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Telephone Conferencing F.A.Q.
Is there a difference between audio conferencing and teleconferencing? No, they are interchangeably called both audio conferencing and teleconferencing. In each, three or more telephone callers are linked together in a telephone call with all parties hearing one another and some or all parties interactively speaking. How do I go about buying audio conferencing equipment? Purchasing and maintaining your own equipment can be a considerable expense. It would not be recommended unless you company serves over 1000 employees and requires the use of the teleconferencing services more than 10 times a day. Security of communications is a primary consideration for many companies that use conference services (both audio and video conferencing services). Many service providers do not guarantee the teleconference call will be secure; in fact, it is not uncommon for the wrong caller to be connected to a private audio conference. Ask any teleconference service provider to describe their procedures. Take special note of security features that ensure your audio teleconference will indeed be private. Where do I buy audio conferencing equipment? The most reliable method is to visit trade shows and ask vendors for demonstrations. At trade shows, each vendor's products can be easily compared without appointments. Ask about the most significant features available on each vendor's systems. Then, be sure to ask how their system is better than their competitor's systems. Usually, each vendor will claim their features are superior so you should be sure to ask if you can operate the equipment yourself to draw your own conclusions.Once you have selected the equipment that meets your needs, ask the manufacturer for the names of three to five companies that sell their products (more companies selling a manufacturer's products are better than less). You will want to know the marketplace has accepted their products. Market acceptance means you will be able to find answers to both technical and administrative questions, spare parts will be available and perhaps pricing will be more favorable.Some manufacturers sell their products directly to customers. This sales approach usually means the customer has limited alternatives for service and less pricing alternatives. It also means their products may be too complex for 3rd parties to sell. Shop for a quality vendor in the marketplace and ask them to guide you through the purchase and installation of your equipment. A quality vendor will be able to list several well-known customer names for whom they have provided products and services for a number of years. Start with a search on the Internet, then yellow pages, and look for articles in trade magazines. Once you make contact with a potential vendor, ask them for the names of a few of their competitors. Product selection can be quite difficult with many details of system operation left out of discussions by the manufacturers. A good vendor knows all the best products in the industry and should be able to point out the best features of each. Keep in mind that vendors get different pricing from each manufacturer and ask the vendor to describe their relationships with manufacturers. An honest vendor is likely to be a good vendor so pay particular attention to which products they recommend versus which products they get most benefit from selling. Industry products and manufacturers change. Good vendors stay in business through many product changes and throughout changes in product leadership. For this reason, it is sometimes better to select a good vendor than it is to select a good product. A quality vendor will always offer the best products but when products become old and outdated, a quality vendor will still continue to provide support and technical assistance for them. Ask your vendor to describe how they support obsolete products and how they manage product line changes from the manufacturers. If I don't want to buy equipment, how can I use a teleconferencing service? Look up service providers on the Internet or in the yellow pages. Many companies offer teleconferencing services. Be sure to ask about how they keep your teleconference secure and private. How many users or participants can I link together on an audio conference? If you want to interact well with each participant speaking freely, more than 12 callers per teleconference can be difficult to manage. However, it is possible to link hundreds of callers simultaneously, some of whom can interact while others are muted (listeners only). Can I link callers on mobile phones into an audio conference? It is possible to connect someone on a mobile phone into an audio conference, however, usually that connection is less than reliable and they tend to drop out of the conference frequently. When they reconnect, it can disrupt the entire conference. Can I use speakerphones on an audio conference or will it hurt audio quality? It is possible to use a speakerphone during an audio conference; however, most speakerphones negatively affect audio quality. Issues such as echo, buzzing sounds or a low voice level caused by speakerphones can disrupt the entire teleconference. What does "meet me" rate mean? That is a number that the participants of a conference will dial into paying their own long distance rates, through their own long distance carrier. The Organizer of the conference will be responsible for the local meet-me rate per caller. Do I need Reservationless or Operator Assisted? It depends on your needs. If you want to have a conference where participants call in and it is open discussion with or without moderator, then Reservationless is probably what you need. If you need a roll call or someone to keep track of discussion topics, dial in other participants etc., then you will probably need Operator Assist. What is the difference between Audio Conferencing and Video Conferencing? Audio Conferencing is sound only, telephone or otherwise, known as teleconferencing. Video conferencing is where each party can see each other and have a conference on the phone simultaneously. Is it possible to record conference calls and make them available for others to call in and listen? Yes, you can have calls recorded and arrange it so that a person can call in and listen to a previously recorded call. |
