Find Free Conference Call Services

Conference calling services can be used to talk to people who are spread out all over the country or even around the world. Many conference calling services will allow you to have 30, 100, 250 or more people on the line at the same time.You might want to hold a business meeting, get together with family members or host a teleseminar.

Some telephone conferencing services have per-minute or monthly charges, but there are many quality services that are totally free. There are dozens of free conference calling services available, so how do you choose one that is right for you? Just follow these simple steps.

1. Step 1

   Determine what services you need. How many people will be on the call? How long will the conference be? Do you need to record the teleconference? How will you manage callers?

2. Step 2

   Evaluate free conference call services to find the one that meets your requirements. You can find an annotated list of 30 free providers at the link in the Resources below.

3. Step 3

   Choose a few service providers that meet your needs. Sign up for free accounts. Be sure to keep a record of the call-in numbers and PIN codes that you will need to use when you call in.

4. Step 4

   Test, test, test. Always test a service before using it for an important meeting or a teleseminar. And have a backup service available in case you need it.

5. Step 5

   Invite participants and hold your conference call. If you recorded the call, download the audio file right away. It may only be available for a week or two.

CONFERENCE CALLING ON AN IPHONE

The iPhone has greatly impacted the mobile and computing industries with its unique touch screen design and a powerful portability that combines a cell phone with convenient media and communication technologies. Besides the ability to handle your email, calendar, news information and media play lists, you can also use the iPhone to manage a business or personal conference call between several different people.

1. Step 1

   Call the first person for your conference call.

2. Step 2

   Add other calls. After you have connected and spoken to the first person, tap "Add Call" on the iPhone screen. Enter the phone number of the second person for your conference call. The first call is put on hold as you dial and connect to the second person. After you connect to the second person, you can continue to speak privately to him before connecting him to the first caller.

3. Step 3

   Merge the calls. When you are ready to connect everyone in your conference call, tap "Merge calls" on your iPhone screen.

4. Step 4

   Repeat steps two and three for every new person you wish to add to your conference call.

5. Step 5

   Add an imcoming call. If you receive an incoming call and would like to add that person to your conference call, click "Hold call + Answer" and then tap "Merge Calls."

Selecting a Conference Call Provider

If you've decided to move into large audio, video or VoIP conference calls, your current system may not be able to handle the extra lines or bandwidth. Unless your company is large enough to invest in an in-house system, you will probably need to choose a conference call provider to filter the call through a central number.

1. Step 1

   Document your current conference call needs and project future use. Have each person or department keep a basic log of how many minutes are spent in conference calls, keeping track of the type of call (video, audio, VoIP or data). When you select a provider, you must make sure you choose a plan that includes enough minutes or bandwidth, so you don't pay overage charges.

2. Step 2

   Look for providers that provide personal customer service and use the latest technology. Since you will be signing a contract with this company, you want to make sure that the quality of your conference calls remains clear and without problems.

3. Step 3

   Ask potential providers to allow you to hold a conference call using the service. While many will offer a demo, those circumstances are always ideal, so you want to see a real-life sample of the service before you agree to anything.

4. Step 4

   Research different plans, keeping an eye out for hidden charges and ease in upgrading (or downgrading) your service. The best plans have flat monthly charges for a set number of users and unlimited minutes. This keeps your employees from having to count minutes when on the phone.

5. Step 5

   Select a provider with a global reach. While many providers say they are international, make sure they actually provide phone numbers and long distance service in the countries you actually work with.

6. Step 6

   Choose one of the larger telephone companies to provide your conference calling for reliable service. Verizon and Sprint both offer conferencing solutions for business customers (see Resources below).

7. Step 7

   Select Bell for a wide variety of plans with or without operator assistance (see Resources below). With 70 years of experience, Bell works with small businesses and corporations to provide clear, easy-to-use service.

8. Step 8

   Check out VoIP Conference Live for inexpensive voice over IP conference calls with unlimited users and minutes (see Resources below). This is a great choice for small businesses and home offices working on a budget.

HOST A FREE CONFERENCE CALL

Running a small business can become expensive very quickly if you don’t find shortcuts. Conference calls can be an important part of doing business, but they can be pricey. One way to cut down on costs is to host a free conference call.

1. step 1

   Determine what features you need in order to properly host a conference call. You should do this at least two weeks prior to the actual conference call happening. This will mean planning ahead to give yourself time to figure out exactly what you need.

2. Step 2

   Do some research. It’s fairly easy to go online and do a basic web search for “free conference calls.” You will find quite a few websites of companies that offer free conference calling services. Visit some of the sites to get an idea of the different requirements and features included.

3. Step 3

   Be thorough and read the fine print. Make sure you are fully aware of what is required to use the different services available and what you will get from your call. Many free conference call services require you to sign up for a number that may expire after a certain amount of time. They also tend to choose your conference call phone number for you. If you want to have a conference call number with your local area code, there may be a small fee for it. Read everything on the site before you commit.

4. Step 4

   Do a test run. Once you’ve chosen your conference call company and set things up, take the time to do a test run with another co-worker or friend. Figure out how to do the things you will need to do before the call. You don’t want to be conducting a conference call and accidentally disconnect everyone because you mistakenly hit a number or a button on your phone.

Take Control of a Conference Call

A conference call lets you remain at your desk rather than trek off
down the hall--or across the country--to a meeting. It also provides a
great opportunity to get the opinions and concerns of the entire team
heard as long as it doesn't disintegrate into a wasteland of wandering
discourse. Investing some time and effort up front will ensure that the
call works for everyone.

1. step 1

   Volunteer to set up the call so you can assume the role of moderator. Confirm that everyone has both the dial-in and conferencecode numbers, as well as the correct time for their zone.

2. Step 2

   Poll the other participants in advance as to the items they want covered in the call. Develop a written agenda with a specific time allotment for each agenda item. Better yet, e-mail the agenda to all parties before the call.

3. Step 3

   Take charge of gathering and disseminating the printed background material, numbering pages clearly and prominently. Nothing creates conference-call chaos faster than a chorus of "Where are we?" or "I don't seem to have that chart."

4. Step 4

   Refuse to discuss major agenda items until everyone is on the line. Bringing latecomers up to speed on important issues wastes time and irritates those who were prompt.

5. Step 5

   Monitor the clock closely. Be prepared to intervene with "Excuse me, we have to move on--we've run out of time for this topic" or "Let's discuss this topic at another time and report back to the group." Stay polite but firm throughout.

6. Step 6

   End the call with a synopsis of conclusions reached and future actions required. Send out a written summary of these conclusions and action items to all participants promptly.

AT&T Conference Calling

conference calls can be immensely useful to your business, allowing different offices or different project teams to all participate in the same conversation. AT&T offers 3 different options for how you can use their conference calling service, and all of the options are designed to be as convenient as possible for you. Here is how to get the most out of AT&T conference calling.

1. Step 1

   Decide which AT&T conference calling option you wish to use. You can choose automatic dial-in (in which each member of the call dials a special number and they are all automatically connected), operator-assisted dialing (in which you call each member of the call with the assistance of an AT&T operator) or operator-dialed connection (in which you supply the numbers of each member to an AT&T operator and they call and connect them for you).

2. Step 2

   If you choose automatic dial-in, then you simply need to get each member of the conference call to dial the conference call number at the appointed time.

3. Step 3

   Should you choose operator-assisted dialing or operator-dialed connection, then you will need to have each member by their phone at the appointed time so that they can receive the call.

4. Step 4

   When the conference call has ended (or when the participation of certain members has ended) then each member can simply hang up the phone and be disconnected.

5. Step 5

   Should you need to add additional members or reconnect members that accidentally disconnected from the conference call, you can have them dial in (if using the automatic dial-in option) or call them and they will be added to the conference call just as the original members were at the beginning.

HOLD A FREE CONFERENCE CALL

You can hold a CONFERENCE CALL without having to pay for it. There are many services advertising that they will let you hold a conference call, but you have to pay a fee, and this is unnecessary. You can hold a conference call free and this article will outline how to do it.

1. STEP 1
   

   Conference calls are a necessary part of business. These calls can be hosted for free, you do not have to pay somebody a fee to host them.

2. Step 2
   
   

   To host your conference call you can use a service Free Conference Call. Once you are on the landing page of the website you will need to enter your name and your email address.

3. Step 3

   Once you have entered the required information you will be given a dial in number as well as an access code. Give this number and the access code to everyone who is going to be involved in your conference call.

4. Step 4

   Once everyone has dialed in and used the access code you can begin your conference call for up to 6 hours with up to 96 people at a time.

Phoenix Bluetooth conference call system

Callpod's Phoenix is edging dangerously close to the realm of vaporware, but even though the pricing is being kept tightly under wraps, the thing is supposedly available now. For those who've managed to think about more than this revolution in the all-too-exciting world of conference calling since January, let's recap. Essentially, the Phoenix MCS enables five BT headsets to communicate with each other in full duplex over a more than a 300,000-square foot area. Additionally, the base station is completely mobile and packs a rechargeable Li-ion battery good for around 8-hours of talk time (120-hours in standby). When we pinged Callpod to retrieve the highly secretive pricing information, we were told that we'd have to "speak to a sales representative to get a better idea." Hope you're up for a chat.

ATT CONFERENCE CALLING

Are you planning an upcoming ATT conference calling for your business? Do you have concerns that you want the ATT conference call to be successful? There are some steps you can follow to make certain that each of your ATT telephone conference calls are successful and meet the goals of the teleconference meeting with your staff. Use these tips to plan your ATT conference call to guarantee the most success and productivity.

1. The first step in planning your teleconference call is to get a designated number for the call. You will need to give this number out to everyone that will be participating in the ATT conference call.

2. Step 2

   Will you be using visual aids during your ATT conference call? Set up a website that has all your visual aids. Make certain everyone that will be part of the ATT conference call have the website address prior to the teleconference.
   
   If you don’t want to do a website, make certain everyone has email or hard copies of any visual aids that you will be using during the ATT conference call.

3. Step 3

   Set up an appointment with each of the participants in the ATT conference call. Send a reminder email about half an hour prior to the ATT teleconference to participants to make certain no-one has lost track of time.

4. Step 4

   Write out an agenda. Keep the agenda handy when running the teleconference to keep everyone on tract of the goals for the meeting.

5. Step 5

   Plan to have break periods to allow members to stretch their legs, use the restroom or refill drinks. You will keep their attention more focused this way. Your ATT conference call will go much more smoothly and successfully.

6. Step 6

   Don’t just abruptly end the call. Finalize and provide a conclusion to the meeting so that everyone participating knows what they learned from the ATT conference call meeting.

CONFERENCE CALLING TIPS

For many of us, conference calling is a critical business tool. On a daily basis, we deal with people from different countries, time zones or companies. An audio (or video) conference call is no longer an exception, it's typically the rule.

I hosted a rather embarrassing conference call recently.

• I setup a meeting and distributed a shared conference call phone number to all of the participants.
• When the time came for the meeting, I dialed the wrong conference call number.
• I waited 20 minutes before I realized everyone else was waiting for me on the original conference call number that I published!

As you can image, this was quite embarrassing.

After that fumble, I gave some thought to conference call etiquette. These are things that we all know, but we don't always pay them enough attention. Following is my conference call etiquette top 10.

1. Dial the correct number. OK, that was too obvious. Let's start with; Dial the correct number a few minutes before the start time of the meeting. Don't ever be late. If you are the host, always be the first one on the conference call.
   
2. Take roll call before you start the discussion. Level set everyone on who is in attendance. As new people join, ask "who has joined".
   
3. If you use your mute button, be sure to un-mute when it is your turn to talk. Seriously, I see this happen at least once a week. Someone is asked a question and after 45 seconds of silence they respond with "oops, I had my mute on".
   
4. If you are listening to other members of the call, don't be clicking away on your keyboard. One, people can hear you. Two, it's obvious you are not giving the other member of the call your full attention.
   
5. If you are with a group of people in a conference room and you are on a call, eliminate any side conversations. You would be amazed at how easily a side conversation can be heard over the main conversation at the other end of a conference call.
   
6. Avoid participating on a conference call using a cell phone. The connection can be noisy and the conversation is never as fluid as with a land-line.
   
7. Speak slowly and clearly. Especially if you are speaking with people who use English as their second language.
   
8. If you are participating in a conference call from home, eliminate any background noise. Get away from the kids. Turn the TV off. Keep the dogs from barking.
   
9. Give everyone a chance to talk. Even if it means explicitly calling out each participant and asking if they have input. Some people are reluctant to join in. You may need to invite them in.
   
10. Introduce yourself, at a minimum, the first time you speak. This goes for everyone on the call, not just the host. Give people a chance to put a name to the voice.

NEED OF CONFERENCE CALLING?

Conference calls or conference calling has now become the most effective way to bridge more than two people at distant places. Free conference calls is most preferred by businesses as they save cost and execute desired objective.
Free conference calling is not just a ghostly thing, but there are conference calling companies which provide with local conference calls and international conference calling solutions.

To put a little more flash on conference calling, well…conference calling or telephone conference call is a call in which the party calling desires to have more than one called party to engage in audio conversation.
Not only this, conference calls can be of various types. When a party sets up a conference call, it may wish to only listen to other parties engaged in the conference call.

Conference calls can also be used for entertainment purposes. People may use conferencing calling as an effective social tool. However, it has been come into account that the most frequent use of conference calls or free conference calls is done by businesses.
In all, telephone conference calling is a perfect step towards bridging people at distant places and allow them to connect with ease.

CHOOSING A CONFERENCE CALL PROVIDER

As a matter of fact, there are lots of companies out there that can provide you toll free conference calling. You may want to start with your current phone company to see if they offer toll free conference calling or you can go with a completely different company just for your conference calling needs. You may also be able to hook up a service through your computer network that will allow you to enjoy toll free conference calling at all of your company’s branches.

Since the phone business become so competitive In the recent times, many more companies are trying to gain their share of the market by providing toll free conference calling. To make certain that you will be able to get a company that has what you need for as little money as possible, you may need to look around and see what are available for you out there.

When you already use that you can make use of to communicate with all departments of your company. Of course, you will then be able to run your business in easiest and simples way as well as in low-priced of calls

Toll Free Conference Call is Vital?

If your company has satellite offices spread out across the country or the world, getting toll free conference calling is quite invaluable. A big company always needs to stay abreast of what is going on with their sales people, their R&D team, their marketing team, or any other departments. Certainly, conference calling will be the simplest way to bring these departments or offices together.

All you should do is dialing a number and you are all taken to a virtual ‘room’ where you can all talk as if you are in the similar room. If you use the conference calling, it could cost you a lot of money. Every branch had to pay for access to the room and then you had to pay per minute. With toll free conference calling, you can talk as long as you need to, sharing sales figures, delivering updates on various projects, or whatever else needs to be conveyed and it’s all free.

How to Web Conference

Web conferencing and conference calling is quickly becoming the preferred way to do business when it comes to meetings. The cost of travelling perhaps hundreds of miles just to close a business deal is now pretty much a thing of the past. Companies are quickly realising that there is a different way of doing things. And hooking up with a business associate online is that way.

Your preferred online conferencing provider can easily connect you up with a service that will enable you and your organisation to hold online meetings within hours. From web conferencing resources, to software that you can input into any virtual meeting, the technology is truly staggering, and is transforming the way business is done. The impact on international business alone is considerable. Many companies are now reporting savings in the thousands just because they have chosen to hold meetings online, rather than transporting their executives across country, or across the world.

Imagine being able to call a meeting, and then invite your colleague, who is currently on placement in, say, Africa. You are based in the USA, and prior to this you would have had to arrange either a scratchy telephone call, or a visit to the plant that he oversees.

Not anymore. Hook up with a high speed internet source, and talk to him in real time, with video and audio.

MAKE A CONFERENCE CALL

Ever find yourself in a meeting where you don't really need to be there? This is no reflection on the people who have called the meeting, but it could be a meeting that has some aspect of the agenda that you really do not need to be present for. This happens to anyone who is involved in business, with the many departments and projects that are taking place at any one time. This variance means that, inevitably, at some point you will find yourself effectively redundant to the agenda. This means that your time is being wasted.

Imagine being able to cut out this time wasting. Imagine being able to ensure that any time the meeting becomes irrelevant to you, you can drop out for a few minutes without this being awkward, and check your email or make a call. Then when the meeting becomes relevant to you again, you drop right back in and get involved.

This is exactly what web conferencing is like. On the web, a conference call involves a web cam and/or a web connection with microphone. If at any point the meeting becomes something that is nothing to do with you, you can simply log out and get on with the important stuff. When it comes back to you, or it is your turn to contribute, for example, log back on after an alert, and get down to business.

Advantages of Audio Conferencing

Audio conferencing offers advantages beyond savings in cost. It is also better because these meetings are easy to record and transcribe, giving you valuable reference material for future meetings, planning and presentations. It allows those who missed the meeting to secure necessary information to move forward on initiatives.

Whether your non-profit organization is large or small, you will benefit from toll free audio conferencing. Occasional, smaller meetings benefit most from a pay-per use plan. Large organizations may prefer a monthly subscription service for the most economical rate.

Toll free audio conferencing

Toll free audio conferencing will cost much less than traditional meetings. The toll-free number and conferencing service are the only costs. No more paying for hotel rooms and airplane tickets. By using a toll free number, you help reinforce your organization’s legitimacy and importance in the eyes of funders. For volunteers, it is only polite to offer a toll free number rather than making them pay for the cost of a phone call in addition to volunteering services.

YOU NEED WEB CONFERENCING

Web conference is an excellent tool for client communications, both for sales and customer service. However, not all situations are ideal for web conferencing. There are many times when web conferences are ideal and occasional times when in person meetings or regular audio only conference calls are preferable.

Save Travel Expense

Web conference saves thousands in travel expenses including airline tickets, hotel stays and meals for your employees. They also save enormous amounts of time for your employees. Travel time alone results in wasted productivity that you are paying for in your employees’ regular salaries.

Revising Information

These conferences also work well to replace calls when you need to cover the same issues again. By providing recorded copies of web conferences to clients, they can simply watch the conference again, saving your time. It also allows the client to share the information easily with others in the client’s organization without the necessity of a second meeting for higher executives who were unable to or simply did not attend.

Frequent Meetings

Frequent, routine meetings that must be held on a weekly or monthly basis benefit from web conferencing as well. Employees who attend these meetings do not need to be relocated so that they can attend such sessions. Save your company the employee relocation expense by holding a web conference every week or month instead.

When Pressed for Time

When time is short, web conference is much better than a face-to-face meeting. In today’s fast-paced business environment, time can mean the difference between winning or losing a client over a competitor. Web meetings save time allowing you to accomplish the business at hand quickly and efficiently, giving you an advantage over the competition.

When In-Person is Better

While teleconference is a tool that saves businesses travel and relocation expenses on a regular basis, while facilitating quick and convenient communication, it is not the ideal tool for building new client relationships or for discussing delicate issues.
First impressions are vital to building trust and friendships with new clients. The web conference cannot replace in person meetings for such situations. Only after a strong rapport has been established should you begin using web conferences with your clients. Salespersons can miss vital physical cues from potential clients that would otherwise allow him to steer communications in a direction that leads to a closed sale. In addition, topics involving vital strategic business decisions, or sensitive employee issues should always be held face to face in a private location.

ORGANIZING A CONFERENCE CALL

Conference calls can become cluttered and confusing when there are more than three or four attendees. To keep things orderly and productive, the moderator needs to take a leadership role and lay down some ground rules. Introductions go a long way in keeping things running smoothly.

The first thing to do when moderating a conference call is to help members keep track of who is in the “conference room”. In person conferences allow meeting members to see each other’s faces. A similar means of identification can be accomplished in a conference call by setting up a “clock” in the beginning of the meeting and assigning locations to new arrivals as they enter the call.

“The Clock” is a well-known device for frequent conference call moderators. It allows the participants to create a visual representation of the other conference call members. Assign each attendee to a different time position on the clock. If you have more than twelve members, use ½-hour times as well. When each person is assigned, introduce yourself and then have the members introduce themselves in clockwise order.

If attendees are late entering the meeting, simply pause the meeting and assign a position to the new attendee so that those already in the meeting can assign a visual location to the new person. Ask the new member to give a short introduction and quickly state his or her purpose in the meeting. In order to minimize the disruption, simply allow to call to continue rather than going through introductions again.

CONFERENCE CALLING NOW

Toll free audio conferencing is a must-have for your small business. One only needs to run through the steps in a sales cycle to see the benefit of audio conferencing services. The sales cycle involves the time that passes between initiation of the sales process and the conclusion of a sale.

The first step in the sales cycle, prospecting for leads is the part that takes up the majority of sales time for most businesses. Once you have targeted your prospects, you can set up an appointment to assess the client's needs. Next, you need to plan your trip, book the flight and hotel stay. Already, you have place a significant amount of resources in time in generating a lead that may or may not result in a sale.

Instead of packing your bags and running off to another part of the country, you can save time and money by conducting your initial meeting by toll free audio conferencing. Your audio conference will allow you to qualify the lead. This means ensuring the product or service is appropriate and that the customer and that the customer can pay for the service.