As rapid, streamlined and efficient become the catchwords
of today's business, it's easy to forget common courtesies
in our fast-paced business world. Because of this, we have
to make a greater effort to maintain the common courtesies
that were once an everyday part of life. Conference calls
is one of these areas. They save time and money, but we
should not let it be at the cost of using proper etiquette,
especially when dealing with clients. You will project your
company's image in a more favorable light if you use the
proper etiquette, just as you would in any meeting.
Just as you would in the board room or some other social
arena, always introduce yourself to the other conference
call participants as an opening to business. Depending
upon who may be included in the call, especially if there
are several participants, not everyone may recognize your
voice and, by identifying yourself, and including your
title and function, you might just avoid possible
misunderstandings that may come up, otherwise.
After your introduction, the first thing that you should
focus on is making the guidelines and expectations of the
conference call clear to everyone before any interaction
takes place. Not only should you discuss general protocol,
but be sure to outline any specific guidelines that you
may have in order to reach a successful goal. If you don't
want to take time away from the conference to do so, make
arrangements with the operator, or individual who connects
the participants to the conference call, to go over these
simple rules before they're connected to the call.
Just as you would in a physical environment, it's necessary
to introduce the various members of the conference call to
Conference Calling Can Save Your Sales Organization Time and Money
Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt that in
the sales business, every second counts. Whether it be training,
sales meetings, or other needs, pulling your employees away from
the sales opportunities even for these important tasks, cuts down
on the time they can be making you money. If you take the first
step and try using conference calling, you may just find yourself
saving money and making money. Lets point out some of the
features and benefits of using conference calling here:
Consider the costs of training individuals. You need to fly
them to your location. ..
other participants. A brief description of each person's
title, responsibilities and relationship to the others in
the conference will help to clarify everyone's role, which
is particularly necessary when one or more of the members
are guests or newcomers to your company's environment.
Since most people, particularly those who are in a
business forum, rely on a variety of communications
devices in order to stay in touch with others, it's to be
expected that conference call participants will have their
cell phones nearby. Before the conference begins,
participating members should be cautioned to turn their
cell phones off until business has been completed. Not
only will the interruptions cause a disruption in the flow
of the conference, but cell phones often cause problems
with connections or are the catalysts for static in the
phone lines. Speaker phones, too, should be muted, unless
they're required in order to accommodate others that are in
the room with you during the call.
You and all the other participants disable any call
waiting features on the phone system. The beeping of this
feature will be distracting and will cause parts of the
conversation not to be heard. You, as the leader of this
meeting, should allow nothing to assert itself into the
conference call to interfere or detract from it.
Everyone who's conducting business is always quite busy,
but it's never acceptable to keep others waiting when a
conference is pending. Make sure that you, as the host,
arrive in advance of the conference call, and encourage
others to arrive on time, as well, by sending some form of
The Benefits Of Conference Calling for Businesses Find out how conference calling can benefit you business...
Whether your business is large or small, conference calling is a solution that you have likely used at some time or another for its time saving and relationship building advantages. While you may just think of a call with multiple participants when you hear the word conference call, there are actually quite a few different conference calling solutions available to you. Its up to you to select the option that best meets your needs.
Among these, the primary types of conference calls are:
- Audio conference call ..
communication to them prior to the meeting.
One of the rudest things that can be done during a
conference call is to put the other participants on hold.
Either they won't know that you've stepped away and will
continue the meeting without you, sometimes even directing
comments or questions to you that will be left unanswered,
or they'll be forced to listen to "on hold" music, which
is an annoyance or distraction in itself.
By setting firm guidelines and taking an active role in
promoting good etiquette during the conference call, others
will be left with a positive impression, and this may well
be the catalyst for more business for your company.
About The Author
Jerome Henchley operates the website Fed
Conference
which a site dedicated to researching Conference related
topics and contains all the very latest Conference news and
views. Please visit http://www.fedconference.com if you
have any questions or comments concerning this article.
Jerome HenchleyBusiness Protocol: Becoming the Vanderbilt of Conference
