According to Globenware, the conference call service market is growing at a rate of 4.6%. In 2017, the market size was 8.4 billion and it is expected to exceed $12.5 billion by 2026.
The modern entrepreneur has to face many challenges. Start-ups need to equip themselves with the right tools to survive. Free conference call services are becoming a staple in most companies for communication. This asset can save time and effort, and increased productivity can become the advantage that start-ups need to be successful.
What is Conference Call?
In the corporate world, the term conference call actually has two different meanings attached to it. One addresses the technical aspects, while the other is more concerned with financial matters. Both definitions of conference call are very important when trying to conduct business over vast distances.
The first definition of conference call should be very familiar to those who spend at least part of their day attending business meetings.
Before the advent of modern telecommunications, if an executive from New York wanted to discuss a new project with engineers in California and salesmen in Chicago, he would have to book a meeting room, pay for room and board, travel and hold will have to be arranged. Marathon work sessions for maximum benefit.
As long distance communication improved, the concept of conference calls became more attractive.
Instead of meeting physically at one location, executives can now discuss company plans through conference calls. A group of engineers in California can participate in a multi-line call with officials in New York via a special conference phone with loudspeakers.
Such conference calls can cost the company thousands of dollars in travel expenses. Modern conference calls can include video links, as well as real-time email communications and fax transmissions.
Other definition of convention arose from the world of finance. The most important time in a company’s fiscal year is the quarterly or annual announcement of stock performance. This information is generally considered so sensitive that only a select few company representatives can pass it on to the shareholders. To release this information in an organized manner, most publicly traded companies use conference calls.
Example of Conference Call
Stockholders and any other interested parties may receive written notice of an upcoming conference call, or this information may be posted on the Internet. For example, the CEO of Microsoft might announce a conference call on September 22, 2005 at 2pm PDT.
At that time, stockholders and Microsoft employees may all be permitted to hear the official profit and loss statement during the conference call. However, conference calls are not the same as stockholder meetings. They are often very direct and one-sided.
Any analysis of information released during financial conference calls is usually done after the fact. On any given weekday, there could be hundreds of these conference calls around the world.
What are Conference Call Centers?
Also known as audio conference or teleconference centers, conference call centers are facilities that make it possible to manage or participate in conference calls. The term is actually applied to two different scenarios, with one being the site of operations run by a conference call service, and the other being a business center where individuals can go to attend some type of conference call.
This means that a given center can be provided with the equipment necessary to access calls, or that the center has the equipment necessary to establish and maintain the common conference line that each line is connected to the conference. Serves as the point of termination.
A facility owned and operated by a conference call provider, a conference call center typically has several major functions. First, this type of conference call center contains the actual teleconference bridging equipment needed to provide call services to customers.
An Operations Department is also present at the facility, with workstations that allow conference call operators to establish and monitor the status of active conference calls. It is not uncommon for this type of call center to include a customer support or reservations department, which provides real-time assistance to anyone who is having trouble connecting to a live conference call, or with recordings of past calls. Not able to connect. ,
Conference call centers can also be simple business centers set up for use by individual conference call attendees. Some centers of this type will include small enclosed areas equipped with both audio and visual equipment, such as a telephone and a desktop computer with an Internet connection.
These types of features are ideal for travelers who need to participate in web conference calls, or who need to access email during an audio conference. Some of these centers also include conference rooms that allow multiple people to participate on a conference call using a single connection.
Benefits of Conference Calling for Businesses
Benefits of Conference Calling for Businesses – Whether your business is big or small, conference calling is a solution that you have used at some point or another to reap your savings and relationship building benefits.
While you may think of a call with multiple participants when you hear the term conference call, there are actually a few different conference calling solutions available to you. It is up to you to select the option that best meets your needs. Benefits of Conference Calling for Businesses Out of these, the most prominently prioritized are the following conference calling:
- audio conference calling
- video conference calling
- web conference calling
From these primary types of conference calls, there is also the possibility to mix and match between them to customize your solution.
Audio conferencing calling
Solution is the oldest of the main three. These can include three phone lines bridged together to form complex outsourced services. It can also mean a low-cost solution to two-party calls, where a speaker phone is used so that everyone can participate in the call with the party on the other end. This is the type of conference call that most people have attended. They can be very effective despite their limitations.
This range is the same as for any other telephone. For one thing, this means that you can only hear what the person is trying to say, but not actually see it. Also, it makes communication difficult if anyone is too far from the microphone, or the phone isn’t of great quality, or even if someone doesn’t talk well enough.
Benefits of conference calling for businesses Also, if the phone call is long distance, at least one party will need to pay the long distance bill – unless another toll-free number is available.
Video conferencing with calling
You can use a hosted solution to give you that extra level of professionalism and convenience. Although phone lines, many parties are braided, providing both image and audio. It really is the next best thing to having the other party in the room. However, video conferencing requires special systems and support for you and the other party.
These can be very challenging to set up and use. Benefits of Conference Calling for Businesses – However, when you compare the cost and lost productivity of video conferencing with actual travel, you will find that it is a very effective solution.
Web conferencing calling
Web conferencing works great when using computer desktop applications that are identical on both ends. They are great options for showing products such as software to customers or for sharing spreadsheets and other applications between different parties involved in a conference call.
Top 5 Reasons Entrepreneurs can benefit from Conference Call
Prices good on free conference calls
Budget is always at the top of the list of concerns for business and especially for start-ups. For cautious spending, remote colleagues and growing business partners a free conferencing service can be the perfect communication solution. Reducing travel and opportunity costs and connecting with contacts from anywhere. Free conference calling allows new work habits and programs to open without restrictions Face-to-face meetings.
Key (communication)
No entrepreneur needs to tell me that communication is vital to a company’s success. A start-up will need to compete in a rapidly developing market where all the workforce is needed to stay afloat. Free conference calls can be a suitable solution to facilitate this communication. The team can connect on demand and take quick decisions at an instant in time. The process is even easier for hybrid platforms where phone and web conferencing can be integrated.
Resilience
With free conference calling, business practices can be more flexible. Company-wide meetings can be held at any time and employees can work remotely or from home. If the free conference call service has video calling, it may also reduce the amount of human conversation caused by remote co-workers.
Practicality
Start-ups especially need to communicate when they hire new employees. Everyone in the company will have a contact channel for recruiting with free conference calling. Free conference calls can also help with growing business contacts. Your employees can connect with customers from anywhere, without the need for face-to-face meetings.
How do you want it?
Free conferencing can adapt itself to suit the utility of various industries. Sales and marketing can use it for training or customer calls. Manufacturing uses conference calls for problem-solving, thereby saving time. Tech firms can use web conferencing tools for troubleshooting and demos. Even healthcare firms can use it for immediate medical communication.
Conclusion
Choosing from these many conference call solutions will help you provide the best communication solution for the party you are communicating with. In many situations, an audio conference call will be just fine, but when added performance or a visual element is needed, you can upgrade to video or web conferencing.
It is important to remember that no matter what call solution you choose, you are choosing it to meet your business objectives and the objectives of your company. It is best to choose the option that caters to you rather than going with the solution that provides more than what you need. Benefits of conference calling for businesses If you do otherwise it will only become useless in the long run.