Audio Conferencing introduction

Sometimes, geography and logistics make it impossible for all of a meeting's participants to be in the same room. And in this era where companies must do more with less, time and costs often make travel prohibitive for many businesses.

In these situations, audio conferencing, or teleconferencing, can be a valuable alternative. By allowing groups of people to communicate by phone, decisions can be made, information relayed, and problems resolved in days rather than weeks. However, most business phone systems can connect only up to three callers on a line. An audio conferencing service allows you to connect more people together without having to invest in expensive equipment.

Audio conferencing services are offered by independent service bureaus and long distance providers that use sophisticated call connection "bridges" to join many different phone calls into a single conversation. Conferencing services allow meetings to take place even when everyone can not be in the same room, connecting people in different branch offices for a sales meeting or providing quarterly results to investors.

Whether you want to set up a conference call for three people or 3000, this conference calling buyer's guide is for you.