The best of the Web conferencing event hosting vendors offer a consultant that will work with the client firm to establish event goals and objectives and come up with a plan for the project that is detailed and organized around meeting those goals. During the Web conferencing event the client’s consultant will be right with the moderating firm to answer any questions that come up about procedure and provide any last minute technical support that is needed. After the Web conferencing event the vendor’s consultant will help the client navigate through and understand the reports that follow the conference. These reports will have information on each participant as well as their feedback.

Implementation services for your Web conferencing event include identification of the key members of the conference call hosting team, who are going to play an important part in the event process; development of a plan and its milestones so that the event implementation stays right on track; training sessions both on site and online that are tailored to the client’s means of achieving its business goals; production and dispensation of client-branded promotional materials for the Web conferencing event, as well as marketing collateral, and surveys, best practices and other information uploaded to the company’s Intranet; delivery of quarterly Web conferencing event reports that continually focus on adoption of measurements, return on investment (ROI) and usage; and the creation of a Web conferencing event training plan for new users that will be ongoing.

Training is tailored for the needs of the particular client, so that the people in the firm who must know do know how to successfully conduct their Web conferencing events. This could mean virtual training, on site training or a combination of both, as the client needs.

This particular Web conferencing call event services vendor offers two applications, one specifically geared towards conducting a meeting, the second towards offering a seminar.

Meeting event features of this vendor’s conference call product include audio, Web, desktop video, integration with Microsoft Outlook, drag and share document capabilities as well as whiteboard customizable properties. Applications can be shared, and participants can collaborate by means of chatting, polling and a question and answer session. This meeting-focused Web conferencing event service also offers helpful reporting capabilities.

The event services client will have an event playback that is fully synchronized and replicates the client’s live meeting including its annotations, audio, video, visuals, and polling. After the event is over, the moderate can protect the recording by password, e-mail a link to anyone she or he wishes, and keep track of who has accessed the information. Documents pertaining to the meeting including the minutes of the meeting are included, and can be password protected by the moderator.

A seminar event with this Web conferencing vendor additionally offers a practice program, which lets the presenter or presenters go through a dry run of the meeting without participants present. Copresenters can also meet privately before the event with this feature

The main difference between conference calls automated or manual made by standard analog phone or VoIP is the method and means of moving the call data from one point to another. Analog phones use circuit switches. For circuit switched conferencing services, the phone system routes the calls by way of a series of switches that are interconnected until it reaches the system’s conference bridge. This conference bridge then connects each participant’s call to all the others. If all the participants are in the same building, their calls connect to the conference bridge by way of a private branch exchange (PBX).

A PBX is simply a small version phone network dedicated to that office. No matter where the calls are connected – from one room in the office to another in the same office, from the UK to Paraguay, or whatever – the connections are open as long as the conference call continues.

Circuit switching is not used by a VoIP conference services network, however. The alternative, packet switching, is used instead. Unlike circuit switching the connection is open briefly as needed – long enough to transmit a packet (a tiny chunk of data) from one system to the next. Rather than the traditional analog path of travel from switch to switch the VoIP data travels by way of the Internet, along the most efficient path.

Conference call services and capabilities may come built into your VoIP network. If not, you can have them installed as an upgrade to your service. If your firm uses a VoIP not just for its conference services but for its telephones in general, calls form outside the firm can usually still connect by conference bridging. Lines coming in from outside might connect direct to the server of this bridge, or could reach the server by way of your VoIP network.

VoIP, is best described as taking the standard analog phone signal and converting it into digital data so it can be transmitted via the Web and then converted back to analog once it reaches the recipient’s phone. With conference services it completes this process to many recipients simultaneously.

This is a very handy and cost effective conference service, as you can often take your high speed Internet connection and turn it into a source for free phone calls or conference service. Sometimes this is free for calls internationally – say if you wanted to call the UK and were in the US, though most times international calls by VoIP still incur a charge. The charge, however, is considerably less than the standard long distance phone carrier fee.

With VoIP you can bypass the use of a standard phone and its regulatory fees, monthly charges and taxes. Add on to that the considerably conference service savings and you have one cost effective conference and remote communication service.

Its services are numerous and include a look at audio conference management from any part of the UK. One noted vendor’s conferencing software service program offers a choice of unassisted or operator assisted conferencing by audio. Unassisted audio conferencing is instantaneous, requires no reservation, and is available any hour of the day or night. Operator assisted audio conference calls upgrade the conference to include an operator to manage the technical end of the question and answer session, the surveys or polling feature of your UK conference and recording management services.

Another UK conference management service feature by a second organization is a conference call directory, which includes online resources such as conference management service and peripheral service vendors in the UK, articles on conference management, as well as software and other conference call services to help the management of your UK business.

Another vendor the site featured Specializes in conference call management services for Large UK Businesses. These services include both conferencing and long distance phoning, as well as fax broadcasting, Internet connection, and video, Web or phone conferencing.

Another UK vendor focuses its services on on-site conference management that include event planning, organization and management, registration of participants, collection of fees, technical support, choice and reservation of location, design and dispensing of badges, marketing and public relations for the event, sales and management for the exhibitions, and preparation of the hand out packages for the participants.

With this vendor’s conference management service, you and your UK firm will not need to worry about finding a good location and reserving the spot, mailing or e-mailing invitations, design the conference logo and having it created, putting together the conference program and having it and the attendee badges printed, or designing and selling sponsorship packages.

This UK conference management service vendor will prepare any interactive keypads, arrange for simultaneous translation as needed, schedule and produce video, support and manage audiovisual presentations and any other technical tools, collect payments, advertise the conference, and manage the exhibits.
All you and your UK firm will need to do is attend and present at the conference – oh, and rake in the resulting kudos and money.

Let’s look at a few conference call services that offer flat rates.

The first vendor is compatible with both PC and Mac for Web conferencing and offers flat rate video conference calling service. This vendor offers a community feel that lets a client network with others and its technology is top notch, with quality presentations and calls. This vendor has been in the voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for more than five years.

A second flat rate conference call service vendor offers fairly standard products, which are all that a small, emerging or sporadic-use business might need. It offers instant messaging conference calling as well as video and broadband meetings. Chat room conferences are offered as well, and these have a variety of configurations to support video with or without text and audio.

Another variation in flat rate service for conference calls is a vendor that limits its connections to 15 participants, operates on a Windows platform and can configure live conferencing via Web cam and microphone.

Another flat rate conference call service vendor, focused on business clients, offers application sharing from remote participant desktops. The application will not be able to be controlled by the vendor’s remote location, however. For flat rates that start at $35 a month, this conference call service seems to be the lowest. This price can accommodate up to 200 participants, with six video feeds and three microphones.

Flat rates are available as well from vendors offering a variety of conference call service options, such as Webinars, Webcasts, flash, and white boards. Many of these work across virtually all platforms and with just about any traditional operating system such as Windows, Unix, or Linux.

The carrier announced just this June that it now had a number of advanced conferencing service features for Web and audio. These advanced features included integration of its conferencing product with Microsoft Office’s communications server. What this does is enable participants to instigate an immediate conference by either Web or audio. Another feature is its integration of its own conferencing application with new management features that give moderators and participants more control over their conferences. New administrative functions introduced include registration for the event, enhancements to its Internet RSVP function, and increased security.

The carrier also recently collaborated with Microsoft for research on advanced conferencing capabilities for remote collaboration and its impact on business. This research study talked about conferencing services as advanced as audio or Web conferencing, and e-mail and instant message. The finding of the study was that these advanced conferencing services and their remote team collaborative capabilities were found to be key drives for optimum business performance.

Now that the vendor has combined services for advanced conferencing, clients and participants can use handy, nearly instantaneous click to conference features for either audio or net conferencing or a combination of both.

That’s not all. Participants can join an audio conference that can be initiated right from a Web conference through an advanced conferencing service that lets people dial out of a meeting to join another. Leaders now have strictly control over their conference calls, such as muting power and the capability of monitoring attendance and disconnecting individual participants.

Additional new advanced conferencing services include enhanced Internet RSVP and registration for the meetings so that participants can easily and quickly reply to invitations. With this advancement, host firms can request information from participants as qualifiers, can send automatic reminders and brand each conference. All these features are available any hour of the day or night.

The new advanced administrative conferencing service upgrades the conference management and security. Administrators can now create new users, can edit them or can even delete them. They can create the logins for new participants or existing ones. They can schedule an instant meeting for Web or video, can schedule audio conferences, can pick and choose those to get confirmations but email and can even print or download conference reports such as participant activity. The security feature allows for deletion of participants, removing terminated employees, for example.

One of the major players in the free web conference world is the online web conferencing provider Webex (http://www.webex.com). Webex is perhaps the most popular free web conferencing software in use by businesses today. The free web conferencing software offered by Webex is a fourteen day unlimited free trial of their full version. This is a great piece of free web conferencing software for those who are still evaluating their web conferencing needs. Webex software provides security in the form of meeting passwords and allows users to participate in text chat while viewing the presentation on their computer screen as well as participating in the voice portion via a telephone conference number.

One great feature of the Webex free web conferencing software is that all of the custom software components are housed on the Webex server. Participants, therefore, do not need to install specialized software on their machines. The Webex free web conferencing software uses the participants’ standard internet browser to display meeting content. Any standards compliant browser is all that is required to access meetings that use the Webex free web conferencing software. Meeting presenters can use Webex free web conferencing software to share applications such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, and can update the presentation on the fly to respond to questions from the audience or to highlight key points. Interactivity is supported by allowing the meeting organizer to specify users who can take temporary control of the presentation so that they can add their own thoughts and inputs.

Those who are interested in finding free web conferencing software would be remiss if they did not consider Microsoft NetMeeting. NetMeeting is a utility that runs on Microsoft Windows (it is included with the distributions of some versions of Windows) and allows participants to use voice, video, and data communications. Microsoft NetMeeting is not as fully featured as Webex and other free web conferencing software that are scaled down versions of pay products. However, Microsoft NetMeeting is fully free and not a crippled version (i.e. the version you download is the full thing, not a trial version).

Microsoft NetMeeting and the trial version of the Webex free web conferencing software are great choices for those who are looking to take advantage of the power of web conferencing without having to spend top dollar for the latest and most advanced products. NetMeeting is a great entry level free web conferencing software package and the Webex free web conferencing software package is a scaled down version of their full offering.

Teleconferencing, or conference phone services, has become a large and important business industry. This real time exchange of ideas and information remotely is crucial for business growth. In 2004 the audio conference phone service industry alone realized more than $2.25 billion revenue. These conference phone services allowed firms to conduct business meetings, brief customers remotely, train staff and clients, demonstrate their products and services, and conduct workshops.

While video phone offer a videoconferencing element to this conference phone service, allowing visibility, there are numerous times when a business wants to do more than share their own presented information. This is where broadband or Web conference services come in.

What this broadband or Web conferencing services does is allow people to talk to each other remotely through video and text as well as through audio. The simplest of these Web conference services make use of chatting and instant messaging capabilities to host group meetings that are text based. The more sophisticated of these Web conference services allow information to be exchanged back and forth by way of Web cams and streaming video. Some of these programs let participants share documents as well.

For these broadband conference call services a company can either buy conference service software and be their own host for the conference call, or they can hire the services of a hosting conference call vendor. Hosting phone conference services provide the clients with the server space as well as the software needed to conduct the conference call.

Broadband conference call services combine common Internet communication tools into one interface to create an interactive conference environment. They can use Java, HTML, flash animation, instant messaging or streaming video and audio. Some programs are completely based on broadband and the Web. Others require a standard phone system for the distribution of the audio portion of the conference call. Either way, participants must have a computer with a high speed Web connection, and, if audio is not provided via the Web, a telephone.

A completely broadband based conference call service would require participants to also have a microphone, a Web cam and video cards. No phone is needed.
Broadband conference call programs have a wide variety of capabilities and features. Some are capable of merging with a client’s current e-mail, while allows allow participants to view the conference presentation in their own browser and no software installation.

Web conferencing programs come with a tremendous variety of features and capabilities. Some can merge with a company’s existing e-mail, calendar, messaging and office productivity applications. Some allow attendees to view the presentation in their regular web browser without installing any additional software.

This vendor offers audio conference call rates as low as 4.5 cents per minute per participant for toll call events, or 5.5 cents each for a toll free conference call. There is no minimum fee and no contract to sign. If a business would like to host a Web conference event with no audio capability the price is 19.5 cents per minute per caller. However, Web conference calling is free if added as an upgrade to an audio conferencing event. There is also a free demo of the Web conference calling service on the vendor’s Web site.

Features and options of this audio conferencing service with free Web conference calling include fully automated immediate dial in conferencing, without need for reservations; international reservation-free dial in; dial out that is completely automated, immediate and reservationless; Web conferencing without need for any reservation; and application and document sharing including the presenter’s desktop by way of the Internet. No one – presenter, moderator, host or participants, have to download any software to make this free Web conference calling work.

Toll free conference calling is discounted automatically as volume of participants increases, so clients pay for only what they use and need. This vendor’s flexible payment options include business check. Operator assistance for audio conferencing and its free Web conference calling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Client business administrators can manage their accounts online and sign up to take advantage of this free Web conference calling is free. All you do is provide your contact information and your billing details and you can start conferring on the phone and online remotely.

There are two ways to take advantage of this vendor’s free demo on its Web conference calling. You can go to its site and launch it on your own, or you can sign up for the vendor’s scheduled weekly live group demo. Once you supplied your name and contact information you’ll receive an e-mail with access log in information for the live demo.

The first vendor offers reservationless flat rate automated conference calls. This conference call service provides on-demand instant conference calling from anywhere around the globe. All automated, all these conference calls require is that you have your permanent phone number for the dial-in, and a touch tone phone. With its flat rate conference call service, the client can hold as many automated conference calls as needed, with no additional charges beyond the flat rate.

These automated reservationless conference call services allow for a remote meeting to be called on a moment’s notice. The automated conference calls are easy to produce, with much security and moderator controls in place.

This automated conference call service offers the following features:

Hold music which plays while participants are waiting for the moderator to join the call. This music shuts off automatically with the moderator’s arrival.
A single beep plays each time a participant enters the automated conference call. A double beep indicates someone has left the conference.

The automated conference call hang up feature lets the moderator release the line for later conference calls. Once the moderator hangs up each participant is automatically disconnected as well.

Security services for these automated conference calls are placed in the hands of the call moderator. This security allows the moderator to lock down a conference so late participants can’t disrupt the meeting. The security feature can be activated or deactivated at will by the moderator.

The final feature of these automated conference calls is a playback and name recording function that lets each participant record her or his name upon entrance to the conference call. This enables a playback of participant roster.
This vendors automated conference calls start at $24.95 per month, although this rock bottom rate does not include a toll free access number. Long distance charges may be incurred by conference call participants. Adding toll free access to this package adds an additional four cents per minute per user approximately. These automated conference calls are audio only rates, although the vendor does offer upgraded conference call services both automated and operator assisted.

These include Web and video conferencing that allow a presentation and interactive component to the meeting. Still automated if you wish, these upgraded conference call services, just as with the automated audio conferencing, can be tried on a free trial basis and can be seen as a free demo.

Features of the video and Web upgrades can include synchronized live audio and video streaming, PowerPoint presentations, sub conferencing and management of the waiting room with automated dial out conference calls services, and mute and unmute moderator capability. These advanced automated conference calls can integrate with Microsoft Outlook as well.

One nice feature that many conference call services for business users implement is roll call control. Many conference call systems announce the entrance of new participants by a beep or other notification tone. While this is sufficient for many users, it can be difficult to keep up with the participants without having to stop the meeting and ask who joined (if the new participant did not immediately introduce him or herself). Some teleconference systems require entering participants to state their name before they can enter the conference call. Upon entry, the conference call system will play the recording of their name to announce their presence. On some systems, this feature can be suspended to hold playing the recordings until the moderator enters a code, at which time all new entrance recordings will be played. This allows the organizer to continue the meeting flow and only check the roll when it is convenient.

One problem that some people experience with conference call services for business is that they are unable to confer amongst small groups without the entire meeting audience being able to listen. While in a face to face meeting it would be possible to discuss something in the hall or via written messages, such things are not possible in a traditional conference call. Fortunately, newer conference call services for business users have a feature called sub-conferencing. Sub-conferencing allows meeting participants to remain on the main conference while having a mini conference call amongst themselves. The other participants in the call can not hear what is said during the sub-conference. When the sub conference is finished, the participants can return to the main conference call after having discussed their issues.

One of the biggest problems that many business professionals experience is incomplete recall of all the topics that were discussed during a meeting, whether in person or via a conference call. Many newer conference call services for business users feature the ability to completely record the entire conference call. This recording serves as a permanent record of all that was discussed and can be an invaluable resource for users who are unable to remember exact details of the meetings and can also be useful if a dispute should arise between participants regarding what was or was not said during the conference call.

One real problem with conference call meetings is that it is not possible to signal via eye contact, a raised hand, or other non-verbal cue that a participant has a question. The only way to ask a question had been to simply blurt out the question and possibly interrupt the speaker. Newer conference call services for business users allow users to signal when they have a question by punching in certain key combinations. This allows the moderator to monitor the number of users with questions, thereby allowing him or her to direct questions to set question and answer periods.

Some conference call services for business users feature options that allow meeting participants to vote electronically. This can be great during meetings where decisions must be reached via a majority consensus. The moderator poses a question to the audience and they are able to vote via their touch tone phone. The results are stored on the teleconference system and can either be accessed immediately or stored for later digestion. Depending on system and setup, the votes can either be traceable to the participant or completely anonymous.

Perhaps the greatest addition to conference call services for business users is the web video conference. The internet has made it possible to send video and other digital content at prices that were unimaginable only a decade ago. Many web conference services allow the moderator or other users to share the contents of their personal computer with other meeting participants. The user can display presentations, documents, graphs, and other media with all other participants in the conference call.

There are a number of great new features associated with conference call services for business users that were not available a few years ago. The ability to do automated participant announcements, electronic polling, sub-conferencing, web video conferencing, and many other features have allowed conference calls to assume a central role in the success or failure of most large companies.