One of the most effective ways of cutting costs in the business world is through the use of conference calls. This cost saving measure reduces the expense of local and long distance travel and the countless hours of saved staff time when they simply dial into the conference.

In addition, a conference call can effectively replace some of the staff meetings. This will still allow for the free exchange of ideas and allow the staff to freely interact with one another. A conference call can be especially effective if time sensitive information needs to be disseminated quickly.

However, there is protocol involved in the use of conference calls. Therefore, it is important to share conference call tips. Some of those tips include etiquette, having an agenda and the use of a moderator.

Etiquette

The value of conference calls is that those who are calling or logging into the conference system can do so from anywhere. Examples from where an individual can log in from could include the actual business office, calling from home, while in the car, in an airport, etc.

On the other hand the disadvantage of conference calls could be the same as the advantage argument. This disadvantage is that individuals can be easily distracted from what is going on around them.

Therefore, it would be helpful to discuss a few conference call tips. One of those important tips is to stay focused. A simple way of doing this is to remove distractions. For example, if in an airport consider sitting in one of the phone booth areas or if calling from home, the caller should seclude themselves in an office or den.

In addition, a good conference call tip is to listen intently. This is because the callers do not have the advantage of watching body language and therefore should listen for voice inflections.

Also, it is important that when not talking during the course of the conference call that all phones should be muted. This will allow for background noise to be minimized and diminish opportunities of hearing other voices and noises that are not appropriate to the conference call.

One other conference call tip is to utilize a service that provides conference call help. This help is usually through the assistance of an operator who is available through the conference call company. This conference call help is especially helpful if the system has become unresponsive or if someone is inadvertently dropped from the call.

Agenda

Another important conference call tip is to provide an agenda. This list of topics to be discussed can be disseminated prior to the meeting.

Having an agenda is an important tool for conference calls. It helps to keep the meeting focused, provides a task list of things that need to be discussed and it helps to reduce the length and therefore the potential cost of the conference call.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Glasser