Conference Calling Best Practices
Don’t Settle For Anything Less Than The Best Sounding Conference Calls!
SmartConference ensures the highest quality connections. However, there are several additional steps you can take to ensure the best possible conference experience!
“Silence is Golden”
If you’ve got things going on around you (a crowded office, street noise, etc.) mute your line when you’re not speaking. It will allow the other parties to hear with more clarity.
“I Can’t Hear You Over The Crowd!”
Nothing’s more disruptive to a professional conference call than loud and distracting background noise! Whether you’re a guest or a host, call from a quiet spot.
“Say That Again?”
Try to avoid multitasking during your conference call. Come to the conference ready to focus solely on what’s being discussed.
“My Phone Just Died”
Going to use your cell phone to join the conference? Make sure the battery is charged and ready!
“Where Are You Calling From?”
Does your call involve out of area or even out of the country connections? Make sure your service allows you to connect to the zone in question.
“Do You Have Another Call?”
Make sure your call waiting is turned off before you enter the conference. You don’t want to have to put your CEO on hold to take another call!
“How Do I…?”
Your conference service comes complete with a whole host of options, from participant muting to scheduling. Take some time to familiarize yourself with all these valuable tools BEFORE your conference.
Can Your Conference Calling Service Go The Distance?
Conference calls can be short and held to a rigid time limit. However, others may go on and on for hours! SmartConference ensures that you’ve got all the time you need, giving you up to 4 hours of time for “Scheduled” conferences, and as much as 8 hours of conference time in "Always-on" mode.
Don’t Punish Guests For Early Conference Call Arrival
Seems like no two clocks are the same, doesn’t it? You don’t want to lose guests who show up a few minutes early for your conference call. SmartNumber allows your participants to check in up to 10 minutes before the start of the conference.
Are Your Conference Calls Secure?
Make sure that all of your conference calls remain secure. Most conference calling services allow users to assign both “Host” and “Guest” codes to their conferences calls.
When Is Conference Call Feedback A Bad Thing?
Feedback about what was discussed on a conference call is great.
Feedback caused by multiple callers dialing in from the same room is not!
Avoid this problem but using only one phone line per space. Save the feedback for after the call!
Avoid Overbooking The Conference Room
Some conference calling numbers only allow one meeting at time, meaning that much like a physical conference room, your line can become "double booked". SmartConference helps you avoid this problem by letting you hold up to 5 “on-the-fly” conferences simultaneously.
Avoid The Conference Calling Menu Maze
Traditional conference calling services force you to manage your service by phone, requiring you to navigate through convoluted phone menus. With your busy schedule, do you really have time to wade through confusing phone menus to oversee your service?
When searching for a conference calling service provider, be sure to take advantage of the latest technology available. Services now offer online service management tools, which let you schedule and coordinate conferences over the web. Just be sure to examine the fee structure before you sign up, as some companies charge extra for this benefit, while others offer it for free.
Eliminate Echo
A room with little furniture or thin carpeting can lead to an echo effect. Try not to take or hold conference calls in rooms like this.
Call Clarity Issues After Poor Weather and Power Outages?
Remember, things like power outages or inclement weather can affect circuits and systems all over the area. If problems persist, be sure to notify the proper local service departments.
Good “On Hold” Music
Using music to keep your callers soothed while they wait? Just test your set-up periodically to ensure that your source and volume settings are correct. You want to provide soft, soothing melodies at decent levels, not screaming heavy metal tracks, jarring static sounds, or your company’s loudspeaker at ear splitting decibels.
