How to Make the Most of an Audio Conference Call

Author: stevenstewart | Posted: 11.01.2012

Due to the current economy many business owners are forced to cut financial corners wherever possible. Operational costs are a major area where executives are becoming creative when developing strategies to save valuable resources. One cost-saving method found to be quite effective is eliminating travel expenses to attend meetings. Instead businesses opt to utilize the services of a conference provider to keep staff or clients updated.

In addition to saving money by hosting an audio conference call, there are steps that business owners can take to make these calls inexpensive. Organization is essential when planning a virtual meeting because time is money. A charge is applied per minute for each call. Therefore, it is important to develop an outline of issues to be discussed and provide call participants with an agenda before the scheduled event. It is essential that the moderator of the call keep the focus on track to conserve call time.

Gathering information about the participants is also important when considering cost savings. Often knowing the location where individuals are located helps calculate costs, especially if participants live in other countries. It is necessary to know whether or not participants plan to use a cell phone to attend the virtual meeting. It is not uncommon for a conference provider to charge higher rates per minute for mobile phones when compared to landline connections. If participants plan on using a cell phone, suggest they use a landline if possible to reduce costs.

When striving to save costs, time allocation is essential. Meetings should always begin promptly on time, whether or not all of the participants are connected to the call. Moderators should allow equal time for discussion among caller, and redirect the focus if the direction of the conversation leads to an unrelated tangent.

There is usually an additional small fee for recording an audio conference call, but it is a worthwhile investment. The items discussed in the meeting can be archived for future references or transcribed for participants that were unable to attend. Providing reference material and transcripts eliminates the need to schedule another phone meeting. It is also helpful to e-mail a summary of the conference call to the participants within 24 hours to serve as a personal reference.

Teleconferencing is without doubt the most cost efficient forum for hosting a meeting. While there are many conference providers readily available to provide teleconferencing services, Conference Worldwide is an affordable and reputable provider accommodating business needs around the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.conferenceworldwide.com/.


About Author:
Steven Stewart is a highly intuitive freelance writer, and she loves to write on various subjects including conferencing, conference provider, and audio conference call. She has created abundant, meaningful, and sustainable work, while earning a good reputation of her own.

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