What do you think of when someone says communications device? Cell phone? Home computer? Home telephone? Using the telephone, cell phone, or even sending an e-mail are perhaps some of the most prevalent forms of communication. The communications industry has brought once thought of fictitious technology from comic books from the ancient operator assisted telephone. Even high school and junior high kids have cell phones these days. This is certainly the information age. However, there are still limits with those types of high-tech gadgets. As an example, whether for personal or business reasons you may need to interact with the other parties directly and/or present and share visual information. In a situation such as this, multi-point videoconferencing just might make for the perfect fit.

Not only can this save you on unwise company/personal cash because of videoconferencing technology, but it will also save you time. Something that direct dial conferencing cannot offer. And although it sounds computer nerd scary, videoconferencing is relatively simple to set up. All of this is basically a series of recording devices set up before hand at the conference attendees physical location.

For a basic understanding of how it works; we will assume that you understand your equipment and the technology involved, there are a series of cameras at each participating members room of the conference. It is just as simple as a regular conference call, the only difference is that you can see other members of the conference and share information via computer. It is said that 60% of communication is nonverbal, meaning it is based on body language. This is where videoconferencing actually gets members magnetically drawn into the conference and more involved in the conference. And since videoconferencing will take advantage of modern thought, it is easy to transfer files, offers optional text chatting(vs. voice communication), take polls, and utilize everyones' resources through modern technology. Companies and certain individuals who take advantage of multi-point will see their expenses go down and free time rise.

Only the limits of your own thinking limits the potential of videoconferencing. The technology is very user friendly and adaptable. It can be used for your own use, such as having a chat with your pals and the same time being able to eyeball them, or also used to save businesses time and . In fact, because of the low price vs. time and travel prices, it is predicted that this will become very ordinary in any business that wants to knock the pants off its competition. It is also a great vehicle for educators and teachers alike to share activities with different schools such as a form of home schooling, or also by members of the scientific community collaborating on research and projects. It is the closest thing to be present in the same room. Cost wise, until they come up with light speed airplane technology, it is the best thing available.

The audio and web conferencing business is booming with growth rates of over 30% per annum being reported. With all this activity, it's becoming increasing hard for you to compare 'like with like' and choose a supplier which is right for your needs. To put it bluntly, some people are being ripped off.

This article gives you tips to avoid expensive mistakes and get the best deal, whichever service provider you choose.

1. Claiming conference calls are FREE when they are not

RIP-OFF: Advertising services as being free when they can actually work out more expensive than paid-for services.

This is probably the most common trick in the industry. A Google search will return a myriad of so-called 'free' conference call services. They are not really free at all. This is how it works:

The conference access number is what's known as a Non-Geographic Number (NGN). NGNs normally start with 08 or 09 and often cost more, sometimes much more, than calling a normal landline number.

The reason they cost more is that the telephone company gives some of the money for the call to the owner of the NGN - the conference call company. This is how conference call companies make money on these services.

So, although the conference call company does not charge you for hosting the conference call and therefore claim it to be free, you pay your telephone provider for the call so it's not really free. A more accurate description would be "Free telephone Conference Hosting".

It's worth noting that calls to NGNs from UK mobile phones and calls from abroad can be extremely expensive. Also, there is no guarantee that you will even be able to connect from abroad as foreign telephone companies are under no obligation to connect to NGNs.

Other disadvantages include lack of control and visibility. NGN based services are typically quite primitive and do not include the features and support needed by serious business users. Companies who use audio conferencing regularly are almost always better off using a host-paid service as the cost savings can be considerable.

Suggested Countermeasures:

Ask your service provider to tell you how much your conference calls will cost including costs of the phone calls to the conference bridge.

2. Charging you for being late - or early

RIP-OFF: Charging the host for participant calls from the moment each participant dials in, irrespective of whether the host is on the line yet.

Some companies start the meter running as soon as each participant dials into the conference access number - even though the conference doesn't actually start until the host arrives.

Beware: This is a great way for the audio & web conferencing companies to make money for services you haven't actually used! For instance, imagine you arranged an 11am teleconference for 20 people. If your service provider charged 10 pence per minute and each of the participants arrived 1 minute early but the host was 2 minutes late, you'd have paid GBP 5.70 for the privilege of listening to hold music.

We think this practice is outrageous but it is quite widespread.

Suggested Countermeasures:

Ask your service provider to tell you at exactly what point they start charging, is it when the participants arrive or when the host arrives? Remember, even if your service provider is not billing you directly because you are using an NGN based service (see Dirty Trick 1 above) you will still be paying for expensive phone calls whilst you wait.

3. Stealth charges - What you don't know can hurt you

RIP-OFF: Charging high rates for services and hiding them by not providing a detailed breakdown in the hope you'll just pay the bill without questioning it.

Unfortunately, this is a very common practice. The sad truth is that many large companies simply don't have the time or resources to check every single bill. Service providers know this and exploit it. Here are just a few examples of what can happen:

a) A service provider wins your business by offering you an unbelievably low rate on UK access charges and then grossly overcharges you for overseas calls.

b) They levy charges for conferences which were booked but subsequently cancelled.

c) They charge for participants which don't turn up, or turn up late - or even turn up early.

The list is almost endless.

Suggested Countermeasures:

Ask your service provider if they are able to provide a FULLY ITEMIZED BREAKDOWN of their charges accessible via a web interface.

The web interface part is important as some companies just dump reams of paper on you hoping that you won't get around to reading it. Invariably they're right, you won't.

Others insist you download & manipulate data in a spreadsheet which is fiddly, tedious and hence very rarely done. It's also worth checking if the information is available in REAL-TIME. Some companies only show information days, weeks or months after the call.

REAL-TIME access is particularly important if you intend to bill your clients for audio and web conferences as part of your own company's services.

It pays to shop around and ask for a full price list so you can work out the actual costs you'll be paying. It is often possible to save 40% to 70% by doing so.

4. Charging for no-shows

RIP-OFF: Charging for participants who were booked on a conference but didn't attend.

Most enterprise level audio and web conferencing service providers offer managed event call services. A managed event call is where operators perform tasks to help the call go smoothly, examples include dialing out to participants, welcoming them to the calls and chairing Q&A sessions.

As event calls involve a number of people (sometimes several hundred), they must be booked in advance. Much like traditional events, if you invite 100 people, chances are only 80 or so will actually turn up on the day - audio and web conference providers know this and some exploit you by charging for places even if people don't show up. For the service provider, this really is money for nothing.

We think charging for no-shows is grossly unfair. It can be particularly difficult to spot unless your audio & web conferencing company includes full and detailed reporting (See section 3 on stealth charging).

Suggested Countermeasures:

Luckily this is one of the easiest scams to protect yourself against. Simply ask your service provider if they charge for no-shows before the date for which you have booked your event call. Don't put up with weasel words, and excuses; the answer should be either YES or NO.

5. Overcharging YOU because of THEIR antiquated billing systems

RIP-OFF: Charging the host for participant calls at the highest call rate even when some participants are calling in from cheaper lines.

This one is very difficult to spot and it never even occurs to most people to check. Most enterprise level audio and web conferencing companies offer several ways for callers to dial into the conference. The per-minute cost varies by access method.

The most common example of this is the choice of freephone or local rate access. Participants can either dial a freephone number for which the host is charged, say, 8p per minute or a local rate number for which the host is charged slightly less, say, 7p per minute.

Now, if you held an audio conference for 12 people for 1 hour with 10 people calling in on a local rate number and 2 calling on a freephone number you would expect it to cost you (GBP 42.00 for the 10 participants dialing in at GBP 0.07 per minute plus GBP 9.60 for the 2 delegates dialing in at GBP 0.08 per minute).

You might be shocked to learn that some service providers would charge you GBP 57.60, an increase of over 10%. This is because they'd charge you the freephone rate of GBP 0.08 per minute for all 12 lines even though only 2 people were using the more expensive freephone access method. Not a massive difference you might say, but it adds up over time.

To be fair, not everyone who does this is deliberately overcharging you. It's just that some service providers have outdated billing systems which are not capable of differentiating between different classes of lines on the same call. Whatever the reason though, you are the one who ends up paying extra!

Suggested Countermeasures:

Again, this is a very simply trick to foil. Simply ask them how they handle mixed rate calls. Be particularly careful to check international rates as some of these are extremely expensive.

6. Insisting you sign up for annual contracts

RIP-OFF: Offering you good rates but only if you sign an 'exclusive' contract for 1 year.

This is often used as a bargaining tool to make you think that the audio & web conferencing company is giving you something special in return for your loyalty. In reality it is you which is giving the service provider something of value, not the other way around.

By signing an annual contract the service provider can be pretty confident that you will not be looking at the competition until close to when the contract expires. Even if there is an industry-wide price drop, you probably wouldn't notice and they certainly aren't going to tell you. Why should they? There is no incentive to do so. They have you tied in for a year.

When you sign the contract, the Account Manager makes a note to call you 1 month before the contract is up and, very often, you just sign on the bottom line and renew - at the same, now inflated, rate. Easy money.

We believe that your service provider should be giving you the best deal possible anyway without trying to tie you in. Most so-called 'exclusive' contracts are meaningless and unenforceable anyway. Check with your lawyers but chances are you'll find you are free to use multiple suppliers.

If you find a better deal, be promiscuous. Gradually migrate over to the new company at a pace which suits you. Remember, there's no need to cancel your account with your original supplier until you are confident the new company can meet your needs.

Suggested Countermeasures:

Refuse to sign an annual contract and ask for the same great rates anyway. If they refuse, be suspicious. Are they trying to entice you in with a low per-minute call rate but then rip you off using some of the tactics described in this guide. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

7. Charging premium rates for ordinary services

RIP-OFF: Charging you premium rates for services they claim are tailored to your specific industry, e.g. Legal, Retail or Medical.

As more companies enter the market, everyone is looking for a point of difference and an excuse to charge more. Some service providers charge premium prices for what they claim to be unique industry-specific solutions.

In reality all they are doing is using clever marketing tactics to sell standard services - the same services which are available from competitors at much better prices.

One company we know of charges over 5 times the going rate for legal conference calls and gets away with. This is because many people in the legal profession assume that there is something very special about a legal conference call which justifies the premium. I'll let you into a secret - there isn't.

A legal conference call is simply a managed event call, recorded and stamped with a case number delivered on cassette tape. Several audio and web suppliers can provide this service at greatly reduced rates but very rarely get a chance to quote as the market is dominated by one or two expensive players with large marketing budgets.

Suggested Countermeasures:

Ask your supplier precisely what extra they are giving you in exchange for their higher prices. Some companies will insist that they are the only company certificated to serve your market - or the only company allowed to do so by your professional body. Chances are they are lying.

A few phone calls should establish the facts and you could save a bundle.

Video conferencing is a useful business tool that brings close people located all over the world. The magic of videoconferencing is that it has erased all borders, cut down travel time, as well as costs. Companies as well as research units can choose to conduct important business meetings as well as training modules by using videoconferencing.

The steps to planning a successful video conference are simple. First you need to decide on a day and time taking into consideration time zones and holidays.

1. Send out a notification to all concerned about the videoconference and confirm attendance. 2. Decide on a format for the videoconference and ensure smooth functioning by checking whether all participants have the necessary equipment. 3. When choosing a venue think about audio and video quality. The room should be simple and windows must be ideally behind the videoconferencing system or covered with blinds. Choose the right seating arrangement considering aspects like audio echo. Light furniture and an amply lit room with florescent lights are recommended. If the walls are blue its ideal. Insulate the room from external sounds as far as possible. 4. Check whether you have a suitable network connection. It should be a digital network service such as an IP or ISDN service. Consult your local VSGi representative. You will need a Lan connection, suitable power sockets, and cable runners or conduits. 5. Arrange for equipment such as a second monitor of size 27” to 60” plasmas, a VCR or DVD player, document camera, auxiliary camera, lap tops, wired or wireless touch control panels and so on. In case of doubt take professional help. 6. General tips for a videoconference are:
a. Ask participants to be seated at least 10-15 minutes before the conference begins. b. Send out a short note to all speakers on how to speak/present slides at a video conference. c. Position the camera such that all participants will be within view. d. Every one needs to speak normally just as in a face to face meeting. There will be no need to speak louder. e. Avoid shuffling of feet or papers. Microphones will pick up all sounds even whispers. f. Use normal meeting etiquettes.

The World Wide Web has changed significantly the way the world functions. Today e-meetings or videoconferences are common place and participants can be in any corner of the world and yet be present in the meeting. Participants can exchange ideas, present slides and data, discuss and debate issues and interact just as they would in face-to-face meetings. Participants will just be seated in their own offices instead of a conference room. Video conferencing has become state of art with excellent sound and picture quality and the process saves business considerable amounts of time as well as money.

Introduction

Today video email is being recognized as the next generation of online communication. Video email can make a small mom and pop business look like a fortune 500 company and at an investment of only pennies on the dollar. Video emails are also more effective than emailed copy because videos are much more stimulating and engaging. It's a fact that Video Email outperforms. And with the rising popularity of video, v-mail (video email) is going to transform email marketing. Imagine what your clients will think when they open up their email and see a video email.

Business

Video Email allows any business owner to quickly and easily capture full-color Internet-ready or personally created video and target their specific message to their customer base. Your prospects and customers will appreciate seeing the "face behind the business". Imagine yourself receiving an email from someone you do business with and instead of having to read their message you just click the link they provided and you get to hear and see them personally. I know that this has had a major impact on whom I do business with today. If you plan to do some Internet marketing to promote your business endeavor, you should seriously consider video email marketing in your Internet marketing campaign. And, whether it is for business or even for pleasure, this new technology is here to stay.

Technology

The technology is here and businesses are taking advantage of it. The technology used to be bad and when it was used it looked like watching people stutter or watching an old Kung Fu movie that had been dubbed. Not only will you be able to deliver information in an interactive way, you will differentiate yourself as a market leader using cutting edge technology. It doesn't matter whether you want to use this technology to promote your own business or whether you want to make it your business promoting Video Emails, with video technology, communication can now be a totally different experience. Going beyond traditional marketing methods, we explore "outside-of-the-box" strategies and techniques that take advantage of digital marketing technology. Then we stand above the crowd and are easily noticed.

Sales

Video Email Broadcast - If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video clip is surely worth millions of words. Video Email is the next generation of online communication to get people to learn about your offers, and perhaps even more important you begin to form relationships via technology. People will see and hear you and then begin to feel comfortable working with you because they feel like they know you.

Conclusion

Streaming video is the ultimate sales tool. It is a Cost-effective sales, marketing, and branding tool. Marketing your products and services online with video doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. You can find a service that will only have to invest a few hundred dollars and can be online sending Video Emails in as little as 10 minutes.

Conference calling systems have provided business organizations with the advantage of bringing together their customers and employees. At the same time, it is saving them costs as well.

Conference calls have long been aiding organizations with their business operations. They have been helping in getting together key persons from faraway places into virtual conferences to discuss matters of mutual interest. There are occasions where meetings are conducted via conference calls, in which different people from distant places can come together on a common platform to discuss and take decisions about business matters.

The advantages of conference calls are many. The conference call brings a group of diverse people together to attend presentations and gain new information, enabling them to put through their questions in real time.

In the present day, the Internet has opened up the conference calling facility for practically anyone who would like to join. Earlier there was only restricted access to this facility. At times it also involved long distance call charges. The Internet has provided the facility to bring down the cost of such calls. As a result, these calls have been made available to a variety of medium and small companies.

With the advent of modern technology, affordable conference calling systems have introduced a change in the way business used to be done before. It has changed the previous ways of communication, and the state-of-the-art technology in audio and video systems has improved our lives to a very great extent.

The broad benefits of conference calls are briefly mentioned below:

* Conference calls help organizations to take faster decisions on matters of business operations. Thus, they help in saving a lot of valuable time.

* Conference calls help an organization to be in touch with their customers and employees all over the world at a click of a button. Hence, they save on the costs that the organization would otherwise have incurred.

* On a non-business level, conference calls help to keep family members in touch, with individuals joining the call to have a chat.

* In the medical field, audio video technology has brought in advantages in patient care, where the patient can consult the doctor from a faraway place without visiting him. There are situations when conference calls bring in specialist doctors from all over the world together to discuss and decide upon critical patient matters.

Conference call services are being offered by many service providers. Small businesses are one of the biggest beneficiaries. It is very affordable for them to set up customized calling systems. To set up an affordable plan, you would need to shop around for the best calling rates that you can get, and also for the types of plan that are being offered by various providers.

You would then be able to select the one that suits your application requirement within the budget that you have to set for the system. Before you go for shopping, you would need to understand your requirement first. You would also need to do research on the kind of prices that are being offered for low cost conference calling systems.

Over the last few years more and more corporate companies have decided to compete with each other over the quality of their training and development. Some have integrated using Videos. Various reasons including a recording tool for reference and training quality. As a demonstration or promotional tool. In some cases as a web conferencing tool. This last aspect is now gathering more momentum where the world of green issues is coming to the fore.

Fact! People no longer want to sit around drinking Hotel coffee and driving home to their family's exhausted from a twelve to fourteen hour round trip. Web based conferencing is now available and for companies, if the right products are used, is very affordable and less time consuming enterprise.

Fact! Globally the saving on the carbon footprints is being increased in a dramatic way. How? Read on. When videos where first being hosted on websites or for corporate trainings et all it was common for the companies to try and maximize the time length in order to cover a whole range of promotional trainings and other well intended uses. The trend soon started to change with shorter videos being made to around eight to ten minutes in length with the video specializing in one particular aspect rather than covering a whole range. This has now moved on and the video now comes in at no more than five minutes and in some cases under 120 seconds becoming a "normal" video stream length. Allowing for more effective presentations being hosted with less cost to the production side of video making.

The use of Video gave rise to the opportunity for Corporations and smaller businesses to utilise the online video web meeting format so that individual travel necessities could be reduced or at least limited, the savings on this far out way any contrary consideration. Even The politicians are being hounded for unnecessary travel by air. We have all seen the gimmicks. The attitude of this is reflected in the printed press being guilty by association for flying around the world chasing green issue stories with which to promote their own contrived green ethic.

Now in most cases for video editing and web conferencing, the most expensive aspect being the equipment being used or the production companies using state of the art imaging and lighting. The use of "Celebrity" or character actors etc being introduced to produce TV or film quality videos. This is now an ever increasing marketing opportunity with new production companies getting listed and being welcomed using the Green issues as bait to build larger client bases.

Small companies and individuals are now harnessing the advantage of video hosting on websites as an introduction to their specialized product range. Anything from Ebay style auction videos to corporate walk through presentations are being hosted. Newsletters are becoming popular in the online video field. Companies such as My Video Talk and Myle Marketing utilizing this very medium. For example Myle Marketing in particular is sending out video newsletters to upwards of 10,000 recipients on a weekly or monthly basis. Myle Marketing also have in some cases offered free advertising on a first come first served basis to have website links hosted within the body of the video presentation screen back drop, otherwise known as a "Bill Board advert"

So where does this put those companies who are struggling to find ways of cutting costs and generating improved training and or other presentations when they insist on staying behind the times and expecting people to cow tow to the corporate image of "Coming together we all achieve more" and travelling to hotels meeting rooms and in some cases, International travel taking place?

Make no mistake video is the new communication tool. It is worldwide in availability and the Major players being My Video Talk have increased their foothold to incorporate over 90 countries and growing.

Video online is still at it's Product Introduction stage and momentum is now starting to kick in. Where does this leave you and your corporate image in a greener world with "Carbon Footprints" becoming the new buzz words? Our job is to look after ourselves first, that way we can look after our future.

With tons of information about conference calling services bombarding you left and right, selecting the one service becomes a headache. One rule of thumb is choosing one that can provide you with the most service without overextending your budget.

What are conference calling services?

Conference calling services provide the phone numbers to access the conference call or meeting. This number, which is set up for the conference, links telephone lines, making it possible for several users to use the line simultaneously.

Conference calling services are an economical alternative to travel costs and makes for higher productivity because workers do not have to travel outside of their office to give their reports at the national office. Hence, more and more companies are resorting to conference calls for their quarterly results.

In a conference call, the calling party can have more than one called party listening in. The caller has the option to choose if the called party can listen in and speak or just listen in. The latter is the audio teleconference or ATC.

Small businesses can benefit too

When you are decided to sign up for conference calling services, determine the kind of service suited to your business. Will you need a conference call or a video or web conferencing? Does your business require frequent web collaboration, teleconferencing, and online meeting services? All these options have attached services that would respond to your needs and budget.

Avail of the conference calling services that do not strictly require contracts and reservations and use no special equipment, which add up costs or keep you in shackles when you are just getting on your feet.

Good conference call services can provide clear calls, information security, and long distance calls at a fractional cost. A well-backed up service can set up a conference when you need it and provide you support services to manage your meetings with up to 16 participants at a reasonable price.

You have the option for reservationless conference calls by using your reservationless code anytime without having to inform the conference call services, unless you are expecting more participants on your call.

Other services

Aside from managing your conference call, conference call services can also provide you documentation of the meeting. These services will also include toll-free international calls, written transcript of the call or teleconference, and operator assistance.

Operator-assisted calls will eliminate worries of professional facilitators who can introduce all participants and welcome them to the conference. They can also provide assistance in efficiently managing questions or comments from all participants, so that the flow of the discussion can go on smoothly. You will be assured of a facilitator who knows all about teleconferencing etiquette, which is essential to your business branding.

Online conference calling services guide

It will help a lot to get a comprehensive guide on the different conference calling services. You can compare prices and services that will match your business or residential needs. Telephony will change the business landscape, so get on the bandwagon now.

Feeling guilty spending too much time at work even on weekends? Can't take a vacation with wife and kids because there are those weekly boardroom conferences that run like clockwork every Mondays? It's time to convince yourself to take a crack at audio conferencing.

Get that vacation!

It's been two years in a row since you had a really fun vacation. Business has been picking up and you cannot leave your workforce of 16 people on their own for a day, let alone a fortnight for a grand vacation in a cowboy ranch with wife and kids. Business can't run without you at the helm, so you'd better stay put.

It's your unhappy wife who introduces you to audio conferencing. She has heard about it from her niece who works for a big company. The niece says she can be at national teleconference even when she's at home filing her nails. No need for her to fly the long haul just to be stuck in a tedious meeting and it saves money for the company too.

Well, you grudgingly agree to look up an online information site on teleconferencing. It looked good. But how much would it shave off from your finances? Your wife glares at you and threatens to dump your dirty socks in the furnace if you won't take her and the kids away from the cold weather.

Audio conferencing

Soon it becomes clear to you that audio conferencing, a standard conference call, makes it possible for you to have a conference with 2 or all of your staff without your bodily presence, and with less cost in terms of international calls. You just dial a local number without having to schedule a conference if you got a reservationless program.

It is also convenient because you can use your mobile phone for the teleconference. The cinch that does you in is the greatly reduced fees for the teleconference compared to the standard long-distance calls you used to make.

You were not required to sign a contract. Yours is a small enterprise and you need that teleconference only twice - and until the next vacation your wife demands.

The next step is getting a dial-in number and a password, which you'll share with the people you'll have to teleconference with. You remind them to have their mobile phone batteries fully charged on the next couple of Mondays. The next step is planning the vacation, which of course your wife leads.

Family time in Texas

A vacation in Texas in November is perfect for your family - you all adore the great outdoors and want to try horseback riding. There are great home-cooked meals and great accommodations. You all start planning the trip and the kids are all worked up.

It has been a long time since you've enjoyed this kind of family planning. You didn't notice that you didn't make a dash for the computer. Instead, you and your wife had a fun evening with the kids for a change - something you should do more while your children are still little. Learn to relax because audio conferencing will make your vacation less stressful.