Conducting Conference Calls

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Telephony )



In the past, conference calls could be made thorough a telecommunication company who offered this service for a fee. Today, conference calls could be hosted using the internet and thus save tremendous costs on your phone bill. There is also the invention of video conferencing where one uses a video camera to sell a product, do a product demonstration or even conduct a seminar.

Conference calls are made by public corporations to report their quarterly financial standing, report any recent developments and answer questions from their investors. Internal office calls can also be made via conference calls.

There are three ways to conduct conference calls: dial-in, dial-out or a combination of both.

With the dial-in method, participants on a certain date and time are required to call into what is called a “conference bridge”. A special type of telephone answers a multiple number of calls. In some conference bridges, calling a particular number and dialing a password is set up for that purpose. Once the password is keyed in, you will be able to hear the other participants on the line.

The dial-out method makes use of a telephone operator who contacts all the participants at a particular date and time, using the conference call feature of their phone. The telephone operator not only contacts the participants, but also introduces them into the conference.

Sometimes when participants dial into the conference bridge, there is a sudden need to include others into the conference. This is where the combination of the method of dial-in and dial-out is used. A telephone operator that hosts the call out the other participants and then puts them through the existing conference call.

There are several things one should remember when making conference calls:

Always start on time and make the call from a quiet room.

Set up the meeting in advance and inform the participants of the telephone number to call and password to use if using the dial-in method.

Consider the time differences of those participants that are in another geographical location.

Always introduce the participants at the beginning of the conference and always introduce yourself each time before you speak.

Avoid using a cell phone as background noises can be easily picked up.

Avoid shuffling papers, tapping your pen or pencil or even scraping your chair. This can easily be heard over the phone.

Close the meeting by thanking everyone for their time.

Conference calls have become a vital need in every business today. As the cost of the need for a higher bandwidth lowers, the need for video conferencing will increase in a faster pace and the way of audio conference calls will be a thing of the past.


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