YOU HAVE CHOICES

Before you spend countless hours researching teleconference companies...

Before you sign up with a teleconference company without knowing what else is out there...

Before you pay hundreds -- even thousands of dollars incorporating teleconferencing into your business operation...

 

GET THE REPORT

A Side-By-Side Comparison of 20 Different Teleconference Companies

The Teleconference Comparison Report contains detailed competitive data on 20 different teleconference companies.

The grid format allows you to easily compare the types, features, capacities, and costs of the teleconference services.

The comprehensive list of features ensure you won't miss an important factor when selecting the right company. You'll easily distinguish one teleconference company from the rest. 

The Teleconference Comparison Report is one decision-making tool you won't want to do without!

Keep reading to learn why.

Frequently Asked Questions

What information is compared in the report?

Which companies are included in the report?

When was the last time the report was updated?

The Benefits: Five Excellent Reasons to Download the Teleconference Comparison Report Today

1. Compare Apples to Apples.  You'll get an idea of what features teleconference services offer and how they compare. Moreover, you save yourself the headache of trying to locate the information you need from the teleconference company web sites to compare them effectively.

2. Get the Facts. The report contains only the facts. You decide which teleconference company will be the right one for your business. If you are familiar with the side-by-side comparisons found in Consumer Reports magazine, you'll see that my reports are formatted just like them.

3. Nowhere But Here. The Teleconference Comparison Report is the only comparison report of its kind on the market -- so I can guarantee that it's the most comprehensive report out there.

4. Save Time! Most importantly, avoid spending the overwhelming time required to compare apples to apples. The information on teleconference companies is vast and complex. It took me over 40 hours to assemble the content in the comparison report. About 1/3 of the report's information, I called to obtain.

5. Save Money! If you contracted an independent researcher to do this work for you, it would cost you over $4000! Even if you asked you office assistant to do it, it would cost you at least $600! 

About the Author & Publisher

Hello, My name is Rebecca St. Martin, and I'm an independent consultant. (There I am in the autumn leaves.) In order to stay on top of the technologies and trends in my field, I am constantly researching.

Before setting up teleconferencing for my business, I did what I have done over the past 14 years in my field for myself and my clients: I comprehensively researched teleconference companies so that I could make a wise choice for my business.

Why I Was Looking for Teleconferencing Services

Operating a nationwide networking group for business people and needing a way to offer value to members regardless of their location, I decided to use teleconference services.

No Single "Right" Teleconference Solution

Every good teleconference company provides some corner on the market -- offering something that the other teleconference companies don't. And because every business is different, every business' teleconference needs are different: no one solution fits all. 

The power of the Teleconference Comparison Report comes not from a rating system (this teleconference company is good or this company is bad), but from a detailed side-by-side comparison of each teleconference company's offering. This way, you can see for yourself what's available and can make the most suitable choice for your unique business.

Making the BEST Decision for Your Business

So that you can get an idea of the complexity of information involved in choosing the right teleconference company, I have created this site to explain the technologies. You'll see that there is plenty to know before making a decision. You'll also find that the information on this site will definitely help you make a good decision... once you have all of the data on what company has what offering. That's why you need the Teleconference Comparison Report. 

The bottom line is...

You could take the long, expensive road to find the right teleconference company by spending days and days procuring the data yourself.

-OR-

You can choose the practical, affordable, quick path to identifying the teleconference service right for you!

Why Business People Use Teleconference Services

I found that other businesses often choose to use teleconferencing to:

• Reduce travel expenses -- literally thousands of dollars worth of savings per teleconference call
• Increase productivity
• Increase participation
• Gain a competitive advantage using teleconferencing as an added value
• Record meetings

Other specific applications include:

• Training and education
• Workshops and seminars
• Crisis management
• Project Coordination
• Investor relations, announcing quarterly financial reports
• Board meetings
• Interviewing groups
• Forums
• Press conferences
• Auctions
• Arbitration, mediation and depositions

I also found that people in the following professions and roles tend to use teleconference service:

• Independent Consultants
• Personal and Professional Coaches
• Project Managers
• Team Leaders
• Authors
• Marketers
• Executives
• Lawyers

Make sure that you find the best teleconference company for your business application:

Types of Teleconference Services

• Reservationless phone teleconferencing vs. scheduled phone teleconferencing
• Teleconferencing with an exclusive phone number vs. public number with teleconference routing. 
• Free teleconferencing services, where the teleconference call is free for the moderator, toll for the participants vs. paid teleconferencing services, where the moderator pays for the call and participants call in on a toll-free line
• Phone-managed teleconferencing and web-managed teleconferencing
• Dial-in teleconferencing and web dial-out

Limits of Teleconference Services

Some teleconference companies (usually the free teleconferencing services) have limitations on:

• the number of participants on the call and
• the length of your call 

My research results showed that even the most limited teleconference services offered a maximum participant limit on a call was ten (10) and a maximum time of three (3) hours. Some offer UNLIMITED participants and UNLIMITED time. 

Want to know what companies offer what capacities?

How Teleconferencing Works

The experience you will have using teleconferencing systems is pretty much the same industry-wide. 

For a Moderator

1. You contact the teleconference company to set up an account. In most cases, this can be accomplished on their web site.

2. If you have chosen a teleconference company that requires you to schedule your teleconference, then you must do that. This is rare, however.

3. You will be prompted to enter the teleconference code -- a code assigned to your teleconference -- when you set up an account with the teleconference company.

4. Then, you will enter your moderator code, a code that will allow you to manage the call, such as muting callers, requesting live operator assistance (if available), etc.

For a Participant

The process that participants use to join in on a teleconference call is very simple.

1. First, participants call in on the provided phone number.

2. The participant will be prompted to enter their teleconference code -- a code assigned to your teleconference when you set up an account with the teleconference company.

3. The participant is now apart of the discussion.

Shared vs. Exclusive Toll-Free Phone Number

What will you be giving up if you choose to use a shared / routed phone number instead of having an exclusive toll-free line?

NOTHING! From a user perspective, you will not notice anything different! The significance is on the back end -- how the technology is set up.

No matter which way the teleconference company configures their systems, you'll still have your own, private teleconference.

See the diagrams below:

Exclusive Phone Line

Shared Phone Line

Teleconferencing Price Quotes

Pricing varies dramatically from teleconference company to teleconference company. Generally, the price goes up because of:

• Availability of customer support (24x7x365)

• Whether the teleconference call is assisted by an operator

• Use of real-time web-managed teleconferencing software

• Availability of a toll-free customer support line should you need help with your teleconference call

• Availability of call formats, such as "Q&A", where participants can raise their hand before speaking.

• Availability and inclusion of call recording

There are a few ways that teleconference companies charge for their services:

FREE Teleconference Services -- (Not Completely Free)

Those companies offering free teleconference services are doing so on a "toll" basis. This means that they don't charge you or your participants for your teleconference call, but your long distance provider will. Most often the teleconference is held on a long distance number, called a toll number.

Monthly Service Plans of Teleconference Companies

Usually, a teleconference company will have call plans that are very similar to the plans for cell phone service. In this case, the moderator pays a monthly fee for a certain amount of minutes and then offers a certain per-minute price on any minutes used above that amount.

Prepaid Services of Teleconference Companies

When you prepay for teleconference services, you are essentially paying for minutes before you use them. You MUST make sure that you have enough minutes to cover a call.

Pay-After-Use Services of Teleconference Companies

Some teleconference companies will simply keep your credit card on file when you sign up on their web site. After you hold your teleconference call, they will charge your credit card for the minutes you used.

Want to know actual dollar figures for
20 different teleconference companies?

Toll vs. Toll Free Teleconferencing

If you are having trouble deciding whether to use a free teleconference service, asking your participants to pay long distance charges -- or whether to use a toll-free teleconference service and pay for the calls of all participants, here are some guidelines:

TOLL Teleconferencing

• Free knowledge-sharing sessions with clients or customers
• Forums
• When the long distance provider for your company offers a rate better than that offered by the teleconference company 

TOLL-FREE Teleconferencing

• Company meetings
• Project Coordination
• Crisis management
• Board meetings
• Arbitration, mediation and depositions
• Interviewing groups for collecting marketing information
• If participants are already paying a premium price for a teleconference workshop or seminar
• When the teleconference company's long distance rate is better than the rate offered by your company's long distance provider

There is really never a bad time to choose toll-free teleconferencing. When your participants do not need to worry about the cost of the teleconference call, they feel more appreciated as a customer and are more likely to participate.

Get the best rates on toll-free teleconferencing services:

20 Teleconference Companies

The Teleconference Comparison Report compares the services of 20 different companies.

When a company offers teleconferencing packages, we compare those, too.

The teleconference companies we have included in this report are:

Avoid spending the overwhelming time required to compare these teleconference companies,

The information is vast and complex and this report simplifies the comparison process.

It took me over 40 hours to assemble the content in the comparison report. About 1/3 of the report's information, I called to obtain.

Your purchase includes MORE than just information on 20 teleconference companies.

You ALSO get:

Free Sample Script. Use the script at the beginning of your conference call to prepare participants for what to expect.

Estimating Calculator. Plug in the numbers from the spreadsheet and from your teleconference plan and determine the cost of your next teleconference call.

Above: Look & feel of the report.

This image does not enlarge because the data contained in it is so valuable!

The Teleconference Comparison Report was last updated on:

11/07/2007

Contact Information

PUBLISHER

WebSitesThatFly.com / BusinessesThatFly.com
3951 York Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55422

763-535-0880