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.
Phone Conference Call: April 2009 Archives
We would be happy to provide a quote for your business conferencing services. Just give us a call at 877-254-2424 with your specifications and we can submit a proposal quickly. There are few things you want to remember in preparing your specs.
First, the conferencing business is constantly changing and there are new programs that you may not be familiar with that you might want to incorporate. So just because you have configured your conferencing one way, doesn't mean that you wouldn't greatly benefit from doing it another way. Be flexible, be open and talk to your prospective vendors and ask them what they would do if under the same set of circumstances. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and your final solution may be a hybrid of conferencing methods that best meet your needs and budget. Secondly, have a good idea of how many minutes of conferencing you use every month. Third, do your best of projecting future needs.
For example, will you using more international conferencing in the future? Will your need for toll free conferencing be increasing if long distance costs will be decreasing? And fourth, will be looking for conferencing solutions across the enterprise or just in one or a few divisions? With competition what it is these days, it never hurts to rebid your business conferencing services on an annual or regular basis.
You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that your conferencing program can be improved while cutting costs at the same time. We look forward to hearing from you.
Conference bridge services are available with several options that fit your needs and budget.
We have several conference bridges throughout the United States, including New York City. Once you set up an account, you are assigned a conference bridge and provided a phone number and passcodes to access it at any time. The beauty of getting a conference call service is that you avoid all the costs associated with buying and maintaining the actual conference bridge hardware, which can be very expensive.
Our most popular option is flat rate teleconferencing which provides you unlimited usage 24/7 for one low fixed rate a month. You can host phone conferences at anytime and talk as long as you want. The passcodes you receive are yours and you don't need any reservations.
Our next popular option is our Pay As You Go conferencing that enables you to have 24/7 conferencing based on usage and per minute pricing. If you don't use the service, you aren't charged.
Yes, we do buy and sell and rent conference bridge hardware and equipment, but unless you are an extremely large user, we recommend that you stick with getting the service. It's much more inexpensive, convenient and provides you with the future flexibility you'll want as business conditions change.
24Conference.com offers complete suite of audio teleconferencing services, including flat rate, toll free, operator conference calls, and web conferencing.
Our most popular service is flat rate which offers unlimited use for as low as $19 per month. The vast majority of our clients choose the flat and fixed rate service because it offers the best value when it comes to phone conferencing and can be accessed 24/7 without reservations.
If you're looking for an objective source that rates conference call companies, don't hold your breath. There is no third-party organization that we know of that will give you an unbiased point of view. There are firms that will rate and recommend various services, but they get a referral commission from whatever company eventually gets your business. Frankly, your best bet is to look for a company that has been around a few years and that has some quality references from long time customers. We do that, and in fact, put some of our customers' comments right on our website -- and even include their pictures! (Though some have been camera shy.)
Another way to judge a company's service or quality is to participate in a free trial offer. We are more than happy to offer you a free week of service so you can kick a tire and take a spin around the block. Truly, that's the best way to get a taste of what you can expect. Give us a call today and let us know how you rate us!
Choosing a teleconference service can be a bit overwhelming simply because there are so many choices available. Not only are there dozens of service bureaus, but each service has a number of different programs available. So it doesn't hurt to shop around and pick up the phone and talk to a few teleconference vendors and pick their brain to see what they have to offer.
Your best bet is to explain exactly what you are looking for and find out how they can best meet you needs. And then, after they've explained that, ask if they know of another teleconferencing solution they would recommend that might be even better. You might be surprised to find out there's something available that is better and less expensive than what you originally thought about.
For example, when people call us and find out about our flat rate teleconference service, they are pleasantly surprised to learn that they can pay one fixed rate a month and talk as long as they want -- truly an "unlimited" conference calling program. And since most people and businesses have free long distance bundled with their local telephone service, it's even a better deal. Be a smart shopper and compare.
And remember, you get what you pay for! Find a teleconference service that stands behind their product with full customer support that is easy to contact. You don't want to spend hours talking to a machine trying to find the right person. You want a live human to answer the phone. That is just one of the things that separates us from the competition. Give us a call and find out!
