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Audio Conferencing
A Brief Guide to Audio Conferencing Services
by Steve Valentino
Audio conferencing provides a way for businesses and other
groups to interact, without having to travel to each other's
offices. The savings in time and travel expenses quickly
make up for the cost of audio conferencing services and
equipment. Audio conferencing usually involves other types
of teleconferencing technology, such as video and collaborative
software. Collaborative software is software that one
user may send to other users for simultaneous viewing
and modification. For example, if the group wants to work
on a diagram, it can be seen and drawn upon by anybody
in the conference via a special electronic whiteboard.
An audio conferencing system can be rented, bought from
a vendor or reseller, or hired as part of a full audio
conferencing solution. Such full-service packages include
human support services like management, marketing, and
tech support.
When audio conferencing services are rented, the communication
is routed through the vendor's server software. The client
is charged according to the number of users or "seats"
who will be participating, the length of time each seat
will be participating, and any initial equipment rental
or purchase costs. The vendor can charge a per-seat and
per-minute fee (for example, $0.15/seat/minute). Alternatively,
a client can rent the service by the week, month, or year,
with a maximum allowed number of seats per conference
or session. For example, a one-week service for five seats
could cost $100 a week, while a one-year service for 100
people could cost a few thousand dollars. Rental audio
conferencing services are best for small to medium sized
businesses where the initial equipment purchase costs
would far outweigh the savings on travel.
When audio conferencing services are bought, the communication
is routed through the client's server software, which
is bought and licensed from the vendor. The client chooses
how small or large a package he or she wants. For example,
the client can buy software that allows for 100 seats,
1000 seats, or much more. The client can decide whether
to include any of a number of high-tech add-ons such as
whiteboard capabilities, and whether expandability is
important. The client buys all the necessary equipment
and software to run the system. The initial cost can be
tens of thousands of dollars, so these are best suited
to larger numbers of seats over the long term. However,
tech support will always be a necessity, so the client
should subscribe to the vendor's expertise.
About the Author
Audio Conferencing Info provides detailed information
about audio conferencing services, equipment, software,
companies, plus online audio conferencing, and more. Audio
Conferencing Info is affiliated with Original Content.
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