We live in a world and age where the strong rule over the weak. The same is true in the competitive business environment. Most corporations and international companies have many more tools at their disposal, being able to wipe out their weaker competition with ease. On the other hand, small businesses lack the tools and features larger companies have.
However, the good news is that due to recent advancements in technology and information, small companies can enjoy a faster and more reliable way to communicate with customers, project managers, freelancers, agents and other in-house partners. This modern technology comes under the name of a conference bridge. Small companies can now choose from a variety of business voip service providers, being able to start conferences in an instant, by the pressing of a few numbers.
What is a Conference Bridge?
A conference bridge is a platform offered by a business VoIP service provider that allows companies to save precious time when connecting with everyone involved in a project, regardless of its location. Conference bridges are similar to Skype, but they are much more reliable, easier to set-up and more convenient.
A conference bridge typically features an automatic dialer and a scheduler, two features that automate the process. In other words, the software automatically contacts various agents, offices and clients who are scheduled to participate at the conference. Any potential long distance charges are eliminated, and both the company and the clients save a lot of time, as they are not required to connect manually at the bridge.
While conventional conference calling services were mainly based on a single host that would call all participants, a hosted conference bridge has managed to transform the information exchange process from a costly and daunting one into a simple and hassle-free one. Moreover, conference bridges have brought down the cost of conference calls while enabling the mufti-caller conferencing feature. However, the sound quality and the up-time depend mainly on the service provider.
Conference Bridge Benefits
A conference bridge is extremely beneficial for both small and large companies. Some of the benefits of having a hosted conference bridge are:
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Save Money
First of all, you should know that a hosted conference bridge helps you save big in the long run. Speaking bluntly, sometimes it all comes down to how much money we have saved on a product or service. The bigger the savings, the more money left for other projects. Some business voip service providers might offer no charger per minute for participants calling from remote locations.
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Top-Quality Sound
When it comes to the quality of sound, hosted conference bridges clearly have an edge over their predecessors. With one of these services, you can get as many as one thousand connections on a single call. This is huge, especially as conventional conference calls were not able to support more than 300 connections (most of them were able to support only 100). Moreover, the poor audio quality so many of us are used to is gone. Instead, hosted conference bridges come with great audio.
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New and Latest Features
We live in a fast-paced world where technology dictates the appearance or disappearance of trends. For a small business, keeping up with the changes and updating the software might prove quite a daunting task. However, by using a hosted conference bridge, all the new features are already embedded in the software, so when you pick up your phone to call, you already have everything set and ready. It’s all taken care of behind the scenes.
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Reports/Analytics
Another huge benefit of having a conference bridge is the automated reporting feature. The moment you’ve hung up and the conference is over, you are provided with all the information you need about the conference. This includes conference details, summary report, total number of participants, recent activity and individual caller reports. All this information is email directly to you post conference.
When comparing this outstanding feature with waiting for your IT department to provide you with all these reports, the automated reporting feature is definitely indispensable.
The Bottom Line
With the advent of business VoIP service providers, today’s hosted conference bridge solutions are extremely beneficial for any company, regardless of size. They offer technical assistance, cost savings, crystal-clear sound and a myriad of other features that can fully cover all your conferencing needs. Take advantage of a conference bridge and bring your conferences to a whole new level.
