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Improving Your Conference Calls

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Holding conference calls is one of the biggest necessary evils in the business world. Clients tell us all the time how much they dislike the starts, stops and connectivity issues that go along with teleconferencing and how they wish there was a way to communicate effectively from afar. Well, the first thing we tell these clients is that done right, conference calls can be incredibly easy and productive.

By doing these 3 things before the call starts, you can help ensure a successful conference call.

1. Make the Details Clear to Participants

This includes the date and time (adjusted for time zones), names of all people on the call, and the equipment/applications needed to participate.

Send a reminder or two in the in the days preceding. One of those should be sent on the afternoon before.

2. Set Aside an Organized, Functional and Quiet Space

There are few things worse than conducting a conference call in the middle of a noisy coffee shop or with old and buggy equipment. Make sure your office space is equipped with the technology you need to be in control. That could mean something as simple as a quality business phone and projector or as complex as a an interactive whiteboard and multimedia collaboration hub. The equipment you use should make it easier to get your point across.

3. Test All Components Beforehand

Something worse than conducting a conference call in the middle of a noisy coffee shop? Finding out that half of the call participants can’t hear a word that you are saying thanks to a bad connection. Run a test call before the real deal and you will likely avoid this type of snafu.

BCS specializes in conference rooms for businesses of all sizes. We install, train users and provide support for teleconference equipment. If you need an integrated audiovisual solution, our IT experts can talk you through the best options for your business. Contact BCS Voice and Data Solutions today. Happy conference calling!

Image: freedigitalphotos.net/Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

Unified Communications. Bringing People Together During the Holidays and Everyday.

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All small to medium businesses can benefit from adding Unified Communications and Collaboration to their IT arsenal. The backbone of progress is efficient communication and UC allows companies to seamlessly integrate the various channels necessary to daily operations; email, messaging, virtualized environments, video and web conferencing, etc.

Many IT leaders are reluctant to embrace any one Unified Communications solution because they fear that such a change could leave their company “boxed in” to a certain server model or require an entirely new IT infrastructure to support it. We’re happy to report that these concerns are in large part unfounded, at least when companies choose to deploy a UC solution like Mitel MiCollab.

Mitel MiCollab is a single UC platform that addresses IT department’s concerns about complexity and inflexibility.

From Mitel:

  • One server for all functionality
  • One interface for user deployment
  • One management view
  • One point of control
  • Multiple deployment options including virtualized environments
  • Powerful APIs to bring other applications like email and CRM into the user’s communication realm.

In addition to the user-friendly interface, MiCollab offers the most sought-after UC features.

With MiCollab, the way you choose to deploy initially is not the end all be all for your company’s business communications future. Like we mentioned, the suite is compatible with public cloud hosting services, but it can also run on a dedicated site specific server, a private cloud or even a hybrid cloud model, depending on a business’s unique needs. And what’s more, it is incredibly easy to move the MiCollab suite to different platforms as your company grows. You may be running your business on a public cloud now, but if in two years you choose to upgrade to a private cloud model, MiCollab will upgrade with you. No need to invest in a new Unified Communications suite.

As an exclusive Mitel partner, BCS offers Unified Communications solutions like MiCollab as well as the latest business phone systems and the very best IT support and outsourcing in Hampton Roads and the Midatlantic region. Call or contact us today to learn more.