Furthermore, you can optionally integrate your OpenVoice account with other GoTo products (also owned by Citrix), and include a Call Me button for GoToMeeting attendees. However, OpenVoice has some features not present in Grasshopper, like toll-free numbers for 50 countries, integration with Microsoft Outlook (scheduling), separate mobile apps for portability, call recording and the inclusion of up to 2,000 participants at once. Grasshopper doesn’t have true conferencing included in its standard service you have to use OpenVoice, the other product of Grasshopper’s owner, Citrix. Our Recommended VoIP Conference SolutionsĪlmost all companies offer some sort of conferencing in their subscriptions, but we think that the following three, namely Grasshopper, eVoice and RingCentral, are the most prodigious. And, of course, free conferencing apps are spammed with unwanted ads popping all over the place. And once you get over this issue, there is still the problem of lag (due to different signal qualities), you have limited control over the conference (everything but getting invited is up to the invitee only), while group messaging/file sharing can be seen by every participant and not just designated people. This means that you have to pay extra fees (by the minute or a predetermined amount per month) to include calls to and from regular devices. This leads to another problem: you are forced to install additional software to organize and join conference calls if you want to conduct free of charge conferences. The biggest problem with these services is that they are mostly intended for being used on computers and on a relatively smaller scale, while professional phone systems can handle up to thousands of participants at the same time, providing the same quality from phones, mobile devices or computer platforms. This could not only alienate you from the VoIP company, but it also forces you to use free solutions, like Skype, Google Hangouts and Facebook Messenger, which are even further from perfect. Free Conference CallsĮven though VoIP conferencing is essential, many cloud phone system providers charge extra for this feature. Furthermore, most desktop devices have specific keys with which you can connect/disconnect participants, a feature also present if you use conferencing from your computer or from the phone system’s app. It is more likely you and others will use your smartphones or sit at desks, using your own desk phones or computers (should you have a softphone installed): in this case you start the conversation by initiating a call from the specific extensions we mentioned before. You can use the traditional approach and conduct your calls via speakers (conference phones) with enhanced microphone feature and interference resistance so you and the others around you can be heard crystal clear all the time. Speaking of that specific number, you can invite participants by email/business text message (sent using your system) where they can learn about the details of the conference. If you are planning a bigger audio(visual) conference call, you only need a separate extension to which anybody can join provided that the caller knows the number. Furthermore, you don’t have to put other calls aside: you can easily connect two calls (with the aid of the call hold feature) using your phone or the phone system account. Conference Calls through VoIPĬonferencing through VoIP is traditional and innovative at the same time: traditional because if you have done conferencing before you have nothing new to learn and innovative, because it still adds new features to the mix, such as unlimited minutes/calls. You can also read about the options you have regarding the devices with which you can participate in conferences. This guide tells you how conferencing via VoIP usually works if you conduct conferences with tens or hundreds of people, or just want a third party to join an ongoing conversation. This is when the built-in conferencing features of professional cloud phone systems come in handy. However, this created new problems: old phone systems require a separate line to conduct perfect conference calls, while free solutions are not fully reliable, they’re not always available for others and the free version is typically far too limited. One of the greatest things about conference calling is that it made real life participation obsolete.
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