Conference calls are an important part of modern business communication, allowing teams to collaborate and stay connected even when they are not in the same location. But, let's be honest, conference calls can also be a source of frustration and confusion. To make sure your conference calls go smoothly and efficiently, here are the 7 best practices you should follow:
It's important to respect everyone's time, so make sure to start the call at the agreed-upon time. If you're the one hosting the call, send out a reminder a few minutes beforehand so that everyone knows to log on.
Before the call, create an agenda and distribute it to all participants. This will help everyone stay on track and know what to expect from the call.
At the beginning of the call, take a few minutes to introduce everyone on the call. This will help everyone put names to faces and will make the call more personal and engaging.
If you have any slides or other visual aids, share them during the call. This will help everyone stay focused and engaged and will make the information easier to understand. Many conference call providers offer screen sharing, document sharing, and an online whiteboard in their online portals or you can email slides or PDFs before your call.
Make sure to speak clearly and at a consistent pace during the call. This will help everyone understand what you're saying and will prevent misunderstandings.
Encourage participation during the call by allowing time for questions and discussion. This will help everyone stay engaged and will ensure that important points are not missed.
Just as it's important to start the call on time, it's equally important to end it on time. If you have an agreed-upon end time, make sure to wrap up the call at that time. In the landscape of modern business, remote hybrid meetings and conference calls have become indispensable tools for collaboration. Despite occasional technical hiccups, these virtual gatherings enable dynamic discussions and decision-making across geographical barriers.
By following these 7 best practices, you can ensure that your conference calls are productive, efficient, and enjoyable for everyone involved.
If you're looking for a reliable and easy-to-use platform for your free conference calls, then look no further than www.FreeConference.com. With crystal clear audio quality, a user-friendly interface, and a variety of convenient features such as screen sharing and call recording, www.FreeConference.com is the perfect solution for all your conference call needs. Plus, it's completely free to use, so there's no reason not to give it a try. Sign up today and experience the convenience and simplicity of www.FreeConference.com for yourself.
Whether you need to reschedule a meeting, invite more participants, or cancel a scheduled conference call, you can do it all quickly and easily from your FreeConference account.
Did you know that you and your callers can use your conference dial-in information to hold a video conference call anytime? Scheduling your conference call or sending invitations through our system is not necessary as your conference line is available at any time. Simply provide callers with your conference dial-in number, access code, and the time you wish for them to call! If you would like to send out a formal conference meeting invitation or edit your scheduled conference details, you can do easily do so using the instructions below:
To make any type of changes to an upcoming scheduled meeting:
Change Conference Time (Reschedule a Meeting)After finding the conference you would like to reschedule in the ‘upcoming’ section and clicking ‘edit’:
All participants listed on the invite list will receive an email notification informing them of the new conference time.
To send additional automated invitations through FreeConference:
Once you have hit ‘Schedule’, the new participant(s) will receive an automated email invitation for your conference. Existing participants will not receive a second invitation unless other details have changed such as the subject, date, or time.
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For more information on making changes to a scheduled conference, you can also refer to our support article How Do I Edit my Scheduled Call?
It’s that easy!
Thanks to the advancements in communications technology (mostly the internet), it is easier than ever for people in different parts of the world to connect and do business. In today’s global economy, international conference calls are common and very simple to set up. Now, before you go off to arrange your next international conference call, here are 5 international business etiquette tips to help ensure your call goes smoothly and successfully.
It’s good to be able to schedule an international conference call anytime, but that doesn’t mean anytime is good to schedule an international conference call. When scheduling a conference call between parties in different parts of the world, be sure to keep time zone differences in mind so that no one has to be up at 2 AM in the morning. If you’re setting up a meeting with paying clients, try to accommodate their schedule—even if it means you end up calling outside of your normal working hours. Fortunately, we have our own time-zone management tool here in FreeConference.com that makes it easy to find a suitable time to schedule conference calls between people in different time zones!
Although your dedicated dial-in comes in handy for last minute calls it would be nice to provide your participants with a list of dial-in numbers so they can choose one that is a domestic number for them so that they can avoid paying international calling fees from their carrier. This is one of the most important business etiquette tips! As a guest of your conference call, I would gladly call in if you go that extra step and help me save money.
FreeConference provides free and premium international dial-in numbers for over 50 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and more. See our full list of dial-in numbers and rates here.
As you may already be aware of, people from various parts of the world tend to express themselves differently. While being direct and upfront is normal in some cultures, it is not so in others. Taking time beforehand to learn about some of the cultural norms of those you will be speaking with can help avoid any potential misunderstandings and could make for a more successful international conference call.
A universal rule of business etiquette tips is that you should never keep others waiting. We recommend being prepared and ready for your call at least 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of your conference. While some cultures value punctuality more than others, “my time is more valuable than yours” does not translate well in any language.
I can tell you first hand as a person who holds frequent international conference calls, the "I'm in another time zone" excuse does not fly.
Conference calling platforms like FreeConference are easy to use and intuitive by design, but it’s always a good idea to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the various features and moderator controls available. This can help you appear more prepared during your conference call and might save you from the potential embarrassment of looking like you don’t know what you’re doing. It could be distracting (and sometimes embarrassing) when you fumble through the controls during the beginning of the conference call.
When in doubt, FreeConference.com’s dedicated Customer Support team is always ready to help and just a call or email away.
Though intended to facilitate communication, open concept offices can sometimes feel like they do anything but that for people who hold conference calls in them. In today’s blog, we’ll be offering some tips for more effectively holding conference calls and improving productivity in offices that feature open floor plans.
Whether their mission is to spread awareness of social issues, help disadvantaged members of their communities, or change public policy, nonprofits are committed to their cause. To be effective, nonprofits must rely on their ability to communicate with people both inside and outside their organization for a variety of purposes. These include fundraising efforts, public outreach, volunteer events, and many others. Thanks to free conference call services, social media, and other platforms, it has never been easier (or less expensive) for non-profit staff to get their message across. Here are some of the ways conference call technology is helping them do it:
We as a population have undertaken many studies lately, in the efforts to find out why meetings work - or don’t.
Often, we've been labeling them an inefficient tradition; usually seen as a waste of time (unless people actually came prepared) and it’s safe to assume we have all come to at least one meeting unprepared. So what gives? Why are meetings so hard to care about? Why are they so difficult to manage? Why do we keep having them?
Many businesses have incorporated elements of artificial intelligence, both to stay on top of current trends and to facilitate their day-to-day operations. If you’ve ever had a conversation with an automated reply service online, you’ve interacted with artificial intelligence. These developments have provided a myriad of benefits to those using them. Here's a few avenues that you may have been overlooking.
Conference call etiquette: While the unwritten rules of conference calling are certainly not hard to follow, there are a few bad conference call habits to be aware of that can drive your fellow callers nuts (whether they tell you or not). While some of these conference calling no-no’s may seem like common sense (like calling in late to a conference), you might be surprised at how often some of these bad habits can detract from the overall experience of a conference call for all involved. With the new year just around the corner, we thought we’d share some of our top bad conference call habits. (more…)
Nobody likes to spend time and money travelling for meetings anymore. Keep to your busy schedule and save money by using a free conferencing call solutions to communicate with your colleagues quickly and effectively.
Emails composed of text often fail to convey the nuance of a situation and entirely lose the speaker’s desired tone of voice. There is a risk that the email won't reach email recipients' inboxes, so you need to use the SPF record checker and take other email security steps.
Free Conference calls often follow developments that require a quick response, although a burst email titled “URGENT” carries a degree of anger at a glance. Leaders can convey exactly what they require from every individual and set the mood for the rest of the company.
This goes a long way toward establishing lateral communication and cooperative efforts between separate departments or divisions in a company that would otherwise operate alone.
Everybody knows the responsibilities expected of themselves and others. Unwillingness to work with others can be nipped in the bud at the outset and clear action plans can be established. Nobody needs to play a game of telephone with a dozen other people to get basic things done.
Chain emails take more time to figure out than participating in a free conference call, and they are just plain annoying. You’ve barely had enough time to catch up before a new reply has changed the game, or people respond on their own time without getting to the heart of the matter. Free Conference calls put everyone on the same page at the same time.
You don’t need to wait in a boardroom for half an hour to wait for one or two latecomers, and you can still do other work while you wait if you really need to wait on a conference call.
You can work on your projects from the comfort of your desk or even your home until everyone is ready to go. Conference calls also let people participate on very short notice, striking the right balance between speed and formality.
Similarly, people can dial into a conference call from anywhere while doing just about anything. You can participate from home, work, the gym, while out on a walk, or even while driving if you have a headset for your car. Conference calls don’t require you to be in a specific place at a specific time. Everyone has a cell phone, tablet, computer, or even a good old-fashioned telephone in the vicinity at all times.
Eliminating travel fare counts as an obvious advantage, yes, but all participants can be heard in a conference call. Nobody in particular has been relegated to the far end of the meeting room and nobody needs to raise their voices just to be heard. Conference calls place everyone at an equal distance from the head of the table.
Emails can be ignored, but calls cannot. Conference calls require the participant’s vocal and aural presence. Leaders and employees at every level can be held accountable, and everyone can be forced to acknowledge the issue at hand. The responsibility to deliver results to a business leader and colleagues adds a level of peer pressure that puts tardy people in line with the rest of the group.
There you have it; conference call solutions solve multiple problems in one stroke. Calls Don’t get lost in the shuffle, they give a voice to everyone, they’re convenient, and they eliminate confusion. Save time and money with free conference calling for your next meeting and get back to your busy day with time to spare.
