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How to Conference Call
- A conference call is just another meeting – but with more technology. Remember to apply all the basics of good meeting preparation and etiquette. Is there a purpose for the meeting? Is there an agenda? Do participants have the necessary meeting notes and basic date, time and call-in information?
- Use the simplest solution for the meeting needs. There are many conferencing solutions on the market today, but many are expensive or complex. Try to match the right solution to the meeting needs – this will minimise costs while maintaining effectiveness. For most companies the following order is recommended, from simple to complex: an in-person meeting, a teleconference, a web conference and finally a video conference.
- Quality is important. Ever been on a lousy conference call? What’s the point of having a conference call or meeting if no one can hear or understand what’s being said? A few pointers to improve this include: use a quality conferencing service; use a handset phone instead of a mobile/cell phone or speakerphone. If you must use a speakerphone, use a Polycom Soundstation, which has special voice enhancement circuitry.
- Convenience is key. If a meeting tool is too complicated, it won’t get used no matter how “cool†the technology. Using easy conferencing tools is beneficial because they can be used on the fly without prior setup or preparation. This is critical for schedulers. For example, a teleconference only requires a telephone, allowing a high degree of convenience, while a video conference requires a camera and a high bandwidth connection.
- Maximise the right features. 64 percent of the survey respondents believed they would be more competitive by converting their in-person meetings to conferencing. Features such as Internet broadcast, recording, polling, on-line chat and PowerPoint presentations can greatly enhance the remote meeting experience. Understand these features and use them.
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