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Conference calls no longer just for large business users
Over the course of the last decade, the conference call landscape has changed considerably. It used to be true that only larger businesses had access to multi party teleconferencing systems. Such systems were typically rather costly and often feature
Over the course of the last decade, the conference call landscape has changed considerably. It used to be true that only larger businesses had access to multi party teleconferencing systems. Such systems were typically rather costly and often featured live operator assistance on each call.
Incumbent telecom companies priced conference calling services at exorbitant rates (e.g. over twenty cents per user minute) and most businesses were willing to pay these rates to guarantee reliable and quality services. Now in recent years the conference calling market has seen a high degree of competitive forces. A variety of factors have been responsible including telecom deregulation, dramatic improvements in internet technology and demand for better offerings.
The competitive environment now consists of dozens of companies in addition to the incumbent telcos. Organizations and individuals that desire to use conference calling now have a far wider menu of choices. Within that spectrum of providers are free conference calling offerings such as Rondee that meld free conference calling with web based scheduling and other related features. These services do not charge users for the reason that they utilize a toll dial-in as opposed to a traditional toll-free dial-in. Thus, such free conference call services are not free in the same sense that air is free. They do require minutes of telephone usage.
However, such services are increasingly being thought of by users as essentially free because many telephone plans now offer flat rate "all you can dial" and typically cellular plans no longer have added charges for long distance calls. As a result of these factors, conference calling has become available to a far broader market of users as the following examples elucidate.
Labor unions have effectively used traditional conferencing systems and, increasingly, free conference calling services to allow disparately located members to discuss strategies and arrange meetings. Unions have traditionally been cost conscious due to the fact that their budgets are limited to the extent of member contributions. Thus, as is typical of non-profits, unions constantly search for methods of making every dollar stretch further. In times of labor strikes or other situations of urgency, conferencing becomes a critical method of allowing the national leadership to communicate with chapter leaders.
Student organizations have found substantial benefit in utilizing conference call services to generate collaboration across universities, cities and states. Most campuses have dozens, sometimes hundreds of active student clubs. Sometimes these clubs are chapters of regional, state-wide or even national umbrella entities. Given the budgetary realities of student life, it would be impractical for the individual of these disparate groups to meet in person. Teleconferencing thus becomes the most effective method for members to stay in touch and discuss topics of shared interest.
Political campaigns now use teleconferencing conference calling on a regular basis. In certain cases it is used to allow candidates to connect with contributors or volunteers. In other cases, it enables remote campaign workers to work with locally situated staff. For state-wide or national campaigns, conference calling becomes even more important as a method of ensuring frequent communication because it is truly impossible to ensure a physical presence. In the most recent primary season, Republican candidates in Iowa received extensive media publicity on highly publicized conference calls undertaken to reassure large donors and influential political analysts that their campaigns could survive the harsh pace of the campaign season.
In summary, conference calling is no longer the exclusive domain of corporations. Other possible users have long felt the need but it has only been with the advent of new business models that the availability of these offerings has become quite ubiquitous.
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Bob Letterman talks and writes often about communication subjects. He consults to a number of industries that use communication technologies around conference calling, as part of an integrated approach to increase productivity. His clients include free conference calling services such as Rondee.
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