The business conference call has undergone drastic changes due to technology and the way people work. More people are working from home or on the road. The use of conference call providers by these workers to communicate with the central office makes for a more effective company. Not only do these services help your employees, they help a small business work like a large business without having to pay the money for a large central office structure.

To find the best audio conference call rates, it's important that you understand how the industry works. As with any growing market, there are conference call leaders whose service you can trust and others that may offer better rates but lack the infrastructure. Therefore, before you choose a conference call service provider, you should have a conference call services industry overview. To know more about the industry, you should:

1. Review the various companies that service all aspects of conference call services.

2. Keep track of the regulations and reviews from the conference calling services industry agencies.

3. Join or contact telecom associations that support the corporate conference calls industry.

Action Steps to Using Corporate Conference Calls
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Evaluate the conference calling companies to gather your conference call services industry overview

Gone are the days of the passive business conference calls. Now a business can use Internet services to incorporate computer applications into a conference call. You can also use the Internet as the source of the conference for employees without a landline phone connection.

I recommend: View the product demonstration at GoToMeeting from Citrix Online, which combines the computer and the conference call. Use the reservationless free conference calls from Global Conference Partners Teleconferencing Services to learn how the industry works. Purchase landline teleconference equipment through the product comparison tool available at B2B-Exchange.com.

Examine the latest industry alerts and bulletins

The regulatory agencies will issue the latest news and alerts about the industry through their websites. In order to stay current, it's important to know the latest to monitor these agencies.

I recommend: Visit the Federal Communications Commission news and alerts sections for all the recent events and changes to the laws. For detailed information on federal executive branch policy information on the industry, contact the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Contact the conference call services associations

Telecommunication associations can offer great information and networking opportunities within the industry. If you are active in the business conference call sector, they offer membership discounts on equipment and services.

I recommend: If your company is in a rural area the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is your best source for the latest news. The Telecommunications Industry Association offers industry information to companies throughout the United States.

Tips & Tactics for Effective Business Conference Calls

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you understand the call rates of conference call service providers before using their product. Providers will sometimes claim to use flat rate audio conferencing, but the bill will tell a different story. If there is any question about the charges, ask for the complete rate structure in writing.

When you need to talk with workers and clients in far-flung locations — whether for a sales meeting, crisis management or training seminar — conference calls let everyone participate in the action. Phone conferencing can be conducted through some ordinary desk phones, but those systems usually connect no more than three people at a time.

Thankfully, video and audio conferencing services that allow you to connect with dozens, or even hundreds, of people at the same time can be purchased or rented. By using corporate conference calls, you can:

1. Make business decisions more quickly.
2. Get feedback from everyone who's involved.
3. Avoid the time-consuming back-and-forth of e-mail among large groups.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hold business conference calls with no reservations

For audio conference calls, the cheapest solution is a reservation-less phone conferencing service. Users call a permanently established toll-free number and log in with a pass code. The call's organizer has a special pass code that allows him or her to use special features like individual mute and roll call.

I recommend: Live Office Teleconferencing, Global Conference, Teleconference.com and ConferenceCall.com are just a few of the audio conferencing companies that offer this service. Find toll-free and flat rate conference call providers at Business.com.

Round up the troops for phone conferencing

To make an audio teleconferencing more inviting -- and catch stragglers who forget to call in -- you can use an operator-assisted service that calls participants, handles the roll call, and manages logistics.

I recommend: Most of the companies in the previous section, such as ConferenceCall.com and Teleconference.com, offer operated-assisted conference calling services. Budget Conferencing and Unlimited Conferencing are two other operator-conference call providers to consider.

Go online for corporate conference calls

VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, is also known as Internet telephony or broadband phone. VoIP routes voice conversations over the Internet. Its advantages include low cost and ease of use, but sometimes the audio conferencing sound quality is not up to snuff. Also, many consumer VoIP solutions do not support encryption yet, so eavesdropping on business conference calls is possible.

I recommend: VoIP services such as Vonage, VoIP.com, and Lingo are currently limited to three-way calls, which makes for a for small audio conference calls. Expect more options in the future.

Add visuals to phone conferencing using the Web

Sometimes you need to do more than talk. With a Web conferencing service, you can display images, use whiteboards, and show PowerPoint presentations to participants.

I recommend: Web conference providers include WebEx, Genesys, Spiderphone, ConferencePlus, and ReadyComm Conferencing. Find more Web conference calling services at Business.com. To learn how to use the service, follow these tips from BuyerZone.com.

Be a video star in your own corporate conference calls

Video conferencing used to be limited to those with deep pockets, but video cameras for computers are now affordable and widespread, making Web-plus-audio conferencing a great business tool -- even if you're not wearing pants.

I recommend: HearMe, iVisit, and (naturally) VideoConference.com are all all Web conference call providers that can provide a rich interactive service. See the directory of video conference call providers at Business.com for more choices.

Make plans for business conference calls and stick to them

Sure, audio teleconferencing can be a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to gather the troops and get things done, but as in any endeavor, the more organized the agenda, the more you'll accomplish with phone conferencing.

I recommend: Use ConferenceCall.com's pre-call checklist to make sure everyone is ready for phone conferencing. Once you're talking, use the site's meeting agenda form and minutes form to hit all the topics that need covering and record ideas as they arise.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Reservation-less corporate conference calls still need to be scheduled. Set them up ahead of time with group e-mails.
• •  Echoes and delays sometimes occur in VoIP audio conferencing. Buffers and other technology can help, but voices do drop out on highly congested networks and between long distance endpoints.
• •  For international calls, conference calling services can either provide an international toll-free number, dial out to international colleagues, or arrange for dial-in corporate conference calls.
• •  Conference call providers often have services such as call recording or audio streaming onto the Internet should some people miss live audio conference calls.

Every industry has its own language and conference call services aren’t any different. To communicate effectively with conference call providers, it's imperative that you understand the terms they use. Without this knowledge, the contract and service specifics can get lost in translation. Some companies think it's enough that their technology department knows these terms, but that isn’t always the case. A technology employee asks questions from an IT perspective and not a general business angle.

Some of the most important terms relate to video and audio conference call rates. For instance, a free conference call is only free concerning the service and your company will still pay any long distance charges. The term that refers to no phone charges is toll-free conference calling. This is just one example of the important nuances of the verbiage. To be familiar with more, here are few items to assist you:

1. Know the basic terminology of the business conference call services.

2. Understand the more advanced vocabulary for conference calling solutions.

3. Join a conference call services association or attend events to know the context of the terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify the base conference call services key terms

Some terms stay the same no matter what company you choose to handle your conference calls. One is the PIN number or access code, which is the code, or digits that your employees need to join a conference call. Another term is the accounting code that allows the moderator to initiate the conference call and the company to bill your account. Flat rate audio conferencing is another term for a conference call rate plan. These plans give your company a set rate charge per month and a static number of conference lines.

I recommend: Examine the conference-calling glossary at Basement Ventures. Not only will you need to know conference calling terms, but also the terms for the phone equipment that makes the conference call possible, which you can find at LEXIS Telecom.

Recognize the more advanced business conference calls terminology

With conference calling now incorporating the computer and video technologies, it's necessary to understand these terms as well. For example, for video conference calling, one key term is bandwidth. This is how much information travels over the Internet during a video conference. Bandwidth usage is also how video conference call service providers charge for their service. Web conferencing is a service that combines computer usage with the traditional conference call.

I recommend: For a video conferencing definition guide, study the glossary available at the AT&T Knowledge Network. Check out Web Conferencing Solutions, which provides an in-depth review of web conferencing terms, as well as conferencing links to further education, training and technology resources.

Use the terms with other business conference calling services professional

The best way for you to understand conference call terminology is to hear the words in the proper context. Anyone can memorize glossaries but until you use those terms with other industry members, they will not make as much sense.

I recommend: Review the searchable glossary of telecommunication terms at the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) website and then join the group or attend a TIA event to reinforce the meaning of the terms. You can also view its industry links for a list of publications relating to the telecommunications industry that include key terms for a deeper understanding of their meanings. Sign up for the web training sessions available at the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) website. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formed NECA as an “intra-industry entity.” You can customize all of NECA’s training courses for individual onsite training to glean more understanding of conference call services key terms.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't be afraid to say, 'I don't know' during a conference call service provider conversation. Sometimes business owners will pretend to understand the key terms being used in the discussion and then get themselves into a situation that could put them at a disadvantage.

Conference call providers offer many solutions for arranging meetings via telephone or the Internet. Most companies find that teleconferencing can save by eliminating travel expenses, but they still want a good deal with adequate service.

Audio conference call rates vary widely depending on the type of conferencing solution you choose. Options include monthly flat rate plans, toll-free numbers or even teleconferencing that is free to use—but standard line rates apply. When you evaluate conference call services, consider web conferencing as well. Many web-conferencing options are similar to teleconferencing with one very significant benefit, namely face-to-face contact. Here are important tips for saving:

1. Save money on business conference calls with flat rate plans.

2. Find audio conferencing services that include basic options for free.

3. Consider web conferencing as an affordable alternative.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find flat rate audio conferencing options that meet your needs

Many teleconferencing providers offer monthly flat rate services for companies with ongoing conferencing needs. These flat rate services can be beneficial to the medium or large business with frequent monthly conferences, but a smaller business should evaluate whether or not the monthly charge is justified. It may be more beneficial to pay per conference call.

I recommend: Conference call service provider American International Telephonics offers many flat rate options, with fees based on the number of call participants in each conference. AccuConference offers a plan that allows an unlimited number of callers and no per-minute fees, so you never have to worry about the length of your conference.

Look for conference call services that offer free options

Some conference call providers offer very basic call-in options free of charge. Others may give you an introductory conference or even a month's worth of conferencing without charges. Most basic plans that cost your company nothing will cost the callers a normal local or long distance charge, so consider that amount in making your decision. When you find a company that offers an introductory period free of charge, make sure you know all future costs associated with the service before signing a contract.

I recommend: Conference calling solutions from FreeConference include a web-based schedule that can easily be reviewed by all callers. The conferencing options include a maximum of 150 callers with a 4-hour call limit. Totally Free Conference Calls offers a completely free service. The conferencing options cost your company nothing, but any caller must pay regular long distance charges.

Consider conference call service providers that offer web conferencing

Saving money on conference call services can be as simple as switching from teleconferencing to web conferencing. With many free web conference options and some very reasonably priced services with added benefits, using the World Wide Web can save you money. Another huge benefit of web conferencing is the added face-to-face contact with the use of web cameras.

I recommend: Cisco Webex offers a web-based teleconferencing solution that allows callers to join via instant messaging or telephone. Visual Systems Group, Inc. offers a variety of web camera video conferencing options to make meeting with anyone, anywhere easier than ever.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Free audio teleconferencing may be a good deal for your company, but make sure your callers are aware of the long distance charges that will be applied to their phone bills. The option can work good for those with free or flat rate monthly long distance charges that are not charged by the minute.