Intelligent Tips For Selecting The Right Conference Call Platform

If you want your company to stand toe to toe with the best in your industry you will need to have a way to improve your communication. And if your organization is in a business where staying up to date with information is imperative and you also have more than one location, you will need to think about investing in a conference calling solution. But how do you choose the best solution?

BEFORE YOU BEGIN - CHOICES

Much as would be true with any investment, before actually spending money on your new solution, there are things that should be taken into consideration. The first is obviously how much money you will need to spend and whether or not it is worth it. A cost-benefit analysis can tell you which provider to go for.

HOW MANY PEOPLE?

The analysis should be done to include rates, hardware or equipment and whether or not it is an online (web) conference calling solution or an offline one. An online or web conference solution allows you to hold a conference with up to five hundred callers all at the same time, whereas with the telephone centric solution, problems may start to pop up as soon as the caller number reaches three. The question that remains to be asked is "How many people will I be able to talk to at the same time?"

RATES?

Now that you have decided to go online, the money issue comes into the picture. It wouldn't make sense to pay money when you can get something for free, or almost free.

Communication costs have been skydiving for the better part of this decade as technology has grown cheaper. One thing to take into consideration is whether you should go for a 1-800 toll-free number and pay for the incoming calls or approach it by using your long-distance number which is the way most free conference calling services operate.

Conference calling prices and rates again will vary from company to company and you will need to fire up your browser to look for your most advantageous solution. Also, when choosing the best number to choose, take into consideration whether or not both your local and international callers will be dialing into the same number.

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU CONFERENCE?

You will have to make a rough estimate of the number of calls you will be making per month. Some companies have the options of charging by either the month or billing you every time you make a conference call.

Obviously, their rates for 'per month' scheme might be cheaper than the 'pay per call' one. But then, if you only make one or two calls per month it wouldn't it be disadvantageous to go for the monthly scheme?

WILL YOU ONLY BE TALKING?

Although conference calling gives you the opportunity to get your idea across in real time, some things cannot be expressed using words only. If you need to present a sketch or a picture to make things clearer you will be at a disadvantage if your conference calling solution only allows you communicate verbally.

One solution, therefore, might be the one that will let you transfer information which is in other than vocal format. Consider a solution that will allow you to transfer images and documents while in a conference

AND FINALLY...

On a final note there will be a time when you need to plan a conference call for a future date. It would be useful if the solution allowed you to make a scheduled conference call along with the normal on demand ones. The more advanced the features, the more utility you may derive.