As with most services available today, if you’re looking for quality conference call services, you’ll find that you have a wide range of options to choose from. Since conference call services are crucial in supporting your business’ collaboration and communication needs, you don’t want to choose the first company that you come across. When researching and comparing conference call service providers, there are many factors that you’ll want to consider.
Keep reading to learn how you can ensure that you’re making the right choice when it comes to conference call services.
Price
When buying a new application to use within your company, the price is one of the first factors to consider. You obviously don’t want to purchase a conference call application that you can’t afford. Before deciding on a service, take the time to compare prices. But, the number isn’t the only factor to consider when looking at the overall big picture.
For example, one company may offer a cheaper monthly package for $20 while another offers a package for $30. If you’re looking to save money, you’d likely choose the service that only costs $20 a month. But, you typically pay for what you get. Even though the monthly cost is cheaper, you may be missing out on important features and functionality that the other service offers.
Conference call service costs are typically based on features and the maximum number of participants supported for a single call. Call length can also play a role in the overall cost.
The good news is that there are many free conference call services that are high quality and trusted. Several big names such as Skype and Google Hangouts can be used without paying a penny. What’s best is that you don’t have to sacrifice quality of features.
The ideal conference call service won’t cost a thing, but if you find that the free options don’t meet your needs, the next best option is to find a service that offers an affordable monthly charge that provides all of the bells and whistles that you require.
Features
When choosing a conference call service, another important factor to thoroughly research is the available features. This is an important detail to consider whether you’re using a free or paid service. Before starting to look at what conference call services are available, make a list of the features and functionality that you want to have.
Commonly used features include:
- Desktop and mobile support
- Recording capabilities
- Metrics/reports
- Access control lists
- File sharing
Other details you’ll want to think about are how long you expect most conference calls to last, and the maximum number of participants that you’d expect to partake in a call. This information can have a huge impact when deciding which service provider best meets your needs.
Call Quality
You won’t find a conference call service provider that admits that their call quality is anything less than stellar. This is where customer reviews and testimonials are very important. Before choosing a provider, take the time to read any and all of the reviews that you find online.
Most importantly, keep an eye out for reviews that discuss the conference call services call quality. Since you’ll be using this service to communicate with investors, partners, and employees, you want the peace of mind that you don’t have to worry about dropped calls or calls that are plagued with static.
Of course, be mindful that call quality can be impacted by a lot of external factors. Noisy backgrounds and low-quality headsets do play a role in how crisp and clear a conference call is.
Support
Technology continues to advance, but technology also breaks. You don’t want to be stranded 5 minutes before a conference call is set to begin because the application suddenly doesn’t work or is being problematic. One factor that many people tend to overlook when choosing a conference call provider is the amount of customer service that is made available.
In the ideal world, you want to choose a service provider that offers around the clock customer support. Since conference calls can happen at any time, it’s critical to be able to have reach back IT and customer support if it’s needed. This way in the event that something goes wrong, you have a team that you can communicate with in order to remedy the issue.
Conclusion
Choosing the right conference call service is an important decision to make for your company. No matter if you’re a new startup or a booming enterprise, take the time to thoroughly research all of your options before choosing a conference call service provider. The success of your communication and collaboration depends on it!
