conference call is a phone call where someone speaks to several people at the same time. Conference calls can be designed to allow callers to participate during a call, or calls can be arranged so that the called party is only listening to the call and can not speak. Sometimes called ATC (audio tele-conference).
The conference call can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participant and adds it to the call; however, participants can usually call their own conference call by calling the telephone number connected to the "conference bridge" (the type of special equipment that connects the phone line).
Companies typically use specialized service providers that maintain conference bridges, or provide phone numbers and PIN codes that are contacted by participants to access meetings or conference calls. These service providers can often make calls to participants, connecting them to call and introduce them to the on-the-line parties. Operators can also retrieve additional information such as detailed questions and answers and also enable and disable advanced conferencing features such as turning off the line, turning off participants and enabling recording features. Operators can often be called to a conference call hosted by the service provider using a key combination on the user's phone keypad (sometimes just a moderator). The most common recall functions are * 0. (asterisks and zero/operator keys)
More limited bilingual calls available (usually at an additional cost) on your home or work line. For a three-way call, the first party called is called. Then the flash hook (or recall button) is pressed and the phone number of the other called party is dialed. When it rings, flash/recall is pressed again to connect the three people. This option allows callers to add a second dialed call to an already connected call.
Video Conference call
Usage
Business
Businesses use conference calls every day to meet with distant parties, both internally and outside their companies. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, meetings and project updates, regular team meetings, training classes, and communications to employees working in different locations. Conference calls are seen as the primary means of cutting travel expenses and allowing workers to be more productive because they do not have to go out of the office for meetings.
Conference calls are used by almost all US public companies to report their quarterly results. These calls usually allow for inquiries from stock analysts and are called revenue calls. A standard conference call begins with a disclaimer stating that anything said in the call duration may be a forward-looking statement, and the results may vary significantly. The CEO, CFO, or investor relations officer will then read the company's quarterly report. Lastly, the call is opened for questions from analysts.
Conference calls are increasingly being used in conjunction with web conferences, where presentations or documents are shared via the internet. This allows people in the call to view content such as company reports, sales figures and company data presented by one of the participants. The main benefit is that the document viewer can provide a clear explanation of the details in the document, while others simultaneously view the presentation. Care must be taken not to mix the video and audio sources on the same network as video feeds can cause noise interference.
It is important to pay attention to the etiquette of conference calls when participating; for example, one must refrain from shouting and multitasking in certain cases. Care must also be taken to schedule a call at the right time.
Business conference calls are usually hosted or assisted by the operator, with various features.
Conference calls are also beginning to cross into the world of podcasting and social networking, which in turn fosters new types of interaction patterns. Live streaming or conference call broadcasting enables greater audience access to calls without a call to the bridge. In addition, conference call organizers can publish a call number next to the audio stream, allowing members of the audience to call and interact.
The UK government has changed its flexible work rights since 2014, so employees who have worked full-time for a company or organization can legitimately request a flexible work. In recent years, there are a number of flexible work options as a result of conference call technology that allows employees to work remotely.
Flat rate conference
A flat rate conference service is on offer which gives unlimited access to the conference bridge for a fixed monthly fee. Since telecom operators offer free long distance delivery services with local services, these alternatives gain widespread popularity for budget-conscious and non-profit businesses.
In the UK, there are conference services offered on a pay-as-you-go basis where the cost of a phone call (using 0843/0844, or 0871/0872 non-geographic revenue share) from each participant includes the cost of the conference service. With this type of service there is no monthly fee and there is usually no contract to sign.
Pre-paid conference call
Prepaid conference calling services allow businesses and individuals to buy online conferencing services, and make conference calls with the pay-as-you-go system. Typically, conference call PIN and related call instructions will be displayed immediately online after purchase and/or emailed. Generally, prepaid conference calling services are used with landline phones, cell phones, or computers, and there is no need to purchase additional expensive telecommunications hardware or add/replace remote services. Some services allow a person to start or join a conference call from almost any country around the world - with the appropriate phone access.
Large telecoms providers like AT & amp; T, Embarq (formerly Sprint), Verizon and other large and medium conference service providers maintain a dominant position in the niche of the conference; serving many of the biggest brands in the world. However, the Internet and the increase in global VoIP networks have helped significantly reduce the barriers to entry into this niche.
Free conference call
Free conferences are different from traditional conference calls because there is no organizer fee and allow many people to meet the price of their long distance connection. Companies that provide free conference calling services are usually compensated through revenue-sharing arrangements with local phone companies, sharing ending access charges for all incoming calls to the telephone carrier.
Some background on termination access charges: On any long distance call in the United States including toll conference calls, the consumer pays origination (calling tone), transportation, and termination (call connect). Each of these phone companies share some of the call costs. If the same phone company does these three tasks (most likely the two biggest phone companies - AT & T and Verizon), they keep all costs. This is known as intercarrier compensation (ICC) and is intended to keep telecommunication systems functional by making every telephone company receive compensation for using their network.
In the case of a free conference call, the conference company strikes an agreement with a local telephone company that hosts a conference bridge to receive a share of the access terminating fee received for connecting calls. In large operators like AT & amp; T and Verizon, they save this access fee for their own conferencing services in addition to charging customers for a conference service. With free conference calls, as mentioned above, there is no organizer fee so the service is not double-dip: consumers pay for regular calls with the same three components - origination, transportation, and termination - from any call. In other words, the cost of a call is the same as any other call under the customer's call plan, but the conference is included free of charge to the host and conference call participants.
This added competition in the conference market has brought the average rate down from more than 20 cents per minute to below 10 cents per minute. In addition, it is more efficient and cheaper to talk to multiple people in one call (conference call) than on a person-to-person call.
In November 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued 732 pages of Order on InterCarrier Compensation (ICC), including rules governing revenue sharing. Quoting Section 251 (b) (5) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC mandated that the termination of tariff access for all calls (not just conference calls) will be leveled in 2012 and 2013, then reduced in three increases over the next three years until they reach $ 0 in 2017. Most of this sub-1 cent fee is replaced with an access recovery fee (ARC) added to each customer bill by their phone carrier. In other words, every phone company will get the terminating access fees they have to pay to connect each call while charging more to the consumer whether they are calling or not. This order has been opposed in the Federal Court of Appeals by several parties.
For revenue sharing, orders add a measure for high volume call traffic that triggers a reduction in direct access costs to the lowest level of all operators in the state.
In the United Kingdom, the 0870 prefix was originally used by a free UK conference call provider to receive a rebate from each call from the telephone company that owns the number. However, in April 2009 Ofcom, an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industry, announced that the rebates paid to telecom suppliers when the 0870 number is used will be removed. The system is immediately moved to the prefix 0844 and 0871 to maintain revenue sharing arrangements.
Recently in the UK, a small number of conference call providers started using 03 numbers, which are included in a few minutes under the Ofcom rules. It has provided an option to hold a conference call at no cost, since the call is included in the bundle of minutes provided by most UK network operators. There is a general tendency for companies in the UK to get more 03 numbers for entry services because these numbers are better suited to the caller.
A clear distinction between the quality of free and paid conference call voices has been noted by customers who have claimed to hear background noise when using free conferencing services, which is rare in paid conference call services.
Premium Conference
Here the participants dial premium rate numbers like toll-free numbers in the US. These conferences are usually organized by parties who see the value in a call to justify the expense: this could be a business owner, a nonprofit board member, an educator, a lawyer, or an expert in a particular field. The person usually pays the cost of the call. Premium conferences can also be used for charity fundraising.
Set Premium Conferencing Features
- Conference with no operator or assisted operator
- Host PIN
- Name announced
- Call-play (unique and superior)
- The moderator/participant code
- Direct web-based call management with mute/unmute, drop one/all and exit
- Record with file.wav access via online account
- High quality on-demand transcription (with 4 hour turnaround on request)
- Customizable poem, "branded" (unique)
- Broadcast mode
- Q & amp; Facilitation
- Polls and polls report
- Sub-conferences
- Dial-out with or without requested response
- Web-based screen sharing options
- 24/7 availability
Maps Conference call
Conference on IMS
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines technical specifications (TS 24.147) for conferences in IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), SIP Events, Session Description Protocol (SDP) and Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP, alias RFC4582).
WhatsApp and Viber are popular IMS apps that also offer audio calls, but neither of them offers conference options. This article is the first to suggest ways for conferences using WhatsApp by sharing smart links that each participant can click to join a call, whether by calling or using a web call.
See also
- Teleconference
- Group calls
- Conference operations
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments