Why More Companies Are Hosting International Conference Calls

Thanks to technologies such as the Internet, email, instant messaging, webinars, and videoconferencing, today's business professionals are able to communicate electronically like never before. Despite the availability of these communications tools, international conference calls continue to be a popular choice.

Advantages of International Conference Calls

International conference calls offer many advantages over other communications tools. For example, while holding a webinar participants to see each other using webcams, most webinars require the installation of software. For technically savvy participants, this doesn't pose much of a problem. However, for others, it's a big obstacle.

With teleconferencing, all you need to do is contact a conference call provider, reserve a "room," and share the phone number and access code with your participants. Your participants simply dial the phone number and enter the access code at the scheduled time. In short, international conference calls are extremely easy.

Teleconferences can usually be recorded, which is terrific if you plan on sharing the discussion with others after the fact. For example, you could hold a training session over the phone and record it for future employees. Many businesses also repurpose "tele-seminars" into informational products that they sell to others.

Most importantly, you can connect with your clients, associates, or vendors located in disparate global locations over the phone and take advantage of today's low long distance rates. You can even find a conference call provider with "pay as you go" plans which are perfect for companies that hold conference calls sporadically and do not want to commit to a long-term contract.

Connecting with International Participants

When you have participants located in different countries, you do have a few challenges to overcome. Fortunately, your conference call provider likely has solutions. Since each country has its own unique country code and dialing conventions, you'll need to find a conference call provider that offers local phone numbers for each country involved in your international conference calls. For example, if you have participants from USA, China, and South Africa, your conference call provider should offer support for each of those countries. That way, your American participants can dial a toll free USA phone number; your Chinese participants can dial a local Chinese number; and your South African participants can dial a local South African phone number. End result: each participant dials a local phone number, yet connects to the same teleconference.

If your conference call provider does not offer full support for international conference calls, another option is to use the calling plan's "dial out" feature to dial individual attendees. If you only have a few participants requiring dial out, this is a satisfactory compromise. However, if many are involved and the dial out feature is not automated, this could be problematic. If support for your international conference calls and dial out features are not offered, look for a different conference call provider.

Convenience, call recording, cost advantages, and the ability to connect with others from around the world easily are but a few of the many reasons that international companies are embracing old-fashioned international conference calls. All you need is a reliable conference call provider, a phone line, and a reason to connect!

More Information:

American International Telephonics is a conference call provider that offers low-cost international conference call services on a pay-as-you-go basis with no long-term contracts. With toll free access numbers from over 60 countries, exceptional line quality, a dial out feature, and low international calling rates, AIT offers affordable international conference calling solutions.