Okay, so you are looking to find an international conference call service provider but have no idea how to decide on a single one from the multitude of options that are available out there. If this is the situation that you have found yourself in, here are a few tips that you will find extremely useful.

How to Choose

When you need to decide on an audio conference call service provider, first you need to understand the real importance of choosing just the right company. Today, businesses are going global, and deals are being made every which way.

Conference calling offers several options to your business and so therefore when you are looking for an international conference call service provider, you should have a clear criteria of the different functions and features that you are looking for and what your company’s needs are.

This way going into the process of finding an international conference call service provider you will be on the right track and have a goal already set in mind.

For instance, when you are looking for an international conference call service provider, if your company is one that regularly conducts formal meetings, you are going to want to find a provider that offers operator-assisted calls because this would probably be the best option for your business.

Also when you are looking for an international conference call service provider you want to determine whether or not you need additional options such as roll-calls of participants wherein the names of individuals are announced as they join in. This would be particularly useful for a larger business, one which would have multiple people joining in on the same conference call at any single time. Read the rest of this entry »

Businesses today are global with employees, vendors, and partners scattered across the globe. While the occasional business trip is unavoidable, collaboration using a simple, international conference call allows participants to stay put and avoid the hassles and expenses of international travel. Whether you’re working on a large-scale project with team members located in diverse locations around the world or part of a smaller team needing to collaborate with a few colleagues in different countries, the simplicity of an international conference call remains one of the best ways to share ideas.

The Importance of Conference Call Quality
One of the biggest challenges of hosting an international conference call is one of the oldest: getting everyone connected with a good, clear connection. While VoIP is becoming more reliable, it hasn’t fully reached its potential. Plus, depending on where your colleagues are located, VoIP may not even be an option. In addition, with so many workers using mobile phones, mobile users will need to be able to call into the teleconference via cellular networks. With these considerations in mind, a traditional phone line is the most accessible and reliable option.

The Importance of Conference Call Coordination
Another challenge involves coordinating the phone call. After all, your international conference call may occur in the middle of the night for some participants. While you can ask participants to call into the central phone number at a specific time, time zone confusion and human nature often lead to late callers (or worse, conference call no shows). To avoid time zone confusion, use a world clock tool to convert the international conference call time to local time for each participant. This ensures that each participant knows exactly what time, in local time, to call in.

Additionally, consider using a service that allows you to dial participants directly. The ability to call participants allows you to catch anyone who may have forgotten about the scheduled teleconference as well as reach participants in countries that do not support calling into toll free numbers in the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

In order to budget for your international conference call, you’ll need to know:

• How many participants will be involved
• How each participant will access the call (toll free access or dial out)
• Which country each participant will be calling from
• How long the call is expected to last

Use a spreadsheet to create your international conference calling budget. Start by creating the following labels along the top of the spreadsheet:

• Participant’s Name
• Participant’s Country
• Call Type
• Cost Per Minute (format the cells for your currency)

Now, fill in each participant’s name and country. Sort your list alphabetically by country so that all participants are grouped by country and to make your research and data entry easier. Now, go to your international conference calling service provider’s Web site and look up the rates for each country in your spreadsheet. As you’re doing so, you may find that some countries are not supported for toll free access. If so, you will need to use the calling service’s dial out feature to call participants. Enter either “toll free” or “dial out” in the Call Type field and enter the appropriate per minute rate in the Cost Per Minute field. Also, if you will be calling the participant’s mobile phone, rates may be higher, so enter the dial out rate that corresponds to the caller’s phone type if known. If not known, err on the side of caution and enter the higher rate. Read the rest of this entry »