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Teleconferencing solutions not just for big business
By: Scot Baily
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Over the course of the last two decades, the teleconferencing space has undergone considerable change. It was formerly true that only larger sized businesses had access to multi party phone conferencing. These systems were typically rather costly and often had live operator participation on every call.
Incumbent telecommunications companies priced conference calling services at exorbitant rates (e.g. over twenty cents per user minute) and most companies were willing to pay these charges to ensure reliable and quality services. Now in recent years the conference calling market has been characterized by a high degree of competitive forces. Several factors have been responsible including telecommunications deregulation, significant improvements in internet technology and demand for improved services.
The competitive landscape now includes dozens of providers in addition to the incumbent bell operating companies. Organizations and individuals that want to use teleconferencing now have a far wider selection of choices. Within that spectrum of choices are free conference calling services such as Rondee that meld free conference calling with web based scheduling and other related features. These services do not charge users because they use a toll number as opposed to a traditional toll-free number. Thus, such free conference call services are not free in the same sense that oxygen is free. They do require minutes of phone usage.
However, such services are increasingly being perceived by users as essentially free because many telephone plans now offer flat rate “all you can dial” and most cellular plans no longer have additional charges for long distance calls. Due to these trends, teleconferencing has become available to a far broader market of users as the following examples show.
Labor unions have effectively used traditional conferencing systems and, increasingly, free conference calling services to allow disparately situated members to talk about strategies and arrange meetings. Unions have traditionally been cost conscious because 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 contract negotiations or other situations of urgency, conferencing becomes a viable method of enabling the national leadership to communicate with local leaders.
Student organizations have found substantial benefit in utilizing conference call services to increase collaboration across campuses, cities and states. Most campuses feature dozens, if not hundreds of active student clubs. Sometimes these clubs are chapters of regional, state-wide or even national umbrella entities. Due to the budgetary realities of student life, it would be impractical for the individual of these disparate groups to meet in person. Teleconferencing thereby becomes the most effective method for members to stay in touch and plan events.
Early stage companies have long felt the same requirement for conferencing as was true for established corporations. Yet, it was not until the advent of discount conferencing and free conferencing alternatives such as Rondee, that early stage companies could avail themselves of the benefits. New companies might use these services to coordinate work with remotely located developers in Eastern Europe or Russia, discuss design themes with graphic artist designers (in the case of Web 2.0 start-ups), or simply discuss work-plans with disparate members of the core team.
In sum, teleconferencing is no longer the exclusive domain of business. Other possible users have long felt the need but it has only been with the launch of new business models that the availability of these offerings has become quite ubiquitous.
Article Source http://www.freearticalepro.com/Article/Teleconferencing solutions not just for big business
Scott Bailey discourses and comments often about tech issues. Scott consults to a number of organizations that use communication technologies involving conference calling, as part of a goal to increase alignment. His clients include free conference calling companies such as Rondee.
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