize how much time and money they can save by avoiding meeting and travel costs. Managers are finding the best alternative in moving a project forward is to just sit at their desk, get on the phone and talk to all the players at the same time.
 
For more information about the various audio conference services, click here: http://www.24conference.com/flatrateteleconference

Conference Call Recommendations

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 07:50

Author: Lee Simonson

Conference call service recommendations depend on the type of quality and service you need. If you are casual user who likes to talk to friends, a free conference service would be fine. However, businesses and associations would need a more professional service that is more reliable and geared toward providing customer service.

 
If you are a business, organization or association and are looking for conference service options there are many recommendations, including these top 6:
 
1) It's always best to provide an 800 call in number for customers and prospects, so they don't have to pay long distance charges to listen to you trying to sell them something. Conference calls that take place among internal company colleagues and associates usually wouldn't need a toll free number to call, since the long distance charges they pay would be less than paying for toll free service. So, the recommendation here is to have a toll free conference service for customers and prospects, and a non-toll free service for internal company calls.
 
2) Don't buy conference bridge hardware for your company if your conferencing costs are less than $2500 per month. Instead of getting hardware, just rent the service. You'll send up way ahead. Not to mention you'll be saving a small fortune on maintenance and line charges.
 
3) If you are an occasional conference user and only conference once or twice a month, you are better off on a pay-as-you-go basis. You only get billed for what you use. On the other hand, if you are heavy user you should get the fixed or flat rate conferencing service that gives you unlimited usage for a set rate each other. There are no per minutes charges with the fixed rate service and you can talk as much as you want, anytime you want.
 
4) If you get the unlimited fixed rate service, and want to add the convenience of a toll free number, you should consider a "hybrid" approach. Get a toll free number and have it "ring to" the flat rate conference bridge. So, very simply, you can save a ton of money by having your associates call the regular toll number to get into the conference, and at the same time, have your customers or prospects use the toll free number to end up at the same place. That way, you aren't paying for toll free expenses for everyone -- you are only giving the toll free number out to the people who need it. Everyone else is using the conference service for next to nothing.
 
5) Calling into a conference bridge on a regular landline phone will improve the quality of the call, versus using a cell phone or VoIP connection. If you are having quality issues, have everyone call from a regular analog landline phone. Otherwise, if the call quality is bad, you can have the caller mute himself, or the moderator can mute all the callers, or you can get an operator to isolate the issue and just mute that one caller with a bad connection.
 
6) If a conference call is very important, and there is a lot riding on the call (i.e. big contract or deal) you are well advised to get operator assistance. The operators can call out to each party and introduce participants into the conference. This professional touch will impress your most skeptical prospects and demonstrate you are taking the discussion very seriously. Having a professional operator handle and organize your conference with the highest level of service usually pays for itself many times over.
 
There are many other conference call service recommendations that you provider would be more than happy to discuss with you. Talk to a pro to get all your options on the table. Once you see your choices you can proceed confidently knowing that the program you pick is the best one for you.
 
You can get more information about various conference call service recommendations and options here: http://www.24Conference.com
 

Non-Toll Free Conference Call Service (Using a Regular Toll Number)

Submitted by lees on Tue, 2013-03-12 07:44

Author: Lee Simonson

 

Non-toll free conference access numbers are just regular 10 digit phone numbers that include the area code. It is considered a long distance call. On the other hand, toll free numbers begin with 800, 866, or 877. A new 855 numbering system will be released shortly. So, if you are dialing into a conference call and it is a long distance number, that is considered a toll call.

Non-toll free conference calling services are, by far, the most popular in the United States. Estimates on usage indicate that they are used ten times more than 800 conference calling.

 
There are a number of reasons why there is such a wide disparity of usage between 800 and regular toll conferencing, but the difference centers primarily on pricing. Simply, having conference call users dial a non-toll, or long distance, access number is much less expensive than providing a toll free number.
 
In fact, there are plans where you can get unlimited conference usage for a monthly fixed or flat rate, regardless of how many minutes you use. The upside is that if you are a heavy user, you can save a small fortune using the flat rate conferencing service. The downside is that if you don't use the service, you are still required to pay the monthly rate.
 
You can also get conference services that are calculated on a per minute rate, providing either an 800 or non-toll free access number. you per minute on a pay-as-you-go plan -- you only pay for what you use, when you use it.
 
It should be noted that another reason why non-toll free conference calls are so popular is because most callers don't have to worry about the cost of a long distance call since most of the phone users in the United States get free long distance, either automatically on their cell phone or bundled with their local telephone service for their landlines. Why spend extra on an 800 number, when it's free to call long distance anyway?
 
Most business leaders would it agree that if the purpose of the conference call is for customer service, or sales calls to prospects, it is very important to offer the convenience of a toll free number. However, if an organization is looking to cut costs and needs conferencing for internal use among employees and associates, then a non-toll free conference number is preferable.
 
The use of a regular long distance conference access numbers will continue to overshadow the market into the foreseeable future. In fact, the use might increase as more and more people and organizations get free long distance and long distance rates continue to decline. It is a very effective and viable way for you to enjoy all the benefits of collaborative conferencing, while at the same time minimizing travel, meeting and telecommunication costs.
 
You can get more valuable information about non-toll free conferencing calling here: http://24conference.com/flatrateteleconference