Conference Calling Services

Conference calling services is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more than one called party listen in to the audio portion of the call. The conference calls may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call, or the call may be set up so that the called party merely listens into the call and cannot speak. It is often referred to as an ATC (Audio Tele-Conference).

Conference calls can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to the call - however, participants are usually able to call into the conference call themselves, by dialing into a special telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge".

Companies commonly use a specialized service provider who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial to access the meeting or conference call.

Type

• Audio Conference

Audio Conference is the exchange of information only through the medium of voice telephone call that connects three or more phone lines at the same time. Audio Conference has an advantage over web conferencing and video conferencing because of the relatively cheaper cost. Costs that need to be budgeted to conduct audio conference only covers the cost of purchasing the phone unit and the cost of long distance conversations conducted by telephone. However, the weakness of audio conferencing is the loss of personal connections in the business when the only sound that could be heard colleagues. Jokes and sayings can be captured significantly different when the talks could be done without seeing the speaker's face and expression. Another drawback that is the call quality to be decreased when the party from another location is added into the telephone conversation. When multiple parties are involved in a conversation in one call simultaneously, then it is likely that the parties speak one time the same becomes greater. Consequently, another one can not convey ideas effectively.

• Web Conference

Conference calls can now be used combined with web conferencing as a complement, where presentations or documents can be shared and disseminated through the internet. This merger allows callers are connected in one call can simultaneously view the contents of the document, ie, company reports, sales charts, and company data were presented by one of the web conference participants. The main advantages of web conferencing is the presenter of the documents can provide a detailed explanation of a document, while other web conferencing participants can simultaneously view the presentation document. Documents sent by electronic mail is then appreciated by the analysis by participants and responses can be discussed quickly without waiting for communications made by electronic mail or regular phone calls. Web conferencing can be done without cost. Another advantage dalah telephone web conferencing allows participants can type or speak one at the same time without the possibility of not being heard as happened in the audio conference. Only, web conferencing has similar d drawbacks to the audio conference, which is difficult to assess a person's seriousness or humor in the form of a typed comment, nor was there a personality that is reflected therein. In addition, the constraints of technology also plays a significant role. For those who are not accustomed to using technology, use of web conferencing becomes less efficient.

• Video Conference

Conference call now also start exploring the world through podcasting and social networking using the iPod, which became part of the development of new types of interaction patterns. Video streaming or broadcasting of conference calls allows a wider audience to access the call without dialing the phone to the bridge. The advantage video conferencing is to offer a visual connection between the conference call participant.When using video conferencing technology, participants can see each of the visual through the television screen and hear each other through a loudspeaker system. Facial expression is also evident that jokes and comments can be understood with true meaning. However, the financial cost to hold a video conference is quite more expensive because the equipment used. If equipment is not high quality, then the smoothness of video streaming into halting even delayed.