Free online conference call Services

Running a small business can be expensive and cutting corners is sometimes a necessity. So, free services can seem very appealing. When it comes to business critical applications, however, free generally means low quality and inconsistency which can leave a bad impression on your customers and hurt your profits.

There are some crucial factors to weigh before selecting “free, ” especially with essential business communications. You want to be able to control the message and how it is delivered. Free conference call providers don’t offer this capability.

With the future of your business on the line, you shouldn’t take chances with an unreliable service. Here are the top five reasons free conference calls are NOT a bargain:

1. Free Conference Calls – What message are you sending?

Ever join a call where all you hear is crackling, humming or bad echoes? How about finding yourself asking others to repeat themselves quite frequently? It’s likely a free service that doesn’t provide professional quality technology, which is where free providers have cut corners.

Have you ever been on a call and this happened?

The success of your business is on the line with every call you make. Because the point of a conference call is to communicate, it’s worthless if you can’t hear what others are saying. When you are on a call with a prospective investor or key client, do you really want to risk your reputation with unreliable service?

Bad reception equals bad perception.

2. Free conference calls are never really free.

“Free” conference calling services are based on toll numbers, not toll-free, so they are subject to long distance charges, taxes and other fees. Who pays those charges? Everyone on the call pays. Yes, even your customers during an important client meeting pay for the privilege of joining your call.

Since these are U.S. based toll numbers, any international participants will be subject to exorbitantly high long distance charges. “Free” conferencing services emanate from a loophole in the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Rural areas have traditionally high infrastructure costs for wireless and phone carriers, so the carriers often team up with “Free” services and provide them access to their rural lines. This method is and helps them generate more volume to pass on to carriers as a fee.

You may not know it, but the phone number you are dialing is in a remote area that will almost always be a long distance call for all participants. Plus the carriers can pass on these fees to all customers in higher rates. There are several court cases currently pending on the legality of this business model.