How To Conference Call

Here are some steps on how to conference call that will help guarantee that your next audio, video, or web conference is a great success:

• Avoid putting phones on hold. Phone systems with music-on-hold will disrupt the conference call.
• Advise all participants of the date, time and planned duration of the conference call well in advance.
• Audio conferences are perfect when talk is enough, while web conferences are ideal for sharing data, such as presentation slides or images.
• Since all lines are bridged together, a conference call can never be better than the worst connection on the call.
• Web-scheduled conference calls can be booked with as little as five minutes advance notice.
• Web conferencing, like the traditional audio conference call, requires a certain amount of planning to be successful.
• Make sure that all of your participants know how to access the video or web conference room.
• For video conference calls, all cameras should be tested from within the video or web conferencing system that you will be using.
• Consider if your conference-calling provider can give you operator assistance if you should need it.
• Determine what level of security you need and whether the conference call service provider or system can meet your requirements.
• Supply web access information to your participants well in advance of the meeting.
• Get as much training as you can in the video or web conferencing system that you will be using.
• Features such as video, audio, screen, and application sharing have different requirements. Make certain these features are working prior to the call.
• It looks bad, from a client perspective, to be charged for a conference call. Also consider providing toll-free access for clients and customers.

Richard R. Rojas researches and writes on trends and technologies within the conference calling industry. You can read more about business conference calls and conferencing solutions at http://www.onlyconferencecalls.com.