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International Toll Free Conference Rates for 2012 http://www.24conference.com/blog/2012/02/international-toll-free-conference-rates-2012

Here are the 2012 conference rates for toll free service in the following countries. Included are the actual toll free numbers people in those countries would dial to get into an international conference:

Country	Dial in Number	Cost Per Min./Per Person
Austria	080010259235	0.15
Australia	1800997805	0.17
Belgium	080050678	0.15
Brazil	08008922122	0.23
China	108001401423	0.50
Denmark	080886433	0.38
France	0800941501	0.16
Germany	08001803983	0.15
Holland	08002659019	0.16
Ireland	1800944602	0.15
Italy	800789704	0.17
Japan	00531161074	0.40
Mexico	018006819522	0.28
Poland	800781033	0.17
Russia	88001009294	0.22
South Africa	0800999092	0.50
Spain	0900800561	0.17
Sweden	200125731	0.15
Switzerland	0800121040	0.18
Taiwan	00801127242	0.24
Thailand	0018001562067069	0.26
UK	08003680590	0.15

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Small Business Conference Call Services: Saving Time and Money http://www.24conference.com/blog/2012/01/small-business-conference-call-services-saving-time-and-money

Conference calling for small businesses is rapidly growing in popularity for several reasons, not the least of which is the growing mobility of small business owners and managers. With everyone within reach of a cell or smartphone, conferencing calling enables small business colleagues, associates and collaborators to meet wherever they are to discuss the latest business.

Small business operators have several choices of audio conferencing services that are both convenient and cost effective. Business owners and managers should choose a conferencing service based on three factors: Reliability, Customer Service and Affordable Rates.

Here are the top three (based on the number of users) programs small businesses use to conduct their conference calling:

Unlimited Flat Rate Conference service: This provides untimed service, so you can use it whenever and as long as you want, paying just a monthly fixed rate. Obviously, flat rate service has tremendous advantages regarding cost savings and that's why it is so popular. However, the downside is that it is NOT toll free, and conference participants must dial a long distance number to access the conference service. For many, that isn't an issue, since they get free long distance on their cell phones or bundled with their local service.

Discounted Toll Free (pre-paid) Conference service: This toll free service is modeled after cell phone plans that offer a certain number of minutes per month. This is ideal for those who have a good idea of how many conference minutes they use every month because they can pre-pay for those minutes at a substantial discount. But be careful, if you don't use the minutes, you still have to pay for them. If you go over your allotment, you just pay the regular pay-as-you-so rate.

Pay As You Go Conference service: This conference service bills you for what you use when you use it -- no more or less. It's perfect for small businesses that have sporadic and unpredictable conferencing needs and don't to commit to a certain number of minutes every month. The rates are extremely affordable and can save small business owners a substantial sum over what they would normally pay the brand name providers.

All in all, the vitality of small businesses is said to be a leading indicator of our general economy. Most of the new jobs in the future will be created by the entrepreneurial visions that fuel small business and the naton, and world, look to small businesses to lead the recovery. Because small business is more flexible and nimble in the marketplace, and owners can make decisions with being fettered by bureaucratic committees, the idea of adding conference calling to the small business culture is, as they say, a "slam dunk." It's probably the easiest and most effective way to improve productivity immediately by cutting down on physical face-to-face meetings which can drain the life blood out of small organizations efforts to boost the bottom line.

Conference calls for retail, manufacturing, non-profit, or professional offices such as engineering, legal, consultancies, or medical offices, have proven to be the gold standard when it comes to moving projects forward. If you aren't conferencing, you're not communicating, and if you aren't communicating, your small business is at a standstill. Call us today at 877-254-2424 and let us know how we can help.

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Non-Profit Conference Call Services: Low Cost Conferencing for Non-Profits and Associations http://www.24conference.com/blog/2012/01/non-profit-conference-call-services-low-cost-conferencing-non-profits-and-associations

Non-profits and associations can benefit greatly by using conference call services designed to improve productivity and cut expenses.

Over the years we've been able to save non-profits a considerable amount of money because they generally don't scrutinize or review their conference call expenses closely and seldom shop around for better rates. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is a usual refrain. However, many non-profits have been using brand name services for years, never thinking that telecommunication costs have been cut substantially because of competition and overcapacity. When non-profits look at the current rates offered in the conferencing world, sometimes they are shocked at how much they can save -- usually they can cut their conferencing expenses in half, or more.

That's why it's always a good practice to review the conference rates you are paying now and look for bids or quotes from other providers. Moreover, there are additional conferncing services available today that didn't exist several years ago. For example, rather than paying more for toll free service, you may want to investigate the new "local access" conferencing which provides a local call-in number. If most of your conferees or guests are from your own city, you can cut your rates in half by just having everyone call a local number to access the conference. No long distance costs, and you save resources to apply to other areas of your budget.

There is one more important aspect that needs to be mentioned -- the time and efforts of your volunteers. Physical face-to-face meetings can kill a morning, afternoon, or evening for your volunteers. Yes, the mission is important, but they donating services away from their businesses and families. One of simple things you can do to make their lives easier is to have more conference calls that can accomplish the same results in a fraction of the time. Your volunteers will thank you for valuing their time and make their jobs more convenient.

Overall, conference call services are a key component in managing a successful non-profit organization or association. Big or small, conferencing can achieve results with your board, volunteers, sponsors, supporters or clients. Take a look at our varied conferencing services across the top of the page and choose the one that works best for your organization. We're here to help you so give us a call anytime -- there is no set-up fee and you can have your first conference call today.

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Conference Calling Without Entering Passcodes or PIN Codes http://www.24conference.com/blog/2012/01/conference-calling-without-entering-passcodes-or-pin-codes

It's not always necessary to enter a passcode to get into a conference call. In fact, our Direct Dial service allows you and your participants immediate access to the conference bridge without the need to enter passcodes. Nothing can be more convenient and your conference guests don't have to remember the codes. They just dial the number and you're in!

Direct Dial conferencing is billed at our everyday-low rates, plus a $30 per month fee to provide you with your own unique dial-in number. So for example, you can get unlimited usage with our Direct Dial flat rate service for 10 lines for $29 per month. If you want to include Drect Dial with that, the cost would be an additional $30 per month. In summary, for $59 per month you can get a conference bridge service that will give you unlimited usage for 10 people with no passwords or passcodes required.

Want a toll free number for everyone? No problem! Our pay-as-you-go toll free rate is just 7.9 cents per minute, per person, and you can enjoy the same Direct Dial, no passcode required, service anytime 24/7.

Give us a call and let us help you design a program that best suits your conferencing needs. Chances are, we can not only improve the quality of your service, but save you time and money as well.

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Best Quality Conference Calls: High Quality Service http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/12/best-quality-conference-calls-high-quality-service

We take pride in offering the best, and highest quality, conference call services at the most affordable rates available anywhere. We get many inquiries every day, particularly from people who have been using the free services, asking us if they can improve the quality of their conference calls. We use state of the art conferencing technology, and invest in the most reliable hardware and software available. Just because something is "new" doesn't make it better, so we stick to many tried-and-true methods aimed at making sure we provide reliable and high quality services.

Across the top of this page you can see a variety of different conference services that fit every need and budget. These are outsourced services -- in other words, there is no need to go to the expense of obtaining your own conference equipment which you have to install, maintain and provide staff to handle. It's much simpler, and much less expensive, than that! Without any set-up fee or up front expense, you can begin having conference calls today to collaborate with colleagues, customers, prospects or partners.

Setting up an account doesn't cost anything, and once you receive your call-in number and passcode via email, you're good to go. Most of our services, such as our popular pay-as-you-go plan, are "reservationless" so there is no need to contact us ahead of time to tell us when you plan on having a conference. On the contrary, your conference bridge is open 24/7 and you have complete access anytime you want to have a conference. The only thing you have to do is contact your conference guests and tell them when to dial in, and what passcode to use.

Some tips on how to improve the quality of your conference to insure the best service:

1) Use regular landline phones or cell phones. VOIP connections are known to have issues.

2) You can use a speaker phone, but to achieve the highest quality, just have everyone on his/her own line.

3) Use our free "live conference viewer" to isolate a call that has interference or background noises and "mute" that particular line.

4) Use our free "lecture mode" option to have only the hosts speak, and have everyone else automatically muted. That provides a great conference, especially if there is a lot of people on the call. And yes, more than one person can call in using the host passcode. (You get two passcodes with your account -- one for the hosts and one for the guests.)

On rare occasions, conference bridges will crash, like anything else that's electronic. That's why, to insure the highest level of service, we give you a "backup" number in the unlikely event your primary conference bridge goes down. Again, not very likely, but we try to be redundant and it's always safer to have everything backed up -- including all your data and computer harddrives.

Please give us a call at 877-254-2424 if you have any questions or want to set up a conference call. You'll find the process is fast, easy and simple, even if you've never had a conference call before. We excel at customer service!

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How Much Does a Conference Bridge Cost? http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/12/how-much-does-conference-bridge-cost

How much does a conference bridge cost? It's a very common question and there are two easy answers, depending on your situation:

1) You don't need to buy a conference bridge to have a conference call. The cheapest and most effective way to conduct a conference call is to use a conference service on a pay-as-you-go basis that gives you access to our conference bridges which are already installed and operating. It's like buying a time-share rather than the condo. We have several plans to choose from (see the links at the top of the page for the various services.)

2) If you are looking to buy and install your own conference bridge hardware and software, you need to be a very heavy user -- at least $2000 a month in conference call expenses -- to make it worthwhile. We buy, sell and rent dedicated conference call bridges and would be happy to provide you a quote. However, please understand that 99% of all businesses and non-profits outsource their conferencing to services like 24Conference.com because it is much more cost effective and there is no need to install additoinal phone lines, sign long term maintenance contracts, hire staff to monitor and organize usage, not to mention the upfront capital costs associated with purchasing conference hardware which can run into the tens, or hundreds, of thousands of dollars.

Unless advancing technology changes the situation, our advice is to keep things simple and outsource to our service bureau. Time and time again, we've seen occasions when companies get diverted from their core mission and start spending time and money trying to internalize technology because they "want to keep it inhouse." All of a sudden, they get themselves into the conference call business, only to find out later it wasn't worth the investment. (A perfect example of this is video conferencing: Companies have spent hundreds of thousands trying to put in fancy hardware, only to find out that the trend is "desktop video" using a $25 webcam and an "in the cloud" service costing only pennies a minute.)

If you are corporate enterprise and you've made the decision to install a new inhouse conference bridge, we stand ready to assist you with your purchase or rental. However, if you are medium to small operation, we highly recommend that you continue to do what you do best, while letting us take care of your conference needs. You'll find that outsourcing not only saves you money, but the convenience and the time you save, especially with reservationless conference calling, will make your dealings and collaboration projects much more pleasant and easy.

We look forward to helping you set up the custom conferencing plan that best meets your needs and budget.

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Operator Conference Call: Full Service Conference Operator Managed Calls http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/11/operator-conference-call-full-service-conference-operator-managed-calls

Operator conference calling provides full service management and ahead-of-time professional support for your scheduled audio conference meetings. Unlike on-demand reservationless conferencing services, operators conference calls are set up at least 24 hours in advance. You email us the names of each participant, along with their phone numbers, and our trained operators will call each person and place them into the conference.

Here is a summary of the advantages of using operator conference calling:

1) Your conferees don't have to remember to call into the conference at a certain time. In other words, they don't call us -- we call them.

2) Your conferees are not required to pay long distance costs to call into the conference. Since we call them, they pay nothing.

3) An operator can be available to service your call at anytime to manage all aspects of the call, including muting, lecture mode, and organizing Question & Answer (Q&A) sessions. This is ideal, particularly with Investor Relations calls and other conference calls that include the press.

4) Having a third-party operator call your participants provides the highest level of professional communications and enhances your organization's image and reputation. It conveys the priority and demonstrates the elevated importance you place on the call for your collaboration and presentation.

5) There are no set-up fees to organize a call and no minimum usage is required. There are also no long term contracts and you are under no obligation to continue the services. You are only charged 19 cents per minute, per user, when and if you use the service.

6) Operators can, at your command, control the conference features and options, such as muting individual callers, muting all callers except the presenters, preparing for lecture mode, introducing participants as they enter the conference, compile individual contact data such as names, organizations and email addresses, arrange for recording, transcription and translation services, and provide full reporting for call.

7) Operator managed calls (also known as operator assisted calls) can be conducted at anytime as long as they are scheduled 48 hours in advance. Calls during normal business hours can usually be arranged within 24 hours, and in some instances, can be set up with only 2 hours notice.

Overall, outsourcing operator conference calls can provide your business or organization with a convenient and professional solution to improve communications, collaboration and efficiencies. Give us a call at 877-254-2424. Setting up an account is free, easy and fast.

Click here for more detailed information: Operator Conference Call

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Conference Call, Conference Services, Audio Conference http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/11/conference-call-conference-services-audio-conference

Professional conference call services for corporations, businesses and non-profits. Our high-quality conferencing plans are affordable and are designed to meet most every business need -- including toll free 800 conference calling, flat and fixed rate unlimited conferencing, full service operator managed calls, and conferencing with local access numbers.

Across the top of this webpage, you'll see our primary offerings. On each service page, you'll see the various conference rates including a number of free options that come with each service. These options, such as music on hold, can be changed at any time.

Setting up a conference call is easy and can be done in less than an hour. There are no set-up or cancellation fees and no long term contracts. Once you set up your account, you can start a conference call at anytime since our services are "reservationless." There is no need to schedule a conference call with us, since you have your unique passcodes and can access the conference bridge anytime, 24/7. (The only exception is our operator managed conference calls which will require you to give us a list of names and numbers and the time you want us to call each participant and patch them into the conference call for you.)

It has been determined that outsourcing your conference call services and having access to a conference bridge that operated and maintained by a company that focuses on providing excellent service is much more cost effective and efficient than buying your own hardware, phone lines and software. In effect, having a piece of a larger conference bridge is much less expensive than owning an entire conference bridge which will require maintenance contracts, additoinal personal, fixed overhead costs such as phone lines, and may be underutilized much of the time.

That's why most companies and non-profits prefer to retain conference services on a pay-as-you-go basis to compensate for the ebbs and flows of usage. There may be some months when usage is high, and other months when very little phone conferencing is needed. Per use conferencing is accurate, convenient and a very effective way to increase productivity and collaboration among working colleagues, board members, prospects, customers, investors and even the general public for reputational management.

If you are searching for a conference call service that can provide you reliable and dependable access along with full and responsive customer service, we can assist you today. Just give us a call at 877-254-2424 and let us know your particular needs. We'll help you design a program that best meets your requirements and your budget.

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Conference Call Service Without a Contract http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/11/conference-call-service-without-contract

You don't need a long term contract to obtain conference calling services. In fact, you can get the best conferencing services on a pay-as-you-go basis, or just month to month.

For some strange reason we've never been able to figure out why large corporations in particular prefer to have contracts with their vendors. They say one reason is to lock in prices and to avoid increases. Another reason is to hold the vendor's feet to the fire when it comes to service standards.

However, there is another whole side to the equation. Vendors love contracts because it locks out the competition and provides the vendors the ability to forecast revenue.

Overall, contracts benefit the vendors much more than they will ever benefit you, the customer. Fact is, rates usuallly go down during the term of normal contract and customers are locking themselves into higher rates, not lower rates. And if you have to get an agreement to receive expected levels of service from a vendor, you may want to think about getting a new vendor. Suppliers who strive for excellence don't have to be held accountable. Rather, they take pride in exceeding their customers' expectations. They underpromise and overdeliver.

There are government agencies that prefer annual contracts because it is something they can budget for and can pay once. Our unlimited usage flat rate conferencing plans are an ideal way to achieve that objective without worrying about sporadic conference call usage. Since there is no timing of conference calls, and users can talk and use the system as much as they like, this is very condusive to an annual contract.

However, annual contracts are more the exception than rule. Yes, they can be easily achieved, but are far from necessary. If you are looking for a conference service without tying yourself into a long term contract, give us a call, or take a look at each of our services across the top of the page and let us know how we can best accommodate your conferencing needs. We stand ready to custom make a program that serves your needs and budget.

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Conference Call Bridge Cost and Rates: How Much? http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/09/conference-call-bridge-cost-and-rates-how-much

Costs and rates for using telephone conference call bridges and services vary greatly and depend on the type, format and number of people on the conference call.

The different types of services can be seen across the top of this page. Generally speaking, costs can be categorized into per-minute costs or monthly fixed rate costs. Per-minute costs are usually billed after your conference call, while discounted flat or fixed rate costs are pre-paid.

Per minute conference costs are calculated on a per-minute, per-person basis. In other words, 5 people on the conference call for 10 minutes, equals 50 total minutes. 50 mintues times 7.9 cents per minute equals $3.95. That's how much a 5 person, 10 minute, conference call would cost. If you were using a Local Access dial-in number, your costs could be substantially less.

Flat rate plans offer substantial savings, however, the major disadvantage is that they don't offer a toll-free access number. Each person calling into the conference must dial a long distance number. (Dialing a long distance number may not be an issue if your conference call users are calling from a cell phone or have free long distance bundled with their regular phone service.)

The huge advantage to flat rate conferencing is that it offers unlimited usage -- there is no timer on the conferenc bridge. You can have as many conference calls as you like, and talk as long as you want.

On the high end of conference call costs is the professional managed Operator Conference Call -- a service that has operators calling out to the conference participants and then introducing them into the conference call. This is for high profile or critically important conferences such as legal depositions, investor relations, corporate press conferences, sales presentations and deal-closings.

Overall, there is a conference service that will fit your budget. Give us a call and let us know what your looking to do in particular, and we can help you sort through your options quickly. Call us 877-254-2424.

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10, 15, 20, 25 Person Phone Conference Call: How to Set Up http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/09/10-15-20-25-person-phone-conference-call-how-set

You can easily accommodate 10, 15, 20, or 25 people, on a telephone conference call. Setting up an account is easy and if you are corporation, business or non-profit, you can have your first conference call today.

You have a variety of options and features to choose from so it's not difficult to find the right plan that not only fits your budget but also meets your needs.

Here is a quick checklist of things you should look at:

1) If it's important for you to have your participants dial a toll-free number then you should look at our Pay As You Go conference service. If you need toll-free service on a consistent and stready basis, you can get discounted toll-free minutes with our pre-paid Supersaver 800 Service.

2) If toll-free service is not important, and your participants don't mind dialing a long distance number to get into your conference, then you should check out our pre-paid Flat Rate Teleconferencing Service. That gives you unlimited talking minutes every month for a fixed rate.

3) If your participants are from large cities, we have over 100 local dial-in numbers across the U.S. and Canada. (For example, your New York City participants can call a New York City number, while your Houston participants can call a Houston number -- everyone will end up in the same conference call.) This provides a tremendous convenience and is very cost effective. It's called our Local Access Conferencing Service and users report that is has dramatically cut their conferencing costs.

Across the top of this page, you'll see links to our various conferencing services. Regardless of which one you choose, you can have full confidence that once you set up your account in a few minutes, you'll be able to have any number of people sharing your conference -- be it 10, 15, 20, 25, or even more -- who will join you in your collaborative efforts to get more accomplished in less time.

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Audio Conferencing Services: Teleconferencing for Corporate Applications http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/09/audio-conferencing-services-teleconferencing-corporate-applications

Audio conferencing services for corporations and business are available in several different plans and formats. Quality audio phone conferencing, a staple in the business world, will remain the most popular and preferred method to collaborate well into the future because it's easy (no reservations are required) and fast (on-demand) and simple to set up. People may be using the latest smartphones to have a conference, but the underlying model remains the same as it did decades ago -- two or more people talking on the phone.

At the top of this webpage, you'll see several different audio conferencing options, ranging from pay-as-you-go conference services to discounted pre-paid flat rate and toll free phone conferencing. Also, professionally managed conference calls with operator assistance are also available, in addition to services that enables you and your participants to dial a local number, called Local Access Conferencing.

Here is a quick rundown on the audio conferencing features and advantages of each:

Traditional Audio Conferencing (toll-free and non-toll free): Tried and true, traditional audio conferencing is used extensively by most corporations, businesses and non-profits today on an outsourced basis. (Unless your conferencing costs more than $2000 per month, it's best to outsource conferencing, versus purchasing and maintaining your own hardware and lines.) Costs are calculated on a per minute, per person, basis. (i.e. 5 callers on the conference for 5 minutes = 25 minutes.) You never pay for more than what you use and the lines are always open 24/7. The hosts and guests call the conference bridge number and then put in their passcodes. There is no monthly minimum, so if you don't use it, there is no charge. You can choose from a toll free dial-in number, or a long distance number (slightly cheaper.)

Toll-Free Audio Conferencing (pre-paid discounted): This service is modeled after wireless plans which provide a set number of minutes each month, so if you can anticipate ahead of time how many toll free conference minutes you'll be using, you can cut expenses considerably. Better yet, there is no long term contract and you can purchase the service on a month-to-month basis, adjusting your account to accomodate your next month's usage. Needless to say, this is a very popular option that provides all of the benefits and convenience of having a toll-free dial in number, and works exceptionally well if you know how many total of conferencing minutes you average every month. Take a look at your current invoice and compare rates.

Local Meet Me Conferencing (calling a local dial-in number): We have over one hundred local numbers in the United States and Canada that you can use for your conference dial-in number. This is our Local Access or Local Meet Me service and it's the best thing to happen in the audio conferencing industry in a long time. Let's say you were organizing a conference call and you had callers in Philadelphia, Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and San Diego. With Local Meet Me you can give each of your conference guests a local number in their specific area to call. They don't have to dial long distance and you don't have to pay the extra expense of providing a toll free number. And regardless of where they are calling from, they all end up in the same conference! This is charged on a very low per-minute basis (2.9 cents per minute, per person) and is modeled after the pay-as-you-go plan. You are only charged for what you use and there are no monthly minimums.

Operator Managed Audio Conference: This is top-of-the-line conferencng at its best. Professionally trained operators provide full service and can call out to each of your participants and place them into the conference. Your guests just have to answer the phone. The operators can also provide different levels of service as well, including coordinating Q&A sessions, and managing legal and investor relation calls. Another aspect is to having everyone call in themselves and have an operator greet them, gathering contact information from the callers. That information can then be given the host. The operator can then introduce each person to the conference as they enter. A very nice professoinal touch! This is an ideal set up for important high-profile calls or critical sales calls when you want to close the sale.

Fixed Rate Conference Service (pre-paid unlimited use): Fixed Rate conferencing is ideal for heavy users because you get unlimited usage. You can conference anytime you want, for as long as you want. Everyone dials a long distance access number (we have a New York City 212 access number and others in the Mid-West) to get into the conference call.

While advances in video conferencing have been impressive, the vast majority of people who conference prefer an audio conference for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they don't particular care to broadcast their image over the Internet. (No studies have been conducted that we are aware of, but anecdotally, most people tell us they self-consciously just don't like the way they look on camera.)

Overall, as companies look to save costs and boost productivity, audio conferencing services are near the top of the list to trim the need for physical meetings which eat into valuable time. Give us a call today to find out how we can help.

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Teleconference Service: Audio Phone Conference Calling http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/teleconference-service-audio-phone-conference-calling

We offer a wide range of teleconference services for business, non-profits and individuals who want to use audio phone conferencing to collaborate and share information. Teleconferencing is the most popular and least expensive method to get a number of people together to discuss important issues and projects. It's also the easiest way to conduct a conference, especially if your parties are in scattered locations.

On the top, and top left side, of this webpage, you'll see a number of teleconferencing service and options to choose from -- everything from Pay As You Go (Pay Per Use) per minute plans to Unlimited Flat and Fixed Rate plans. We also offer you top of the line Operator Conference Calls and Legal Conference Call services.

Generally speaking, it is less expensive to outsource teleconference services than it is to install your own conference bridge hardware, software and phone lines. Unless you are a very heavy user and have the inhouse staff to maintain your own system, it is advisable to outsource. Lately, even inhouse systems have been seeing less popularity because management is determining that it is more cost effective to focus on core business issues and priorities rather than spending time and money making conferencing a supplementary business within the business. Outsourcing teleconferencing allows staff people to concentrate on more important issues.

Each service has it's advantages. Here are some examples:

Most businesses, large and small, prefer to have a toll free number to access their conference bridge and pay for conferencing on a per minute basis. (10 people on the conference for 20 minutes equals 200 minutes.) Businesses are provided the data that shows the time of each conference and the number of participants. Businesses can get an unlimited number of passcodes to have an unlimited number of conferences going on simultaneously. Conferences are reservationless and can be accessed on demand, 24/7.

Another conference service that has a large share of users offers unlimited conferencing for one low fixed monthly rate. It is offered on a month-to-month basis with no long term contract, and you can talk as long as you want. There is no limit and your price is fixed. What's the catch? Actually, the only thing that makes it different from other conferencing services is that is does not offer a toll free number -- participants dial a regular long distance number to access the conference bridge. Considering that most people and businesses have long distance costs bundled with their local service and/or they call from cell phones which offer free long distance to begin with, you can see why many organizations, particularly non-profit groups have cut their conferencing expenses substantially by converting to fixed rate service.

There are many other plans that may better suit your purposes and budgets. Our job is to make sure that you get the right plan and maintain your access to the highest quality teleconference service in the industry. So far, our growing clientle and our reputation have helped us lead the way in a very competitive business. We hope you give us a chance to prove that our conference services can meet your specific needs. Call us today at 877-254-2424.

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Pay Per Use Conference Call Service: On-Demand Phone Conferencing http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/pay-use-conference-call-service-demand-phone-conferencing

Pay-per-use phone conference call service, also known as pay-as-you-go teleconferencing, is one of the most popular plans used by buinsesses and non-profits for communication and collaboration.

Here are the top 10 reasons by why pay-per-use conferencing is so attractive when shopping for a conference service:

1) There are no set-up fees.

2) You can have your first conference call today.

3) There are no monthly minimums.

4) There are no long term contracts. You can stop using the service at any time.

5) You are only billed for the time you use, when you use it.

6) You are only billed AFTER your call.

7) You have your choice of both toll free and non-toll free access.

8) You get free features and options like music-on-hold and auto-hang up.

9) There are no reservations and can use it on-demand 24/7.

10) There is no need to purchase any hardware or software.

Beyond that, you will have access to the highest quality conferencing and technology avaliable.

If you are looking for a reliable phone conference call service, pay-per-use is definitely worth considering. While there are many other plans and formats, the fact remains, you really can't go wrong with a pay-per-use program. Both big and small players utilize it as staple in their communications services and its value is unsurpassed in saving organizations thousands of dollars in travel and meeting costs. You can find out more about pay-per-use conference calling here: http://24conference.com/payasyougoconference

You can also get our Local Number Access Conferencing here: http://24conference.com/local_access_conference_call

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Video Conference: How to Video Conference with Your Webcam http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/video-conference-how-video-conference-your-webcam

Getting a video conference service is easy and inexpensive. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on sophisticated equipment, when your desktop webcam will perform just as well. Moreover, there is no need for any software. With our Start-Video service you can be up and running in minutes and none of your participants will have to download or install any software on their computers. The entire process is fast, simple and clean.

Here are some of the advantages of getting a professional video conferencing service:

1) No start up costs and easy set up.

2) No hardware or software to purchase or maintain.

3) Pay on a per-use basis, or get unlimited usage month-to-month.

4) Immediate 24/7 access with no reservatoins required.

5) Full-duplex video conference, file sharing, screen sharing, white board, instant messaging, and recording capabilities.

6) Configure screen format anyway you want to meet your needs.

7) Easy to use and broadly accepted Flash interface.

8) Use built in VOIP audio or your regular conference call service.

9) Windows and/or Mac compatible.

10) Upload Microsoft Office documents and/or video files.

One of the most popular features is called "screen sharing" that will enable you to have your participants see what is on your computer screen. So, whatever you're seeing on your monitor, they are seeing on their monitor. You could be looking at anything -- a website, video, slide show, or document. As you advance your presentation, they will be able to keep right up with you. You can also use a pointer to show them exactly what to look at.

Because video conferencing has become so affordable, and because the technology has brought it to your desktop or laptop, or even iPad and iPhone, you'll see more and more applications for it in business, non-profits and even family use. Yes, there are free services such as Skype and Yahoo that offer video on a one-to-one basis, but if you are interested in having a few people on your video conference call, you'll need a paid service like the one we offer.

Want to see Start-Video in action? Call us at 877-254-2424 for a free demo and experience all the advantages of a video conference for your associates, customers or prospects. With the advances in video technology, and with the prices going down, you can assume that you'll be seeing, and using, video conferencing more and more.

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Conference Service: Telephone Conference Call Service Rates and Plans http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/conference-service-telephone-conference-call-service-rates-and-plans-1

Conference service over the telephone, also known as audio teleconferencing, can be easily obtained with a variety of rates and plans, serving a wide range of business and non-profit needs and budgets.

Using a professional conference service is not only more convenient, but it is far less costly than attempting to install special conferencing hardware and software. When you outsource your conference service, you avoid any set-up, maintenace and overhead costs and, in addition, you are able to begin conferencing immedately. 95% of all conferencing is outsourced in the United States because the service is convenient and inexpensive.

There are several conference service plans to choose from. Here is a quick review and rundown of the most popular conference services. For more details you can click on the links below, or you can find the various services on the left hand sidebar or top of the page navigation links.

Pay Per Use Conference Service: This is also known as "pay as you go" conferencing, and provides you 24/7 access. There is no need to make reservations. Once you get your call-in number and passcodes, you can use it anytime. Your credit card is charged only after you use the service. There is no monthly minimum, so if you don't use it, there is no charge. A perfect conference solution for occasional users.

Per Minute Conference Service: 90% of the conferencing in the United States is done on a per-minute basis. Minutes are calculated by the number of callers times the number of minutes (i.e. 10 callers on the conference for 10 minutes = 100 minutes.) You are charged after the call and are only billed for the time you use, no more or less. You have your choice of a toll free dial number, or a regular long distance number (slightly cheaper.)

Supersaver 800 Conference Service: (pre-paid bundled): This discounted service, with a toll free dial in number, provides discounted rates and is modeled after your cell phone plan. You pre-pay for a certain number of minutes each month. This is a very popular service for businesses and organizations that have predictable usage and know how many conference minutes they generally use every month. There is no long term contract, and this service goes month to month. So, if you wanted to purchase a large number of discounted minutes one month, and not the next, that can be easily arranged.

Local Number Call-In Conference Service: This is a per-minute conference service, but rather than dialing a toll free or long distance number to access the conference, you call a local number in your area. (We have over 100 local numbers in the U.S. and Canada.) Not only is this service less expensive than dialing a toll free number, but it also provides a tremendous convenience for callers to use a local number. Very popular, particularly if the callers are centralized near a large city. Also, you can get local numbers in several large cities and have everyone in the same conference.

Operator Conference Call Service: Full service conference, including professional operators who call out to each of your parties and place them in the conference. You can also have an operator on the conference itself to manage Question & Answer sessions or coordinate the muting and lecture modes. This is the preferred choice for legal and deposition conference calls, or investor relation calls or high-profile or important calls where you are looking to provide top level service. An ideal solution for landing that big contract.

Flat/FIxed Rate Conference Service (pre-paid unlimited use): Fixed Rate conferencing is ideal for heavy users because you get unlimited usage. You can conference anytime you want, for as long as you want. Everyone dials a long distance access number (we have a New York City 212 access number and others in the Mid-West) to get into the conference call.

Video Conference Service: As technology advances, costs for video conferencing have come down substantially. In fact, the expensive conference rooms with large video screens and television cameras are a thing of the past. The operative words are "desktop conferencing" where you and your participants use small webcams (cost about $25-50) and can view each other in high quality transmissions. There are some free services like Yahoo and Skype that offer video conferencing for one-on-one exchanges. However, for larger calls you'll need an outsourced video conference service. This also gives you features that will share powerpoint presentations, slide shows, documents, and participants can also see your desktop, so they can follow again and see whatever is on your computer screen.

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Canadian Phone Conference Call Service: Toll Free or City Local Access http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/canadian-phone-conference-call-service-toll-free-or-city-local-access

Signing up for a Canadian conference call service is very easy, with your choice of toll free conferencing, or dialing a local number in several large Canadian cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Phone conferencing in Canada is very popular because, like elsewhere, it can dramatically cut meeting and travel costs whlie providing a quick way to boost productivity.

Offering a toll free conference call-in number has a number of benefits. Your associates or clients can use it from anywhere in Canada or the U.S. and will be able to access your conference at no cost to them, at anytime. Moreover, it's generally recognized that having a toll free number, particularly for customers, looks and feels more professional. Toll free is a bit more expensive, but when trying to build a brand or image, it is definitely the preferred way to conduct your conferencing calling program.

On the other hand, there is another very attractive alternative in the conferencing world, and it's called Local Access Conferencing. This provides you with a local number in several major Canadian cities. Here is a list of the cities and their respective call-in numbers:

Calgary Conference Call Access Number (403) 879-2490

Edmonton Conference Call Access Number (587) 557-1540

Montreal Conference Call Access Number (438) 238-2190

Ottawa Conference Call Access Number (613) 366-2570

Toronto Conference Call Access Number (647) 847-1525

Vancouver Conference Call Access Number (778) 300-1670

Windsor Conference Call Access Number (226) 946-1930

Local access, like toll free, is a pay-as-you-go format where you are charged for what you use, after you have your conference. The cost for local access is 2.9 cents per minute, per person. So, 10 people on the conference call for 10 minutes would equal 100 minutes, for a total cost of $2.90, payable in U.S. dollars. (At the moment, the Canadian dollar is worthy slightly more than the U.S. dollar, so the actual cost would be even less.)

Local access is particularly helpful if everyone is calling from the same large city. It is very convenient. But better yet, you have your account set up to accept calls from ANY local access number. For example, your associates in Vancouver can call the Vancouver number, and your associates in Toronto can call the Toronto number -- and you will ALL end up in the same conference call. It's a marvelous way to cut conference expenses, and still enable everyone to dial a local number. You can't beat it.

Whether you choose to have a toll free, or local access conference call number, you'll find that your conferencing calling services in Canada will provide you with a huge advantage with your business or non-profit organization. Check out our website and let us know if we can help you in anyway. We have a plan to suit everyone's specific needs and will work hard to prove that we have the highest quality conference calling network on the planet.

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Surveys by Phone: Polling with Automated IVR Gets Faster Results at Less Cost http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/08/surveys-phone-polling-automated-ivr-gets-faster-results-less-cost

Telephone surveys using IVR technology can automate polling campaigns and are becoming the gold standard for gathering data very quickly and inexpensively for companies and political groups interesting in learning the latest trends and developments.

Our sister company, OrangePoint Communications, offers an automated phone survey service, which enables you to get polling results without the need or expense of getting special equipment, software or phone lines for your project. OrangePoint provides a turn-key service and the infrastruture is already set up and ready to go on demand.

As an OrangePoint client, you only need to provide the list of phone numbers you want polled, and then a list of questions with multiple choice answers. As an example, your questions could be formatted as such: "When it comes to choosing a retirement home, what are you looking for? For sunny and nice press #1. For cold and miserable, press #2. For "I'm never going to retire" press #3.

Not only are automated phone surveys easily assembled and executed, but they are a fraction of the cost of using live agents to conduct personal interviews. Telephone surveys with IVR can also generate more results in much less time. Actually, there is no comparison on a cost basis since automated "push" or "reach out" technology is dramatically more efficient than utilizing humans to do the same thing.

Better yet, companies, non-profits and political organizations, don't have to purchase any expensive software or equipment, or set up expensive phone banks to implement an effective phone survey program. Phone surveying can be done in the cloud and can be purchased as a service on an as-needed basis. Set-up costs are very small and campaigns can be implemented within hours with results immediately available in real-time.

The most popular application for phone surveying is for compiling instant polling data for political organizations and candidates. Campaign surveying can provide valuable data that can used immediately to formulate long or short term strategies. For example, you can determine quickly what the hot button issues are in a campaign, and what the strengths and weaknesses are in the opponent and in your own campaign. It's important that your campaign can turn on a dime when circumstances and issues change. Automated phone surveying is the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to accurately judge your campaign's progress.

OrangePoint's professional staff can help you design and implement an effective survey and polling program that will enable you to act on the latest "pulse" from your customers or constituents.

You can call Orangepoint Communications 1-888-387-8636 to discuss all your automated surveying options.

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Toll Free Conference Calling Service: 800 Highest Quality, Best Value http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/07/toll-free-conference-calling-service-800-highest-quality-best-value

Toll free conference calling services are our speciality and we are proud to provide the highest quality and best value in the conference calling industry.

Toll free conferencing comes in two formats so you have the advantage of choosing the best program for your particular needs.

Toll Free 800 Pay-As-You-Go Conference Calling is our most popular service and enables you have a conference call anytime, with any number of people you want. Your credit card is charged after you make your call and you are sent a receipt. You can also get an emailed summary of the call immediately after it concludes, listing the number of people participating, how long each stayed on the call, all identified by their caller ID numbers.

There are two big features that make this toll free service so attractive. First, you only pay for what you use after you use it. So if a day, week or month, goes by and you have not used your conference service, there is no charge. It's a perfect conference call solution for intermittent or periodic conference users. Second, all your calllers have the convenience of dialing a toll free number (which looks more professional) and are covered in the United States and Canada. (We also have international toll free numbers that can ring into the same conference. If you are interested in see the international rates, click here.)

Supersaver Toll Free Conferencing provides you discounted pre-paid toll free minutes. It works just like your mobile phone plan -- you pre-pay for a set number of minutes every month. Quite simply, if you can get a ballpark amount on the number of conferencing minutes you use every month -- take an average -- and then choose the monthy plan that comes closest to the number, you'll end up way ahead. (Minutes are not rolled over to the next month, so it's best to underestimate. If you happen to go over your allotted minutes, you are billed the normal per minute rate for the toll free pay as you go service, so you have absolutely nothing to lose.

There are two big advantages with the Supersaver conferencing service. First, you receive a substantial discount -- nearly 50% off -- when you prepay. Second, you can budget and predict with better accuracy what your conferencing expense will be each month. You always pay the same monthly fee, whether you use the minutes or not, so budgeting becomes much easier and you are not whipsawed from low expenses one month and high the next.

For both plans, you will received an 888, 877 or 866 toll free number for your conference bridge. (Actual 800 numbers were spoken for a long time ago.) In addition, you'll get two passcodes -- one for you as the host, and another for your guests. The passcodes always stay the same until you want to change them which can be done easily by a simple call to our Customer Service department which provides instant live help, without any recordings or phone trees you have to navigate. When was the last time you called any customer service department and had a live person answer the phone?

Conferencing is on the upswing because it saves time and money. Most business can be conducted easily and convenient over the phone and the need to have time-consuming physical meetings is in the past. If you are looking to add conferencing to your business or organizational culture, there has never been a better time to get started. Conference rates are the lowest they have been in years and you'll also see a dramatic reduction in travel and meeting expenses as well. Check out our toll free conferencing services above or give us a call anytime to discuss your needs so we can help you choose the best toll free conferencing plan for you.

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Phone Conference Services: Getting the Highest Quality at the Lowest Rates http://www.24conference.com/blog/2011/07/phone-conference-services-getting-highest-quality-lowest-rates

High quality phone conferencing services are readily available and easy to obtain. In fact, you can get a conference accout set up in minutes at no cost. You can review each of the various conferencing plans and options at the top or side of this webpage.

Here are some of things you should know or consider while you are narrowing down your phone conference bridge options:

1) In 90% of the situations, it's MUCH less expensive to outsource your conferencing services versus owning and maintaining your own in-house conference bridge and hardware.

2) There are variety of flavors -- you have a number of plan options that can best meet your budget and needs. It doesn't hurt to discuss the pros and cons of each with a professional. That's why we're here.

3) Free conference services exist, but in the end, you get what you pay for. Long distance carriers have been known to block calls entering free conference bridges.

4) Audio phone conferencing is here to stay. Why? Because as cool as video conferencing is, the majority of people are self-consious about what they look like on camera. Some people even hate looking at themselves. Verbal conversation will never be replaced when it comes to business and organizational interaction and that's why the phone will be around for a long time. More people text now than talk on the phone, however, it's not a convenient way to conduct business dialogs.

5) For video and web conferencing, the old video conference room is out and the smaller less expensive webcams are in. Now you can do everything from your desktop, or even smartphone.

6) It's true. Phone conferencing slashs travel and meetings expenses dramatically.

The reason phone conference call services are booming is because it is the least expensive way to conduct business from a variety of locations. Face to face meetings are always good, but unfortuntaely, they eat up time which businesspeople and non-profit professionals can't afford. If you can get 5 people on an audio conference call by just picking up the phone, you can accomplish more in 10 minutes than you can killing a morning or afternoon trying to get everyone in the same room at the same time. And with the advent of smartphones and cell technology and coverage, people can now conference and conduct business from anywhere. You'll see hand-held video conferencing technology becoming more widely used in the future.

Your best bet: Look at the different conference services that are offered, get some good advice, and move forward with your plans. There are no long term commitments so you can always switch to another plan easily and quickly. Getting a high quality and reliable conferencing service could be the best move you've ever made.

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