Shrinking the Distributed Workplace-the Modern Conference Call

The modern conference call has liberated businesses from the necessity to have a locally collected workforce or pay for frequent and expensive business trips to have face to face meetings. The conference call enables far flung employees to gather and exchange news, opinions, and ideas as if they were in the same room together. In the early days of the conference call, the limitations of technology created a situation where conference calls were not always as productive as face to face meetings. However, new conference call systems utilize computers and other advanced electronics to assist the meeting organizer with some of the details of keeping the meeting flowing smoothly while insuring that every participant has the opportunity to hear and be heard.

The conference call world has expanded to the point that there is really no longer a one size fits all conference call system. Whereas the conference call once was nothing more than an expensive, dedicated party line, modern systems are much more advanced. Different conference call providers offer a staggering array of new technologies and features that make it possible for participants to take part in meetings in ways that are only now becoming possible.

For many companies, the traditional conference call model suffices and the overwhelming concern of the day is cost. Fortunately, increased competition among conference call providers has created an environment where it is possible to receive a basic yet reliable conference call system for a small fraction of the cost of similar systems in years past. This enables companies who do not have extensive conference call requirements to take advantage of the possibilities that come with having a distributed workforce. In many cases, the costs associated with these conference call systems is more than offset by the money that must be paid to office home based associates or to fly in externally located employees. For these companies, using a conference call system is a relative no-brainer.

Conference calling has been available in its basic party line form for many years, and in this time many of the shortcomings of the conference call have been noted. One major problem is that having only voice communication with meeting participants makes it quite difficult for participants to unobtrusively ask questions. It is not possible to raise your hand during a traditional conference call--the only way to ask questions if the speaker does not provide a question and answer session is to rudely interrupt the speaker. The brashness required to ask questions in such a format results in many questions and comments going unspoken, which is hardly optimal. Many modern conference call systems have methods that allow the participants to notify the moderator that they have a question or comment silently--this means that it is no longer necessary to interrupt the flow of the meeting to ask a question.

Many companies, however, have more stringent requirements for a conference call system. For these companies (design, engineering, and other creative companies) it is necessary to have more interactivity than a voice only conference call can provide. Fortunately, the internet has made it possible to share data other than voice at a very reasonable price. Web based conferencing allows users to share files, presentations, design documents, video, and any other media that is relevant to the topic being discussed. It is also possible to use shared workspaces such as shared whiteboards that allow meeting participants to create sketches and drawings that are instantly available to other meeting attendees.

There are now so many different conference call plans and options available that it can be quite daunting for the consumer to choose a conference call strategy. This web site provides information to you that you can use to choose the best conference call strategy for yourself and your company.