Free telephone conference calls: A conference call basically entails two or more participants dialing a telephone number to a conference room, entering a code previously supplied to them and then all interacting once they are all online and joined to the

conference.  There are, however, several difference between international and domestic free telephone conference calls.

International free telephone conference calls

When joining international free telephone conference calls you may first need to dial an “exit code” which in the case of the USA and Canada is 011 and then dial the country code of the country hosting the conference call which, in the case of the UK for example, is 44.  You would then dial participant’s city code and phone number.

When making free telephone conference calls internationally you need to keep time and date differences in mind.  For example, there is a 12.5 hour time difference between Los Angeles in the US and India which could lead to badly-time conference calls or missed calls.

Depending on the time zones of all the participants of free telephone conference calls it may not be possible for everyone to attend the conference call, in which case it may be recorded so those who could not join can listen to the conversation at a later stage.

Another consideration in free telephone conference calls made internationally is language and culture barriers, which don’t necessarily play a role when you prepare for a domestic conference call in which the content of the call is your only consideration.  However, in the case of international calls you need to consider how formal or informal the call will be, whether you are on first name terms with the participants, the correct manners of address and business etiquette to follow.  Avoid humor and slang since it can lead to misunderstandings.

Be aware that attitudes amongst cultures differ as to the starting times of free telephone conference calls.  While some are quite relaxed about starting times, others stick strictly to the agreed on times.  The best policy is to avoid confusion and emphasize prompt starting times in pre-call reminders.  Then make sure you are on the line before the other participants start to call in.

Problems with language barriers in free telephone conference calls can be prevented by supplying as much literature in the form of agendas, notes and other items as possible before the call.  Also check the speed and clarity of your speech.  Detailed minutes after the call, a recording or having the call transcribed and translated may also help in this respect.

 

Try to locate a conference call service that will assist with the above aspects of free telephone conference calls so that all the participants have to care about is the content of the call itself.

Setting up free telephone conference calls

The good news is that the process may be simpler than you imagined.  The first step is to source a telecommunications provider that offers an international conference calling service as well as pre-call support.

Next you need to make a list of the participants according to their countries and find a conference calling plan that can be accessed via “dial out” by all of them.  Normally participants will dial a toll free number when joining international conference calls.

If “dial out” from one of the countries listed is not supported or it turns out to cost more per minute than you are prepared to pay, other participants may choose to dial in to them.  The perfect situation is when all participants can get toll free access to the conference so you may want to find a provider that offers the option of free telephone conference calls to as many countries as possible.

Pre-program dial out instructions into your account where possible if this feature is offered by the service provider that you chose, keeping in mind difference across the time zones of the participants by keeping a time zone map handy while planning the call.  What may be business hours in your part of the world will be in the middle of the night elsewhere!

If the International Date Line indicates that certain potential participants may not be available at the time of the call, arrange for it to be recorded so that they will have access to it later.

Once free telephone conference calls have been set up, the information needs to be shared with those participating so that they will know which local date and time to join the conference and which PIN to use.  Send each participant their own e-mail containing the information since the numbers to dial will differ from one country to the next.  A global e-mail send to everyone may cause confusion – rather send each person only the information pertaining to themselves.

 

Remember to let participants know whether others will be dialing in to them directly and ensure that they will in fact be available on the specified number to receive the call at the appointed time.

 

It is good practice to include the agenda when arranging free telephone conference calls so that participants can arrive at the conference call fully prepared and informed of who will be participating, especially if they will be expected to make substantial individual contributions such as a presentation of some sort.

Be organized when setting up free telephone conference calls

Setting up these calls is much easier if you go about the task in an organized fashion.  Don’t do it on the spur of the moment but do thorough research into obtaining a toll free service and pre-program dial out options so that you can remain calm at the time of the call taking place.  Choose a date and time that suit the majority of the participants and ensure that you communicate clearly with everyone participating in free telephone conference calls so that there can be no confusion as to the numbers to dial or their responsibilities when the time for the call finally arrives.

Good luck for your next free telephone conference calls!

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