Conference calling solutions no longer the exclusive domain of large corporate users

In the course of the last decade, the conference call terrain has changed significantly. It used to be the case that only larger businesses had access to multi participant teleconferencing systems. These systems were usually rather expensive and often featured live operator assistance on every call.

Monopolist telecommunications companies priced conference calling services at high rates (e.g twenty five cents plus per minute per user) and most corporations were willing to pay these charges to guarantee reliable and quality service. More recently the conference calling market has seen a flurry of competitive forces. Several factors have been responsible including telecommunications deregulation, significant improvements in internet technology and demand for better offerings.

The competitive landscape now includes seemingly countless providers in addition to the incumbent bell operating companies. Organizations and individuals that desire to use conference calling now have a far wider selection of choices. Within that spectrum of choices are free conference calling offerings such as www.rondee.com that meld free conference calling with web based scheduling and other productivity tools. These services do not charge users because they use a toll dial-in as opposed to a traditional toll-free number. Thus, such free conference call services are not free in the same sense that air is free. They do require minutes of telephone usage.

However, such services are increasingly being thought of by users as essentially free because many telephone plans now offer flat rate ???all you can dial??? and most cellular plans no longer have additional charges for long distance phone calls. As a result of these factors, conference calling has become available to a far broader market of users as the following examples demonstrate.

Labor unions have effectively deployed traditional conference calling systems and, increasingly, free conference calling services to allow disparately located members to talk about strategies and organize meetings. Unions have historically been cost conscious due to the fact that their budgets are constrained to the extent of member contributions. So, as is typical of non-profits, unions constantly search for methods of making every dollar stretch further. In times of contract negotiations or other situations of urgency, conferencing becomes a viable method of enabling the national leadership to communicate with chapter leaders.

Student organizations have found significant benefit in using teleconferencing services to increase collaboration across universities, cities and states. Most campuses feature dozens, if not hundreds of active student groups. Sometimes these clubs are chapters of regional, state-wide or even national organizations. Due to the budgetary realities of student life, it would be impractical for the individual members of these far-flung groups to meet in person. Teleconferencing thus becomes the ideal way for members to stay in touch and discuss topics of shared interest.

Start-up companies have long felt the same need for conference calling as well established businesses. Yet, it was not until the advent of cheap conferencing and free conferencing alternatives such as www.Rondee.com, that early stage companies could avail themselves of the benefits. New companies might use these services to coordinate work with remote developers in Eastern Europe or Russia, discuss UI themes with graphic artist designers (in the case of Web 2.0 companies), or simply discuss work-plans with disparate members of the core team.

Families have typically in the past not used conference calling as a method of keeping in touch. That is now starting to change. The wide availability of discount or free conferencing services is enabling families to schedule time when parents can speak with multiple children or even grandchildren. The same is true, in reverse. Younger family members are introducing parents and grandparents to the benefits of conferencing as a way of deepening relationships and staying up to date with loved ones.

In sum, conference calling is no longer the exclusive domain of corporations. Other potential users have long felt the need but it has only been with the launch of new business models that the availability of these offerings has become more ubiquitous.

Mindy Carpenter presents and writes often about technology subjects. She consults to a number of firms that use communication technologies around conference calling, as part of their approach to increase efficiency. Her clients include free conference calling companies such as http://www.Rondee.com