Conference calling is fast becoming an effective substitute for meetings of all kinds. More and more offices are becoming aware of the value of conducting meetings via conference calls. Conference calls allow organizations to save on a good deal of time and money that could be used in a better way. The organization ends up saving on the travel expenses that will be incurred in transporting delegates to the conference room. It also saves on the air fare and hotel bills that would have to be incurred for people from out of town. This is a good thing, because most business organizations hope to reduce their costs in order to maximize their profits.
Moreover, one can never underestimate the value of any time that is saved. Commutes to and from a place can wear a person out. But conference calls eliminate the need to take a single step out of the door. Whether one is working from office, or from home, or from a place on the other side of the world, conference calling is a great way to talk about important steps that the company must take. One does not lose out on time. Delays are minimized. And the energy that is saved can be put to better use at the end of the day.
However, in addition to the savings that are the result of taking recourse to conference calls, one can also save a lot by doing a search for great deals. As in the case of most of the services available in the markets, conference call services also come up with a lot of great offers and very competitive prices. With increasing numbers of business organizations being willing to try out conference calls, conference call service providers are ready to provide lower prices, great discounts, and even free trials. The ultimate aim is to increase their client bases. And freebies and incentives are among the best ways of making that happen.
Thus, if one is new to the conference call business, it makes sense to try out a few before coming to a conclusion. Several providers offer a free conference call trial to ensure that users become familiar with all the aspects of conference calling. After trying out and comparing a few different providers, one could pick out a service that suits your organizational needs. Talking about freebies, many conference call service providers offer toll-free conference calling. This also helps one save a considerable amount of money. Moreover, these days, web conference calls are becoming very popular. Most of today's conference call service providers offer web conferencing facilities.
For The Conference Call
Many businesses have long used the services of a conference call company to spread their message to the investment community, where investment professionals could hear many firms in several days. To accomodate those who couldn't travel, the conference call allowed hundreds of analysts to hear a presentation and ask questions in real time.
But access was usually restricted and often involved long-distance toll charges. Occasionally a friendly broker would loan you his access codes, some of which found their way to the Internet. As a result, conferences could be swamped.
The Internet now provides a much more practical venue for the conference call. With its low cost and ability to accomodate many listeners it is now practical to open a conference call to almost anyone (at least to listen). And an increasing number of firms now do.
For example, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal related how companies do this as an efficient way to control the irresponsible babble on the Internet. People posting idle chatter now attract accurate responces from others who have heard the actual story on a conference call. As a result, the irresponsible postings are controlled.
Companies like the ability to make one public statement, and then be free from goverment limitations on how investment information must be released. And individual investors like it too, as access to this information gets them access to information that once only slowly reached the average investor.
Using the Internet has many advantages besides the instantaneous international release that results. It is possible to save the audio files so that the conference call can be accessed later at a more convenient time. Plus it's possible to edit out meaningless portions of each conference. Naturally, there are some limitations.
If everyone could ask a question, real brawls could result as the conferences became uncontrolled. So most Internet systems limit who can ask a question. An outstanding advantage for the average investor is to witness directly a firm's management in action. While the information might be the same, an investor gains confidence in management that presents a virtuoso performane over one that is defensive, hesitant, and obfuscative. The details aside, the speed of responce and other items that don't get incorporated in an analyst's report can add a lot to one's understanding.
Previously, a small investor's only such access might have been at a company's annual meeting. Several firms have opened to provide investment-related conference-call services in one form or another over the Internet. Some require membership and user fees, but the trend seems to be toward company funding of the low cost service, and free or very low cost access by the public.
Expect that more and more firms will use the services of a conference call company to dissiminate their information to a wider section of the population including investors and employees. You should encourage firms that you are interested in to do so. This form of communication is yet another form of ultimate corporate democracy.
Both Ajeet Khurana & Cornelius Callan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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