Archive for March, 2011
Appreciating More About International Conference Calls
The costs of international conference calling have fallen dramatically over the years, but these calls are not free. While far less expensive than holding an international meeting face-to-face, it’s important to understand the international call costs that you’ll incur so that you can budget accordingly. Let’s take a look at how international teleconference calls are typically billed.
First, participants generally do not pay a penny. Rather, the host of the phone call is billed for the entire cost of the call. This cost is broken down by participant, by the minute. Because calling rates vary by country, the cost per participant will vary depending on the country in which each person resides. For example, if you have ten participants, each living in a different country, you could have ten different per minute rates. In addition, rates vary depending on if a caller dialed a toll free number or was called by the host using a “dial out” option. Read the rest of this entry »
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How International Conference Calls Differ From Domestic Conference Calls
At its core, a conference call is a phone call involving a group of participants who dial into a “conference” room. Typically, participants dial a phone number and then key in a conference room code which routes them to the appropriate teleconference. Once all participants are on the line and joined, they can begin interacting and collaborating over the phone line. While international and domestic conference calls share similarities, several key differences and challenges are involved with an international call.
International Dialing Basics
The first difference involves international dialing which can be confusing if you aren’t familiar with calling different countries. If you are located in the United States or Canada and will be dialing participants in other nations, you may need to be familiar with international dialing conventions. In general, you would dial 011 (which is the “exit code” for USA and Canada) followed by the country’s “country code” followed by the phone number. For example, if you are calling a participant in London, you’d first enter 011 followed by 44 (which is the country code for the United Kingdom) followed by the participant’s phone number. Read the rest of this entry »
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Cost Effectiveness of Hosting an International Conference Call Compared to a Face-to-Face Meeting
Your international flight is booked, your bags are packed, and a luxury hotel room on the other side of the world awaits your arrival when a thought occurs to you: I should have booked an international conference call. The more you think about it, the more a conference call makes sense. After all, roundtrip airfare is expensive as are hotel rooms, taxis, and overseas meals. Plus, you may not be the only one incurring these expenses. Not only that, your time away from home has value too. The more time spent traveling translates into less time to pursue other business and personal activities.
The Cost of International Business Trips
According to American Express Business Travel’s 2010 Global Business Travel Forecast, the average cost of international business trips in 2010 is expected to be $2818. This figure doesn’t include auxiliary fees that could add an additional 15 percent to the total. Using $2818 as an example, let’s look at a small regional meeting attended by just five attendees. Now let’s assume that three of the attendees are arriving from other countries, each incurring similar costs. That’s $8454 so far. If this were a larger meeting, the number would rise accordingly and the host would incur costs such as meeting room, entertainment, and banquet costs. Read the rest of this entry »
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