Conference Calls Hosting

In addition to the normal method of accessing a conference via a phone, one very convenient free optional feature customers enjoy is to use a Connect App. Essentially this is another option to access a conference call using a web enabled device.

How to Host International Conference CallsTasked with hosting an international conference call? It’s not as easy to host international conference calls as it is to do so domestically for several reasons. First, you have time zone and language differences to contend with. Second, different countries have different dialing conventions and international calling costs. And third,  if you’re trying to do it with your office conference phone, it may not be able to handle a large volume of conference call participants.

Here’s how to host international conference calls with ease:

In addition to the normal method of accessing a conference via phone, one very convenient free optional feature customers enjoy is to use the Connect App.  Essentially this is another option to access a conference call using a web-enabled device.

The Connect App work from smartphones and PC’s or Mac desktops.

Connect tools let users quickly schedule, start/join and manage their audio conferences and Web Meetings.

These tools provide an option to have the bridge call the user instead of having to dial an access number, enter a passcode or chairperson PIN, saving time joining a call and avoiding incorrectly entered numbers for the Toll-Free, access code or PIN.

These Connect tools also provide the same functionality to participants when the meeting is scheduled using the free Calendar Tool.   If you are also using Web Meeting, meetings can easily be started or joined from the same invitation/link.

1. Use a world time zone map or calculator to determine the best time for the majority of your call’s participants. It’s not always possible for all participants to attend your live call during local business hours. However, you may be able to find a time that works well for most attendees.

2. Choose a conference call service provider that specializes in helping businesses host international conference calls. Ideally, the provider you choose will support all of the countries involved as well as offer affordable rates. Keep in mind that some countries have higher international calling costs than others. To contain these costs, consider using the service provider’s “dial out” feature. By dialing participants directly, you will get a much lower per minute rate. Dial out can usually be pre-programmed so that those calls will be placed automatically by the conference calling system.

3. Choose local or toll-free numbers for your participants’ countries. One of the biggest challenges you will encounter when you host international conference calls involves providing access to the conference room. This is because each county has its own unique calling conventions. A toll-free number in the United States, for example, doesn’t work in Italy. The trick is to provide callers with either local or toll-free numbers that work in their respective countries. These numbers will then connect to the global conference call.

4. Record the call. When you host international conference calls, there’s usually an option to record the call. By all means, do so. You never know when you might want to listen to it again or share it with others. For example, you may want to use the recording for training purposes or have the call transcribed and translated. Participants who were unable to attend the call in real time could listen to the call after the fact. Recordings are also helpful for those who speak a different language as a first language. By providing a recording of the call, they can go back and listen to sections that they had a hard time keeping up with originally.

When you host international conference calls, many challenges can be overcome by choosing a global conference call service provider that specializes in overseas teleconferencing.

Learn more about hosting international conference calls here

View details about Conference Calling here

International Conference Calling for Human Resources

When an employee is transferred to a different region, international conference calls can aid in the transition at various stages including the interview stage as well as before, during, and after the move.

International Conference Calling for Human ResourcesWhether you are part of a large organization or a small one, international conference calls can help you tap into an international talent pool as well as expand your knowledge without incurring excessive costs.

Below are just a few of the many ways that human resources managers are using international conference calls to their advantage.

1. Virtual job fairs

Virtual job fairs are online events where employers and job candidates come together to learn more about each other. While a virtual job fair typically starts in an online environment, several channels are commonly used in conjunction with the event itself including chat rooms, instant messaging, and teleconferencing. One option is to host an international conference call as part of the event and invite job seekers to call in to learn more about your company, its culture, and current opportunities. Depending on which countries are involved, you could order toll-free access numbers for each country you are targeting.

2. Prescreening recruitment calls

International conference calls are a cost-effective tool that you can use during the interview process. Early in the process, you could hold an international conference call with a job candidate and various decision makers located around the world. Each participant simply dials a local access number, enters a PIN, and joins the conference call. This is a fantastic way to get acquainted, learn more about the candidate, gauge how well the candidate responds under pressure, and share more about the job opening. The cost of international conference calls is minute compared to flying candidates to your headquarters at this stage of the process. As you narrow the field of candidates down through prescreening, you can then bring in only the most qualified.

3. Virtual orientation meetings

International conference calls are also a cost-effective choice once you’ve hired a group of new employees. Use an international conference call in conjunction with other tools to help your new hires get started. For example, you could hold an international conference call focused on your company’s employee assistance and wellness program or other benefits.

4. Training classes

International conference calls can also play an important role in your training program. For example, you could use an international conference call to deliver training or as a live enhancement to video courseware. Since you can record your international conference calls, you may be able to repurpose a single call multiple times.

5. Relocations and transfers

When an employee is transferred to a different region, international conference calls can aid in the transition at various stages including the interview stage as well as before, during, and after the move.

6. Exit interviews

When a key employee leaves the company, it may be useful to hold an international exit interview. This allows managers from various regions to get their questions answered even if they are located in different countries.

7. Virtual leadership retreats

You can also use international conference calls as virtual leadership retreats.

For example, instead of sending executives offsite for a few days of leadership training, schedule a series of international conference calls that cover the same topics. Again, these training sessions can be recorded and reused as you see fit.

These are but a few ways that international conference calls can be used in your human resources department. With budgets tighter than ever, using an international conference call allows you to accomplish the same thing but at a fraction of the cost.

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International Conference Call service – An effective strategy to connect with clients

Since inconsistent or no communication with overseas customers can prove fatal to businesses, the international conference call simply works well and is the green alternative to in-person, overseas meetings.

It is a fact that the traditional ways of operating businesses around the world have gone through major transformations in recent years. Those days are long gone when clients proved to be too difficult to reach because they were geographically far away.

More than ever, companies need to stay in communication with prospective and existing customers to retain them.  Why? Because their is so much competition out there from your hungry competitors.

If your prospective customer does not perceive your business proposal attractive, they can easily shift to another, better alternative they receive from some other company. But it may simply be a misunderstanding on their part or a misinterpretation of your proposal that causes them to continue shopping. Perhaps a focused international conference call with them would clear up these issues?

Needless to say it has become a tough task for businesses to retain an overseas customer base without a strategy to collaborate with them often and easily, even if your customer is located in another country.  Certainly email is an option, but a ‘conference call’ can bring all interested parties together in real-time enabling clarity not possible with email. After clarity, things have a better chance of moving forward.

This is the reason why corporations are focusing on utilizing high quality and reliable conference call solutions within their organization. Efforts to retain clients is a must for businesses around the world to stay connected not only with their overseas associates, employees and international branch offices on regular basis, but most importantly their existing clients and potential customers.

But traveling around the world to cater to these overseas responsibilities and conduct meetings is no longer an answer. Due to high costs and other undesirable issues associated with travel plus the dislocation of the traveling employees away from their main office to attend a brief meeting, makes this not a practical option any longer, unless it’s 100% positively necessary to be face-to-face.

Businesses have found services like international conference calling to enable their clients to discuss and inquire regarding any issues on a real-time basis. These global conference call services allow businesses to stay in contact, solve issues, discuss proposals all on a phone call and with full capability to share documents and even see each other an their monitors.

This is the reason why businesses opt for international conference calls. This results in a better overseas business-client collaboration. For international businesses it is a solution to help manage a healthy relationship with clients.

Since inconsistent or no communication with overseas customers can prove fatal to businesses, the international conference call simply works well and is the green alternative to in-person, overseas meetings.