Tech savvy corporations and business people are increasingly taking advantage of conference call services that are improving all the time.

Conference calls can be arranged quickly. It may involve just 3 or 4 persons with an audio only link; or it may involve 1000s of persons with audio, video and data links.

The advantages of virtual conference calling are many. Just to name a few:

• Quick to arrange
• Value for money
• Saves travel costs
• Saves Hotel costs
• Saves conference room hire costs
• Reduces administration - try getting a group of 5 from 5 countries to attend a conference at one physical location. Then try the same conference on a virtual basis. Once you have arranged a couple of virtual conference calls, it becomes a snip.
• Cuts out non-productive time: e.g., waiting at airports or for trains, etc. Once the virtual conference call is over, you can get back immediately to the task in hand.

Virtual conferences can be highly interactive: you can include document sharing and board sharing (brainstorm ideas on one virtual page). With a larger audience, you can also include instant polling ("show of hands").

Some of the things you should look our for when sourcing conference call facilities:

• Compare set up fees, if any
• Is there any monthly or weekly "retainer" charge
• Is there a "connection" charge?
• Do you pay only for the seconds and minutes that you use?
• What are the per second or per minute rates?
• Do you pay for each caller who joins the conference call or do they pay individually?
• Can you take advantage of local rate calls?
• Can you offer "free" calls to your invitees?
• Can you access the service 24/7 if your conference calls are international (when different time zones come into play)?
• Is the support responsive and friendly?
• Is there any user experience feedback?
• Do you need to book the conference call well in advance?
• Can you cancel the call without penalties?
• Is there a "welcome" operator or area to introduce participants as they join the conference?
• Can you obtain transcripts or recordings of the conference?

Plan your conference call and have a set agenda. Ensure that all participants are aware of the agenda. Appoint one or more moderators to ensure that the proceedings run smoothly and within time for all Conference Calls.

Always follow up the actions that come out of the conference call.

Enjoy your conference call, share, benefit and prosper!