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Archive for the ‘Conference Calling’ Category
Conference Calling= Smart Money Management
Some companies are fortunate to have the finances and additional staff to be able to send some of their team members to conferences and seminars around the world. Many do not. Even if the business doesn’t cover the cost of sending a team member and the team member pays their own way, there is still the issue of that team member being absent from the work roster and creating a shortage of staff.
Let’s look at some of the variables that are generally part of the cost of ONE person attending a conference or seminar:
- Airfare
- Rental Car or Taxi
- Hotel
- Meals
- Conference or Seminar Fees
The costs of sending just one employee cross country to attend a three day event can easily run into the thousands.
A well organized conference call can bring the benefits of an off- site seminar or conference to ALL your team members for pennies on the dollar. The most costly part of a well organized conference call could very well be the cost of a guest speaker. Even with a fee for someone to do a conference call presentation to your team, if you break down the over- all benefit to the entire team, it is money well spent.
The same information can be gathered and the same motivation can be fostered. It’s just done over a conference call instead of in a crowded auditorium.
Be smart with your money and still bring your team to the same level as the big corporations with all the same offerings and advantages.
photo credit: Steve Snodgrass
Conference Calling Peer Group: Is it right for you?
You’re reading this blog so that must mean you have some interest in either Conference Calling or Peer Groups or possibly both. Visiting our blog is a great first step.
Many folks ask, with conference calling and peer groups, is it possible to have one without the other? The short answer is yes but we are quick to ask, why would you want to do that?
Sure, you could have a peer group that meets in person at a designated location on a regular basis but that can really be an impediment on the attendance and participation; not because folks don’t want to be there, but if you have an elite group of people to interact with, chances are, they’re pretty busy and might not be able to always be available to meet for coffee on the other side of town twice a week.
Plus, doing your peer groups in person is going to limit your selection of who you have as a part of that peer group. You are limited to participants within a significantly smaller area than if you were meeting over a conference call. Often times, when your radius of participants is small, it really makes it difficult to create the “no competition” atmosphere that fosters ideas and sharing. The broader your group, the less inhibition there will be, allowing the participants to talk freely about what works for them in their field and what doesn’t.
Many people think a peer group is the same thing as a club or group with a common interest. While this is somewhat true, in order for a peer group to have all the true benefits it can provide, you want it to be comprised of people with a common interest or goal but with each of them bringing their individual interest or talents to the table to share with the rest of the group. A great example would be sales. You can develop a peer group of participants all involved in sales. What makes it different from a group or club, is they might not all be in the same ‘field’. By using this theory, a participant who handles sales for a pharmaceutical company could very well be part of a peer group with a participant who handles sales for a home theater company. The two very different areas of expertise share the common bond of sales and one can benefit the other by sharing the sales techniques that work for them in their specific field. This is the best illustrated difference between a club or group and a peer group.
When you utilize conference calling to facilitate the meetings of your peer group, you are able to reach out and include people from all areas of the globe and in turn benefit from their regional and geographical differences. I’m pretty sure a fellow in Rockport isn’t going to be able to meet the group twice a month at the local coffee shop in Boca Raton. (As much as he would love to be able to.)
Get hooked up with conference calling, and the Rockport fellow is sure to be in attendance. By using conference calling, you can classify your participants with even more similarities without horning in on anyones’ territory. Utilizing conference calling will allow you to create a peer group of individuals all within the same field of specialized interest. A perfect example of that would be a group of life insurance representatives spread out from coast to coast. No chance of a rep from California stepping on the toes of a rep in New Jersey when you use conference calling.
So again, yes, you can do peer groups and conference calling by themselves, but they work so much better when they work together.
photo credit: Nat W
Conferencing Headset Product Information and Review
First up is Plantronics CS50 Wireless Office Headset. While other brands are out there and have some great products, Plantronics is an industry leader in office headsets and can be quite costly. If you don’t have to watch a budget, for $260 you get a noise canceling microphone, an eight hour talk time, and a hands free range up to 300 ft. It also has an optional handset lifter which allows remote answering/disconnection capability. The only two cons to this headset are that it doesn’t have a mute feature and it doesn’t work with cordless phones.
Next is the AT&T TL7610 DECT 6.0 Digital Cordless Headset. The Pros of this headset are the noise reduction microphone, the 500 ft range, it works with both corded and cordless phones, and it comes with a mute feature. A big pro to this headset is its very versatile style. It can be worn 3 different ways (over the ear, over the head and behind the neck). With all these features and more this headset covers it all, for less than $150.
For those of you watching your budget, and who isn’t now a days? We have found two different models that are in a friendlier price range.
A good headset under $100 is The Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth Headset. This headset goes for about $88, is Bluetooth and features noise canceling and WindSmart technology. It comes with up to six hours of talk time, a pivoting microphone, and a mute button.
For under $50, you can get the Plantronics S6239816 or the Plantronics MX500i 3-in-1 VoIP Headset. Many headsets under $50 don’t work with corded phones and they aren‘t wireless, but they do feature a mute button, volume control, voice activation, and a wind shield feature.
The bottom line is what features do you need? And how much can you afford to pay?
Happy Shopping!!
photo credit: William Hook