24Conference.com: Phone Conference Call Blog tag:www.24conference.com,2008-03-17:/blog//1 2010-02-19T13:20:00Z Reports on trends in the phone conference call industry, including updates on the latest conference technology and services. Movable Type Personal 4.1 Annoying Ads on Conference Calls tag:www.24conference.com,2010:/blog//1.207 2010-02-19T13:18:05Z 2010-02-19T13:20:00Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Annoying advertisements on conference calls can be intrusive.  That's why we refrain from the practice.  In fact, we think the whole idea of placing advertisements on conference calls is very inappropriate -- especially if you are using a conference call service for prospecting and sales, or customer support.

These ads are used to generate revenue for conference call companies that offer their services for free or next to nothing.  They probably think that it's a small price to pay for free conferencing, and just like television advertising, it goes with the territory.  For casual or personal use, most people can probably get along with it.

However, for professional purposes, it looks bad.  So if you are in charge of conferencing for your business, and your colleagues are using conferencing for sales, marketing, training, or customer support services, you are well advised to find yourself a conference company -- like us -- who can offer you phone conference call services that do not have those annoying ads becoming a nuisance to you and your customers.  Give us a call, and let us show you how a professional conference call service can improve the way you do business.
]]> Free Conference Calls - What's the Catch? How Do Free Conference Calls Work? tag:www.24conference.com,2010:/blog//1.206 2010-01-22T19:20:04Z 2010-01-22T19:28:04Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com If you are wondering how free conference calling services work, this blog should hopefully help.  It's a little complicated because of the way the laws are set up, but I'll try to explain how it works step by step.

1)  The Federal government decided in 1996 to allow small rural phone companies to charge other larger phone companies to access their lines.  So, if you had a small phone company in Iowa, for instance, you could charge AT&T or Sprint for any calls coming into your area.  In other words, if you lived in New York City and used AT&T as a long distance carrier, and you called your cousin in rural Iowa, AT&T would have to pay the small phone company in Iowa a fee to put your call through.  The reason the government allowed this to happen was because the smaller phone companies had higher costs putting up phone lines in remote places and much lower volume.  It just cost more to operate a small phone company on a per call basis, than a phone company that had millions of customers.

2)  The fees that AT&T and the larger companies pay the small companies are 10 to 20 times more than the normal fees, sometimes as much as 10 to 20 cents per minute.  Needless to say, this was a sweet deal for the small phone companies.  The more calls they had coming in, the more money they would make.

3)  One way for the smaller phone companies to get more phone traffic, and make more money from the big phone companies, was to attract businesses that had a lot of incoming calls -- namely, conference call providers and phone sex operators.  As an illustration, a small phone company would partner with the conference call services and share some of the fees that AT&T and the larger companies were paying.  For instance, if AT&T was paying a small phone company 10 cents per minute to put a call to the rural area, the small phone company could say, "If you put your conference bridge here, we'll pay you 5 cents per minute for all the traffic you can generate.  You could offer free service to your customers and still make 5 cents per minute.  Millions of minutes will make you a lot of money."  And so, many conference call companies set up shop in the rural areas and offered free service.  Everyone is happy -- the conference customers, the small phone companies, and the conference call companies.  Everyone that is, except AT&T and the large phone companies who have to pay the fees.

4)  Moreover, most cell phone users and residential users have free long distance bundled with their local service, and the larger phone companies are losing twice.  First, delivering the calls for free.  And second, paying to have the calls delivered.  The large companies are none too happy about the situation.  In 2007, AT&T estimated this system, called "traffic pumping" or "access stimulation" cost an additional $250 million.

5)  In order to stop this additional expense, some of the large companies have blocked calls going to the rural carriers.  (This is the reason why many users of the free conference services have experienced difficulties getting through to a conference line.)  The government has said that it is illegal to block calls to the rural carriers, but problems still exist.

6)  Google Voice phone service has prevented its customers from dialing the rural phone companies.  AT&T has objected, saying that if AT&T has to deliver the calls and pay the fees, then Google should too.  AT&T uses Google's own argument that carriers should be neutral, and that a provider should not block "fair access."  However, AT&T and Google both agree that the whole idea of "traffic pumping" and paying excessive fees to small phone companies is "patently unlawful."

7)  Recently, the small phone companies lost a big decision made by the Iowa Utility Board.  Qwest, a major long distance carrier, complained to the Iowa Board.  The Board said the small companies would have to "pay back" millions of dollars they made from the traffic pumping schemes.  Spokesmen at Qwest say that it will set a precedent for other pending cases, including those in front of the Federal Communications Commission, which could make a ruling in 2010.

With the Iowa setback, the days of free conference calling services may soon come to an end and the free conference companies will be competing toe-to-toe with paid services like ours.

The reason we have been able to compete is because we have excelled in quality and service -- the big companies aren't blocking our customers from getting into our conference bridges and we have a full time professional customer service center that provides ongoing operator assistance.  Whatever happens, we're trying to stay above the fray and work on giving you the highest level of conferencing available for those of who you need and depend on reliable conferencing.

To learn how you can get reliable conferencing, click here:  http://www.24conference.com/flatrateteleconference.php


]]> Virtual PBX Service a Godsend to Small Business tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.199 2009-09-25T18:30:34Z 2010-01-22T20:05:00Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Here is a fast link to our recommended Virtual PBX service:  http://www.4telecenter.com/cs

Here is why it's a tremendous deal:

Why spend thousands of dollars on a PBX system, when you can pay $35 a month to get the same thing?  Medium to large businesses can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars installing a phone system that organizes phone communications.  Most of the time, businesses and organizations turn to a "PBX" system which stands for "private branch exchange" which links all of the internal phones together on one network, and then, automatically connects those phones to the telephone company's "public switched telephone network (PSTN)" and outbound trunk lines.  It is a PBX systems which enables incoming callers to hear such instructions as, "Press 2 for a company directory" or "Press 3 for customer service," etc.

With recent advances in telecommunications, you'll be amazed on how virtual PBX services can be managed online and dramatically reduce up front and ongoing costs for businesses.  In fact, you can get a PBX service that eliminates hardware and trunk lines and can cut costs 99%!  Needless to say, thousands of businesses are converting their hardware intense networks into virtual online services.  Instead of spending $10,000 for a PBX box, you can spend $15 to set one up online.  

For a small monthly fee, it is amazing what you can while transforming your business communications, including a toll free number and an unlimited number of incoming calls, routing and message taking.  Here are the features included in a virtual online PBX service:

A toll free number with unlimited incoming minutes.
Ad Tracker
After-hours Greeting / Day & Night Mode
Call Announcement
Call Block
Call Screening
Custom On-Hold Messages/Music
Dedicated Toll-Free Number
Detailed Call Reports
Dial By Name Directory
Do Not Disturb
E-mail Delivery of Voicemail & Faxes
Fax On Demand Mailbox Extension
Greeting Only Mailbox Extension
Human Customer Support
Instant Account Activation
Instant Call Return
Live Call Forwarding
Live Call Transfer
Message Taking Mailbox Extension
Multiple Mailbox Extensions
Music-on-Hold
No Busy Signals
Online Account Management
Online Message Access
Outbound Call Blast
Personalized Greeting Options
Phone to Web Audio
PhoneMatch™
Question & Answer Mailbox Extension
Telephone/Pager/SMS Notification
Ultimate Caller ID
Virtual Calling Card
Virtual Fax
Virtual PBX Extensions
Web Center

To learn more about how an online vritual PBX service can save your business time and money, click here:  http://www.4telecenter.com/cs

]]> Best Value for Phone Conference Call Services tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.198 2009-09-25T16:26:47Z 2010-02-10T19:04:16Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Value means high quality at a low price.  And that's what consumers are looking for -- whether they are shopping for shoes, ice cream or a conference call service.  And that's why we excel in providing you the highest quality and rated conference service available today.

How do we do it?  That's easy.  Our overhead costs are very low compared to the other 800 pound apes in the room.  Look at it this way...  our big competitors spend millions of dollars a year promoting their services.  And who do you think pays for those ads?  You do.  On the other hand, we spend a small fraction of that amount, and in turn, save you a fortune.  Granted we aren't what you call a brand name compared to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, but we use the same technology and offer you same high quality conferencing.  Moreover, we will boldly tell you that our customer service is second to none and that you'll find the personal attention you get from us can't easily be found elsewhere.

So, as time goes on, more and more businesses and organizations are discovering the "value" we offer and are signing up left and right knowing full well they are getting as much, if not more service for a lower price.  That's our goal and our mission and we will continue to do our best to manage our costs so you don't have to pay for them, as well as assuring you that the quality you expect and need is there when you need it.  That's important to us since it's a lot less expensive to get new customers via word of mouth than it is to advertise.  And those referrals are the key to our success!  We appreciate your good words! ]]> Conference Call Quality Important tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.197 2009-09-23T21:03:38Z 2010-02-10T21:24:40Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com There are a great number of conference call providers out there using all sorts of conference call equipment and hardware.  Some of it is good, and some of it is better, and as the old story goes, you get what you pay for.  To be sure, we use the best hardware on the market today and go that extra mile, and expense, to make sure you access the highest quality conference bridge hardware.  Fortunately, outages and breakdowns are rare.

That being said, there are several ways you can help improve the quality of your calls.  Remember, a conference bridge is just going to relay any sound it hears.  The technology is called full digital duplex, meaning that the conference bridge will pick up two or three, or even a hundred, people talking at once.  It doesn't isolate individual speakers or clip people off.  So whatever kind of background noises you hear on the conference call are coming from the participants phones -- fire sirens, dogs barking, kids screaming, etc.

Moderators have the ability to mute everyone on the call, except for those who call in using the host passcode.  That feature can be very useful, especially if you are formatting a call to a lot of people listening to just a few people.  For example, let's say you have a call where 3 people are going to be doing most of the talking.  Well, those 3 people can call into the conference using the Moderator (or Host) passcode.  When you're ready to mute everyone on the call, except the moderators, just press your command on the keypad and you instantly eliminate the background noise or bad connection.

This can be annoying when someone, for example, calls from a cell phone and has a bad connection.  The noises from that bad connection will echo throughout the conference.  So you want to encourage as many participants as possible to call from a solid landline phone, or at least call from a cell phone that is in a good transmitting and reception location.

Also, remember if you are using a speaker phone to call into the conference, that many of the speaker phones are NOT full digital duplex and will cut off speakers if someone else is talking.  That can also cause some problems, in addition to the fact they will pick all the background noise in a room.  Make sure things are quiet.  If you happen to find yourself in a conference call with bad quality, the first thing you should do is to hang up and try to get a better phone connection.  And/or have others do the same thing.  That usually, and easily, solves most of the problems.

]]> Phone Conference Services in Cities Across the U.S. tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.188 2009-07-13T14:46:15Z 2009-08-12T00:59:44Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com
If you are in any of these areas, just give us a call and we can set you up in no time with our various options, including toll free service.  Call the number at the top of the page.
]]> Phone Conference Call Glossary and Terms tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.187 2009-07-11T11:45:26Z 2010-02-10T21:26:55Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Here is a brief list of many of the terms used in the conference call business:

800 Conferencing:  A conference service that provides a toll free dial in number for conference participants.

Audio Conference:  A meeting over the phone that accommodates three or more people.

Auto Hang Up:  An optional feature that disconnects everyone from the conference when the last moderator hangs up the phone.

Conferee (also known as Participant, Guest):  A person who accepts an invitation to join and participate in a phone conference.

Dial In Number:  The phone number used to access the conference bridge.  Everyone -- moderators and participants -- dial the same dial-in number.

Entry Tone (also known as beeps):  Small sound alerts that indicate when someone has entered or left a conference.  This is an optional feature.

Flat Rate Conferencing:  A conferencing service plan that provides unlimited conference service at anytime for a fixed monthly rate.

Lecture Mode:  Enables the moderator to mute all the participants, except for those who called into the conference using the moderator's PIN code.

Moderator (also known as Host, Leader):  The person(s) who leads the conference.  Moderators usually invites participants, set the agenda and can control the technical aspects of the conference through telephone keypad commands.  For example, muting the conference participants so only the moderators can be heard.

Music on Hold:  An optional feature that plays music for those who dial into the conference before the moderator arrives.  This feature is used to prevent the actual start of the conference until the moderator gets there.

Muting:  The simple process of silencing participants to enable moderators to speak without interruption or distracting background noise.

Name Announce:  An optional conferencing feature that records a participants name and then replays it to everyone when entering the conference.

Passcode (also known as PIN code):  A confidential 7 digit number that allows access to a conference bridge.  Usually, conference moderators have one passcode, and conference participants have another passcode.  The moderator passcode code enables control of the conference with such features as muting.

 Pay As You Go Conferencing:  A program that bills conferencing usage on a per minute basis, without contracts and minimum requirements.  You only pay for what you use.

 Reservationless Conferencing (also known as on-demand or unattended conferencing):  A conferencing service that is available at anytime, without the need for reservations or operator assistance.

 Start Video:  The brand name of 24Conference.com's video and web conferencing service that enables those in the conference and connected to the Internet to see each other via desktop webcams, along with displaying PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and white boards for all to see.

 Start Visuals:  The brand name of 24Conference.com's web conferencing service that enables those in the conference and connected to the Internet to display PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and white boards for all to see.  It also allows you to "share" your desktop, so your participants can actually see whatever you put on your computer monitor.

 Teleconference (same as phone conference, audio conference):  A meeting over the phone with three or more people.

 Web Conference:  A conference that not only includes conferencing, but also a visual interface via the web.  Participants can both hear and see an online presentation.

 Webinar:  A combination of the words "web" and "seminar."  Webinars are also called web conferences which enable a number of participants to speak on the phone (or over VOIP) and see a simultaneous, real-time, presentation online.
]]> Competitive Bidding for Corporate Conference Call Services tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.185 2009-07-10T12:04:32Z 2009-07-11T14:28:12Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com bid package together for your corporate conference call services?  Be sure to include us on your bid list.  Our mailing address:  24Conference.com, 504 Morgan Drive, Lewiston, NY  14092.  In the fast changing conferencing world, it's always good to rebid services every couple of years.

Technology and the playing field is always changing, and chances are, you'll be able to get better service at a lower price by conference call services bidding.  In fact, because of new technology and billing plans, your specs may not reflect the latest developments.  In other words, your specs may not include some of the biggest advantages you can accrue.  For example, most corporations mistakenly ask for "per minute" pricing on their bid sheets.  That's fine, but why not solicit flat rates for unlimited usage as well?  For larger users, the days of per minute pricing are long gone.  Companies converting to flat rate billing have seen dramatic reduction in their conference costs.  So just don't blow the dust off the old bidding specs.  Do a little homework and write your specs to reflect the latest advances.  That way, you'll be able to cut costs, improve services and take advantage of the stiff competition that exists in today's conferencing industry.

]]> Latest Phone Conferencing How-To Articles tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.184 2009-07-10T11:32:39Z 2009-07-11T00:56:44Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com
Business Conference Call

Pay As You Go Phone Conference Calling Service

Deposition Conference Call Service

Operator Conference Call - Professional Organized Phone Conferencing

Audio Conference

Phone Conference Call Services

800 Conference Call

Small Business Conference Calling

New York City (NYC) Conference Call Services

Law Firm Conference

Business Teleconference Service

Flat Rate Teleconference Services Offer Real Value
]]> International Toll Free Conference Numbers and Rates (as of July 2009) tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.183 2009-07-07T17:34:56Z 2010-02-10T21:21:44Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Here is a list of the phone conference call toll free numbers and rates we offer in various countries.  International toll free conferencing is a tremendous convenience and perfect for business applications.  So if you have clients or associates in these countries that could find a toll free conference number useful, you'll want to give us a call to get your conference service set up today.

United Kingdom toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
Germany toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
France toll free conference call rate:  15 cents per minute/per person USD
Spain toll free conference call rate:  16 cents per minute/per person USD
Mexico toll free conference call rate:  28 cents per minute/per person USD
Sweden toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
Austria toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
Belgium toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
Holland (The Netherlands) toll free conference call rate:  15 cents per minute/per person USD
Ireland toll free conference call rate:  14 cents per minute/per person USD
Switzerland toll free conference call rate:  17 cents per minute/per person USD

Remember, we also have local numbers located in many counties that ring to the conference bridges in the United States.  That service only costs 7 cents per minute/per person.  That's a great way to cut your expenses in half!  It might not be toll free, but you will be able to dial a local number in that country and still end up at the same conference bridge.

Let us help you set up an international conference bridge today.   You can call us from outside the United State at 716-754-8414 or from within the U.S. and Canada at 800-254-2424.
]]> Phone Conference Call Articles at EzineArticles.com tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.182 2009-06-24T00:49:17Z 2009-06-24T01:27:41Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com phone conferencing at a very popular website called EzineArticles.com.  The website has a gazillion topics with articles submitted by experts in practically every field of endeavor.  Within a matter of days, our articles warranted the distinction of being named a "platinum" writer and have garnered hundreds of views.

Here is a list of the latest articles we've contributed.  Maybe you'll see a topic you want to learn more about:

Business Conference Call

Deposition Conference Call Service

Robocall - Do's and Don'ts for Political Candidates

Operator Conference Call - Professionally Organized Phone Conferencing

Phone Conference Call Services - How to Choose

Audio Conference

Flat Rate Teleconference Service Offers Real Value

Telecommuting - 3 Essential Tools

800 Conference Call

Law Firm Conference

Small Business Conference Calling

Pay As You Go Conference Calling Service


]]> Small Business Conference Call Services tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.177 2009-05-26T15:00:23Z 2010-02-10T21:27:18Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Small business conference call services are our bread and butter.  We're a small business that is geared to cater to companies with 250 or fewer employees.  Since we're a small business as well, we believe we understand the needs of our clients very well.  Do we serve large accounts too?  Oh yes.  But the vast majority of our customers are small to medium size organizations that like using our many services such as Flat Rate teleconferencing, pay as you go and operator assisted plans.

If you are small business and looking for new conferencing services, or want to get a quote or bid to make sure you aren't overpaying for the service you presently have, give us a call and let us know how we can help.  We can offer you a number of options and that will fit your particular needs, all within you budget.  In fact, why don't you get a free trial account and find out first hand how things work -- with no obligation or cost.  Can't beat that! ]]> Flat Rate Teleconference: How We Bill You tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.173 2009-05-13T00:51:27Z 2010-02-10T21:36:57Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com For flat rate teleconferencing (also known as fixed rate conference calling) we bill on a calendar month.  Since there are no long term contracts, we have a month to month billing cycle and charge your credit card on the 25th of the month for the next month's usage.  For example, we would bill you on May 25 for the service you receive in June.

If you are a new customer we charge you for a full month of service from the 1st to the 15th of the month.  Or, we charge you for half a month if you sign up between the 16th and 26th.  If you open your account during the last four days of the month, you get those days for free, and we bill you for the next month's service.

Once we bill your credit card, you'll receive a hard copy receipt in the mail.  Suffice it to say, once you're in the system and things get rolling, the whole thing is very convenient and routine.  Just the way we hope you like it!

For more information on the our Flat Rate conference service, click here:

]]> Is VOIP the Answer? Not Yet Anyway. tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.172 2009-05-12T12:07:50Z 2009-05-12T12:10:13Z I've talked before about the potential issues involving VOIP -- or Voice Over Internet Protocol for phone call conferencing.  Simply, it's talking over the Internet.  Hundreds of thousands of businesses and organizations are turning to VOIP to cut telecommunication expenses.... Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com I've talked before about the potential issues involving VOIP -- or Voice Over Internet Protocol for phone call conferencing.  Simply, it's talking over the Internet.  Hundreds of thousands of businesses and organizations are turning to VOIP to cut telecommunication expenses.  However, please be warned.  There's another price to be paid and that involves quality and bandwidth.

Conference calls can deteriorate quickly if someone calls into the bridge using a VOIP connection.  Yes, we do have special conference bridges that are "VOIP friendly," but even then, you can experience some problems.

But don't take my word for it.  Here's a great article from an expert you should read that tells the whole story -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

I think he does a very good job of giving real life examples of what happens when you switch to this new evolving technology.  Someday it might work perfectly, but for now, it has a way to go.  Check it out.
]]> Inhouse Conference Hardware vs. Outsourced Conference Service tag:www.24conference.com,2009:/blog//1.166 2009-04-21T18:40:14Z 2009-04-21T22:44:26Z Lee Simonson http://www.24conference.com Outsourcing conference call services is usually much less expensive than buying inhouse conference hardware and bridges.  Mind you, we offer both.  But over the years, we've found that more often than not, getting the conference service is the way to go.  Just this past week, we had a call from a customer who wanted a new piece of conference hardware to integrate into his phone system.  It wasn't a big job -- only 15 lines -- but when he added up the costs and found out it would cost between $8-12,000, not counting the monthly line charges, it was time to take another look at his options.  We presented our flat rate teleconference service to him which costs $60 a month for unlimited usage.  He figured out he could use the service for 200 months (in other words, 16 years!) before he broke even with the new hardware.  The concept of outsourcing your conference services is like buying a time share.  Why buy a beautiful place on the ocean if you're only going to be there a month or two a year?  It's better to share the ownership with others, reduce your costs substantially, and continue enjoying the same view.  With outsourced conferencing services it's even better because you get unlimited, reservationless, 24/7 service.  It's as good as owning all the hardware.  Not only that, but as technology changes you aren't stuck with obsolete systems -- you're always using the latest and greatest available without additional cost.  So, add up the numbers yourself and see where you stand.  We can help you regardless of which way you want to go. ]]>