Top 3 Conference Call Services Businesses Are Using Now
Businesses and non-profit organizations have been using conference call services for years. Despite the plethora of options and technological advances, such as web and video conferencing, the fact remains that 95% of the conference calls that take place are done the “old fashioned” way — all the conference participants pick up a phone, dial a number and password, and start talking. What are the Top 3 conference plans being used today?
Here is a quick rundown on the most popular services and how they are billed, starting with #3.
3) The third most popular conference call plan is Operator Managed Dial-Out, also known as operator assisted conferencing. This is when the conference host provides the names and phone numbers of the participants to the professional conference service. The assigned operator(s) then call each of the participants at the scheduled time and place them into the conference. In other words, the conference participants don’t have to do anything except answer the phone. This is the ultimate level of conference service available and used very often for important calls such as sales, investor and legal conferencing. It costs more, but if professionalism is important to you and your guests, an operator managed dial-out call is what you’ll want.
2) The second most popular conference service is the flat-rate unlimited conference calling that provides you unlimited usage for a fixed rate every month. You can use it all the time, or not at all, and still pay the same monthly flat rate. This is an ideal solution for heavy conference users who are looking for a reliable conferencing program that provides both high quality and dependability. Rates have gone done consistently over the years and users can enjoy the benefits of audio conferencing with inexpensive budget-friendly plans. Flat rate web conferencing is also available. It should be noted that flat rate services do not include toll free access numbers. As such, it is a preferred plan for internal corporate calls, particularly if the company has a free long distance calling plan bundled with its local service. Also, remember that calls placed with cell phones won’t incur any long distance charges as well.
1) The #1 most popular conference call plan businesses are using today? Unquestionably, the most popular plan offers the per minute, pay-as-you-go conference call format. You pay a per minute rate, per person, and you have a choice of getting either a toll-free call-in number, or a non-toll free number. Most businesses choose a toll free number for the convenience of their customers and because it looks more professional. How do you calculate the cost? It’s easy. As an example, 20 people on the conference for 10 minutes equals 200 minutes. If the toll free service is 4.9 cents per minute, you multiply that by 200 and get $9.80. There are a number of complimentary features, including free downloadable recordings, that are included with your service.
None of the above services are free. While free conferencing services have supported a substantial amount of traffic for years, the fact remains, most businesses have preferred using paid services because of features, capacity and customer service factors. Moreover, recent changes in federal regulations and court rulings will be forcing the free services to begin charging. In other words, the days of free conference calling will soon be over.
Most corporate conferencing demands a feature-rich service, reliable and high quality on-demand availability, and professional and dependable customer service. 24Conference.com is proud to offer all of that, and more! We look forward to serving you.