What Is Audio Conferencing

Audio conferencing is an effective means of connecting with one or more customers, partners and/or colleagues when you are unable to meet face-to-face. One of the biggest benefits you receive from employing an audio conferencing solution is the ability to bring together participants located across the globe in a convenient and cost-efficient manner.

Today, not many companies have the time or capital to meet all of their geographically dispersed clients, colleagues and partners in-person. Even when business travel is a possibility, last minute issues such as illnesses or personal emergencies can arise.

During an audio conference, participants connect to a conferencing bridge via their telephone, smartphone or computer. Participants can dial in using either a toll or toll free number, and are given a access code/PIN number that will grant them access to the meeting. Hosts are given a unique leader access code/PIN number that provides them with the ability to use features, such as:

• Muting all participants/lecture mode
• Record and save a conference
• Dial out to bring participants into a conference
• Express leader entry
• Lock/unlock a conference
• Request operator assistance

For hosting last minute or ad-hoc audio conferences, it is best to go with a service such as InterCall’s® Reservationless-Plus® audio conferencing service. Reservationless-Plus gives you the power to conduct an audio conference at any time without making a prior reservation or requiring an operator. You simply dial your dedicated phone number, enter your unique conference code and PIN number to initiate a call. It’s that easy. Reservationless-Plus also offers simple scheduling via Outlook®, and the ability to start and join conferences with apps for iPhone® and BlackBerry®.

InterCall’s Automated Conferencing provides a permanent toll free number and access code. All automated conferences require a reservation, but do not require operator assistance, making them ideal for:

• Introducing new products
• Announcing department updates
• Conducting sales/committee meetings
• Hosting sales presentations
• Following up after live meetings
• Hosting weekly status reports

If you’re looking to increase your business’s productivity, save money, virtually eliminate business travel, and link your dispersed team from around the world, then give one of our representatives a call today to find out what audio conferencing can do for your company. At Conferenceshopper.com, we work with the largest providers of audio conference services in the world, ensuring that your audio conference experience meets and exceeds all of your expectations.

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Source: http://www.conferenceshopper.com/benefits-of-audio-conferencing-solution

International Audio Conferencing Services

Audio conferencing, also known as conference calling or teleconferencing, is a method of communication wherein three or more participants join a conversation on the same call. Convenient and cost-effective, audio conferencing is frequently used by all types and sizes of businesses for weekly status meetings, sales meetings, linking geographically dispersed teams, and gathering participants for an ad-hoc meeting.

An international audio conferencing service is the ideal tool for any business that is still using a blend of expensive phone calls, instant messaging, faxes, email, and snail mail to communicate with their colleagues, customers, suppliers, contractors, etc. scattered across the globe. International audio conferencing eliminates the need for business travel; instead of spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on transportation, lodging, food, etc., with an audio conferencing service your employees are able to hold a conference from anywhere.

Even if distance is not an issue, time often is. These days, few people have too much time on their hands (with, perhaps, the exception of STYX). Working with groups of people who all have busy schedules and/or are in multiple time zones is no easy feat. Thankfully, modern international audio conferencing solutions offer the ability to conduct pre-scheduled meetings as well as the ability to host one on-the-fly.

Moreover, because audio conferences can be conducted 24/7, they are great for building and maintaining relationships with all of your partners, employees and customers – whether they’re across town, across the state, or across the country.

International audio conferencing also increases productivity; by keeping your employees out of the airport and in the office, they are able to focus more time on daily business operations, and are more available to handle mission-critical issues as they arise.

Meet, collaborate, present and/or manage your team from anywhere, anytime. Leading providers, such as InterCall® and PGi offer a comprehensive list of features with their audio conferencing services, such as a personalized/branded greeting, custom entry, consecutive interpretation, entry/exit options, operator assistance, mobile assistant, roll call, online management, the ability to record and store your conference for future playback, sub-chat, mute/un-mute individual participants or the entire group, and to lock your conference for added security.

Here at Conference Shopper, we provide powerful, user-friendly, cost-efficient audio, web and video conferencing services from today’s leading conferencing providers. Whether you’re looking to make local, long distance, or international audio conference calls, our professional account managers will help customize a solution to fit your company’s unique needs.

Source: http://www.conferenceshopper.com/international-audio-conferencing-services

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Audio Conferencing Services for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

Let’s face it, business travel is expensive, time consuming, and rarely fun. Not only do you have to deal with the hassle of getting to the airport/train station on time and passing through security, but you also have to purchase increasingly expensive travel tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc., and spend a great deal of time away from your friends and family.

Add to that the fact that businesses of all sizes are tightening their budgets in order to stay competitive, and it’s easy to see why so many of today’s companies are looking for an alternative solution to meeting in-person.

Small and mid-sized businesses face an even greater challenge, as many typically lack the capital that large enterprises have to meet and connect with their geographically dispersed customers, colleagues and partners. One way to work around these issues, however, is to employ an audio conferencing service.

Audio conferencing keeps your team connected, increases your business’s productivity, and helps the environment – all while saving you money.

By cutting out even one form of transportation for you and/or your participants, you are shrinking your business’s carbon footprint and making a positive impact on the environment. Having said that, we have yet to see the genuine impact that audio conferencing services have made on the environment, simply because many businesses have yet to use them the way they could and should. When first introduced on the market, audio conferencing services were complicated and unpredictable, causing many to shy away from regular use.

Today’s audio conferencing services, however, are flexible, reliable, user friendly, and offer a comprehensive set of features to make your audio conference more powerful, engaging, and effective than ever before. Schedule meetings in advance or host them on the fly – whether you’re meeting with as few as 3 or as many as 3,000 participants – all from the comfort of your desk.

Today’s conferencing market is growing at an incredible rate. The global recession has caused businesses all over the world to reassess where and how they spend their money; and as a result, travel budgets are often one of the first to get hit with cuts. At the same time, audio, video and web conferencing solutions are becoming more powerful, economical, and reliable, and therefore, a more viable option for small and mid-sized businesses. If you’re thinking of employing an audio, web or video conferencing service for your business, give us a call today! We work with today’s leading providers of conferencing services and can help you find the ideal solution for your unique needs.

Audio Conferencing Service

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Audio Conference Improvement Tips to Increase Participants Engagement

We’ve all been there before. You get the meeting invite, read it over, and cringe as you click the “accept” button while picturing what you – and many others – consider to be a waste of valuable time during your busy work day. Nevertheless when the scheduled time comes, you diligently dial-in ready and willing to collaborate.

Then just as you suspected (and is witnessed in the video), you struggle to stay awake as you listen to a lack-luster presentation and ultimately zone out until you are either called upon for a response or it ends… or both.

While it can provide a reliable, crystal clear connection on which your message can be delivered, even the most advanced audio conferencing service cannot present your material for you. The fact of the matter is that your participants are at the mercy of their presenter(s). As a result, we’ve compiled a list of a few tips and tricks for increasing participant engagement in your next conference:

• Customize your participant entrances – many times hosts will try to begin a meeting, but are interrupted with a “so-and-so has entered the conference” greeting, causing them to start over. This is an easy adjustment, and the majority of today’s conferencing software permits the host or presenter to adjust the entrance greeting, allowing the meeting to start on time, every time
• Reach out – every audience is unique. By asking questions and getting feedback throughout your conference, you can tailor your material as you present it
• Summarize – open your presentation with a brief summary of what you plan on covering and what you hope to accomplish. If you plan on covering a lot of important information, consider distributing an outline via email along with your invitations or just before the start of your meeting
• Use multiple presenters – especially if you plan on passing the 30 minute mark. Nothing causes participants to lose interest faster than a dull, monotone voice, so if you have a presenter like the one in the video, it’s important to try and encourage them to liven up their voice to deliver a more animated presentation

Additional Information

If you are searching for the right audio or web conferencing service for your business, give us a call today! Our professional account managers will help your find the service you need with the features you want for the best available price.

For more information please visit: Audio Conference, Audio Conference Calling

The Future Of Audio Conferencing and Audio Conference Calls

Are audio-only conferences becoming a thing of the past?

Possibly; without the visuals and non-verbal queues that are easy to pick up in face-to-face conferences, it’s likely that your participants will find it easy to divert their attention elsewhere and multi-task while attending your audio conference. The challenge that many conferencing hosts face is trying to get their participants fully engaged and listening to the topic at hand.

This can be extremely difficult – mainly because an audio conference typically requires participants to sit at their desk and simply listen over the phone, creating an ideal environment for multi-tasking. Often participants will end up using that time to focus on whatever it is that is grabbing their attention at the moment.

In addition, with the large quantity of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other portable devices, many of us have become accustomed to having multiple senses stimulated simultaneously, so participating in an audio-only conference call is much less engaging than many people’s day-to-day interactions with technology. In order to combat this, a large number of conferencing hosts are moving toward products that maximize their participant interactions in different ways, thereby allowing participants to multi-task on topic as opposed to having their attention drive away from the conversation they are having or the message being relayed.

One of the products and features that hosts employ to assuage these issues include an online registration page. This lets the host know who will be joining the conference before it starts, which allows them to tailor their message to their specific audience. Furthermore, by coupling an online registration page with a passcode/pin access number feature, you can decrease the wait time when starting a conference. Each participant can join the call using a unique passcode or pin number, eliminating the need for operator assistance. What’s more is that you actually save money because your participants are on the line for a shorter period of time since there is less waiting required at the start of the conference.

Another great way to engage your participants is by using tools that involve a visual or require interaction – the more interactive the better. Thankfully, today’s conferencing providers offer a comprehensive range of features and tools that allow you to share applications, desktops, stream Power Point presentations, chat with the host and/or participants, conduct polls, and hold Q&A sessions to increase your meeting’s productivity.

In short, the key to ending multi-tasking, and distractions is to provide a variety avenues for on-topic interaction. Engaging participants in a conference is not only smart, but vital, and by offering engaging tools and features like online voting/polling, online Q&A, etc. you provide a very tangible proof of engagement.

Source: Audio Conferencing Services