Best Conference Calling Software
Buyer's Guide
There’s nothing more frustrating than miscommunication between colleagues or clients due to relying solely on emails and text messages. Fed up of spending hours traveling to meet a client only for a few minutes? Communicating via conference call is a great way to remain on the same page with the team and attend meetings without traveling. A conference call allows several participants or attendees at once via audio or video options. More simply, it’s a term that refers to three or more people engaged on a call.
According to Merriam Webster, a conference call is, “a telephone call by which a caller can speak with several people at the same time.” Conference calling or teleconferencing is an effective way for employees to stay in touch with clients and colleagues without meeting face-to-face. This way, attendees can save time and money spent on physically meeting. Interviews or appointments are conducted smoothly from any part of the world. Also, it streamlines workflows, improves collaboration between different teams and cuts down on chances of miscommunication due to relying only on emails or texts.
Executive Summary
- The main benefits of conference calling software include reduced costs, enhanced mobility and reliability.
- Some of the features provided by the software are screen sharing, text chat, virtual background and others.
- Ask yourself and the vendor a list of essential questions about the software and additional services/support to know if it’s appropriate for your business.
What Is Conference Calling Software?
Conference calling allows multiple participants to connect simultaneously through a telephone, an IP telephone service provider or other means. These calls can be audio only or both video and audio. Several advancements in VoIP technology have made it possible to join conference calls by using devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops.
There are three main types of conference calls — traditional conference calls, web conferences and video conferences. More than three people join an audio call through a landline or a device with VoIP technology in a standard call. A web conference is slightly different. Here, an individual gives a presentation over the internet to several people. There may or may not be certain limitations regarding participants’ interaction during the presentation. Video conferences consist of several participants joining a real-time video call. This is a popular form of conferencing and, according to Grand View Research, experts valued the global video conferencing market size at $4.1 billion in 2020.
Primary Benefits
Conference calls are a predominant part of telecommunications for most organizations, especially with multiple offices spread over different locations. Considering recently, where the pandemic forced many people to work from home, it’s undoubtedly an essential tool to communicate.
- Auto Attendant Systems
- Automatic Call Distribution
- Business Phone Service Providers
- Business Phone
- Call Center Scripting
- Call Center
- Call Monitoring
- Call Tracking
- Cloud PBX
- Computer Telephony Integration
- Conference Call Services
- IVR Systems
- PBX Phone
- Predictive Dialer
- SIP Trunk Providers
- Small Business Phone
- UCAAS Providers
- Video Conferencing
- VoIP Phone Systems
- VoIP Softphones
Here are some of the biggest advantages:
Reduced Costs
Face-to-face meetings can be expensive, especially if they involve travel, accommodation, food and other costs. Spending money on these things can be challenging and burn a hole in the pockets of smaller businesses. With conference calling, you can easily recreate a conventional meeting scenario while being thousands of miles away from your client, team member or stakeholder.
Enhanced Mobility
Organizing and conducting conference calls is possible globally as long as the host and attendees have access to a strong internet connection. Meetings can be scheduled and rescheduled without any hassles. Sometimes your employees may reschedule or cancel appointments due to frequent traffic jams, travel delays or canceled tickets. Dealing with this issue becomes easier with conference calls.
Reliability
Employees conduct conference calls at any time of the day. It’s accessible via smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices, making them viable for business communication. Moreover, these calls are secure and encrypted.
Improved Teamwork
With conference calls, remote teams find it easier to communicate with colleagues, and it helps them stay on the same page. Your department can brainstorm, regardless of the employees’ location. Also, the response time gets quicker, leading to prompt decision-making. According to a report by GitLab, 56% of virtual team members said that everyone in their organization gives his or her contributions in the area of organizational direction, values, and process.
Key Features & Functionality
| Call Recording | Taking notes during meetings is an old standby, but there’s a chance to miss crucial points. Here’s where call recording comes into the picture. You can easily record, store or share MP3 or MP4 files of the conference calls. These recordings are usable for training purposes. |
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| Screen Sharing | With this feature, the host can share the desktop screen and allow all participants to see it during the conference call. The host can show attendees presentations, charts and other informative documents. |
| Online Whiteboard | Some solutions offer the whiteboard feature, which facilitates collaboration. It allows the host and participants to write or draw anything they want on a virtual whiteboard during the online meeting. This is especially helpful when a participant explains something complex or draws a diagram to make everyone understand the point. |
| Reporting And Analytics | With this feature, you can obtain detailed reports of conference calls. The analyses give you information such as conference duration, number of participants and more. |
| Dial-In Number | Participants can join a meeting by dialing a phone number. The attendees can use conference codes that connect them to the calls. |
| Text Chat | During an online meeting, you may want to ask a question or point out something essential. You might want to do this without disturbing others and interrupting the discussion. The best way is via the text chat option. All the participants can see the message, give their opinions or solve doubts. |
| Virtual Background | Virtual backgrounds can make your webinars and meetings more engaging. Customize designs or choose from a wide selection of different colors and patterns. This is a great option, especially if your current background is too distracting or cluttered or if you are traveling. |
Software Comparison Strategy
Conducting calls with international clients can get tricky. You must consider several factors such as internet speed, accessibility, time zones and features before zeroing in on any software.
Here are some of the important ones:
- There’s nothing more annoying or embarrassing than a dropped call in the middle of an important meeting. Audio disturbances and difficulty hearing others can be bothersome for both parties. This is why your software should ensure good call quality.
- If possible, get easily scalable software. For instance, if you need to increase the participant call capacity quickly, the provider must do it for you.
- Most platforms provide call recording. However, make sure that your vendor offers you this feature. Store and access call recordings whenever required. It’s an essential tool for training purposes and to avoid content repetition.
- Some software is promising but doesn’t necessarily provide prompt support. You don’t want to be waiting endlessly for help during technical glitches. Choose a provider who’s quick to come to your rescue!
- Some conferencing calling solutions integrate with calendar services and email. Send out meeting invites and simplify the overall scheduling process.
- When you consider a specific solution, ensure that it can handle multiple participants if your firm decides to conduct online meetings with employees from across the world.
- Pick software that can work on any device, whether a laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
Cost & Pricing Considerations
Every organization should set aside a fixed budget for implementing software. Besides considering how much you can spend, it’s also essential to decide whether the features can add value to your business.
Typically conference call services are charged in two ways — per call basis and monthly basis. By opting for pay-as-you-go plans, you have to pay a per-minute fee for every caller. If the call volume of your organization is less, then it’s best to go for per-minute plans instead of wasting money. Some providers charge for additional features like call recording, custom greetings and transcripts. In most cases, there’s no cap on the duration of conference calls. However, some plans limit the call length. You may need to upgrade your plan to access unlimited call durations and pay extra.
Both paid and unpaid plans are secure and reliable. The only significant difference is that paid ones offer a wide array of features. If you pick free software, make sure you don’t miss out on any capabilities your company needs. Small businesses should choose free software and choose a paid plan if their business requires it. The cost alone shouldn’t be a deciding factor while determining a solution. Sometimes it’s best to pay a little extra rather than compromise on quality.
Best Conference Calling Software
Given below is an overview of the top-notch conference calling software:
8x8
8x8 is a business phone system that’s useful to companies of all sizes. It provides businesses with features such as softphones, private chat, web conferencing and more. It offers unlimited and three-way calling as part of all its plans. The software integrates with platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk and NetSuite. You can manage it from any device and set it up within minutes.
Image depicting a summary of different ring groups.
RingCentral
RingCentral is a unified communications-as-a-software (UCaaS) platform, fit for all business sizes. It offers features like call recording, call forwarding, auto receptionist and multiple extensions. The mobile app is integrated with the phone system and helps team members communicate and stay connected regardless of location. It integrates with Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and Zendesk.
Employees using the shared link to join meetings.
MiCloud Connect
MiCloud Connect is a cloud-based communication solution that offers collaboration tools and helps businesses manage audio and video conferencing, chats and screen sharing. It provides an intuitive interface for users and allows employees to maintain productivity wherever they’re situated.
Sending out email notifications.
Questions to Ask
Before you begin a full-fledged selection process for the best-suited conference calling software, you should ask yourself some questions. This way, you’ll understand your business needs, the budget and if the software facilitates growth and productivity. Here are some questions you can consider:
- Is this software best-suited for the number of attendees my meetings usually have?
- Do I require any additional features?
- How often does my organization typically use conference calls?
- Is this software apt for the nature of my business?
- Can my employees find this solution easy to use?
- What is my budget for purchasing conference calling software?
- Do I go for paid or free conference call services?
It’s imperative to know everything in detail about software if you are planning to purchase it. Get the low-down about the features offered, main benefits, pricing structure and support. Below are some questions you might find handy:
- How many people can participate in a conference call?
- Does the solution require any endpoints?
- What kind of bandwidth is required?
- What are the data encryption standards?
- What payment plans do you offer?
- Do I have to pay an additional cost for advanced features?
- How many years of experience do you have in this industry?
- Will you provide 24x7 technical assistance and support?
- How many companies are currently using this software?
- Do you have a demo or free trial?
In Conclusion
Conference calling is a crucial component of business phone systems, and it’s a globally accessible way for people to connect personally and professionally. Although not a new tool, this means of communication has especially gained rapid popularity in the post-pandemic times.
While selecting an apt software, it’s important to zero in on a solution that makes a significant impact on your business. If you have a small business, then go in for an audio-only conference call solution in the beginning since this is more cost-effective, accessible and less distracting. Regardless of which type of software or service you choose, ensure that you choose a tool to your company’s maximum advantage.
Ask for free demos and trials before picking subscription plans. Carry out detailed research, clear up any questions with the vendor and consider your employees’ opinions. Hope this helps you during the selection journey. Good luck!
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