Online Conference Call
Many businesses have begun adopting online conference calls. This type of conference call takes place via a web medium, and allows for a much greater interaction than the typical phone conference call.
Many traditional conference call services also offer some type of online conference call options. Sometimes this can be as simple as allowing file transfers to go through, other times it can be as sophisticated as having a full video conference, complete with power point presentations and instant file transfers.
Online conference calls might not be the best idea for a small business, however. Depending on the features and software needed, it can easily run much more expensive than a phone conference call. Also, if some of your participants are not very computer savvy, or do not have access to high speed Internet, you might have to cut them out of the conference. This is not a good trade off, especially not if they are a client.
Online conference calls require a bit more work than phone conference calls, so you want to make sure that you have an operator or the company's technical support line handy. This will ensure that you have a smooth conference.
There are also a number of free software packages that allow you to host your own conferences. You can do this without a service provider, so long as you have a high speed Internet connection. However, this is a great deal more work on your part, and you will not be able to support nearly as many users as on a normal online conference call infrastructure.
Make sure that you understand exactly how the online conference call is going to work, and how to use the commands and features. You do not want to look inexperienced in front of the other participants. Reading through the FAQs or manuals provided with the service or software will go a long way towards your credibility, as well as the smooth running of the conference.
