Conference Calls - Putting Money Back in your Budget with Cheap Conference Calls

With the economy continuing to squeeze companies of all sizes

, budgets continue to be tight. After several years of budget cuts, it's tough to find additional areas to trim. One way to put money back into your budget is through cheap conference calls. Conference calling can replace costly meetings, interviews, and other face-to-face gatherings and plans are now cheaper than ever.

You're likely familiar with conference call services and how they work, but have you taken the time to think of creative uses for these services? Rather than sticking to the traditional conference call as needed, think about the activities that your organization regularly participates in and then imagine how those activities might be conducted as a teleconference.

For example, do you regularly hold monthly sales meetings with your regional sales representatives at your main office? Even if your sales representatives serve territories just a few hours away, bringing each salesperson in for an in-person meeting can significantly affect productivity. If each person has to spend two hours each way commuting to your office just to attend the meeting, that's four hours of lost productivity. If your team consists of ten sales people, that's a full workweek lost simply getting to and from the office for this meeting. Holding cheap conference calls instead of requiring physical attendance solves this problem instantly as well as eliminates any fuel or transportation costs.

In addition to solving the logistics of getting your team to the office, conference calling also saves money related to the lost productivity of other staff members. It's not uncommon for other team members to work less effectively when meetings like these are held onsite. Additional socialization takes place and some team members may be tasked with supporting the meeting in some capacity such as making copies or preparing the conference room.

Another expense related to physical meetings is food. For example, when holding longer meetings lunch is often provided for all attendees. Depending on the number of attendees and how often these meetings are held, this could be a significant drain on your budget. By moving away from in-person meetings to conference call services, you'll reduce productivity losses, transportation costs, and incidental expenses while still achieving your goal of communicating with your team.

This regional sales meeting scenario is but one example of how cheap conference calls can put money back into your budget, but it's far from the only way you can do so. Other ideas include holding teleclasses and teleconferences rather than traditional workshops and conferences. For example, if your organization hosts regular industry workshops or classes that require renting large meeting halls, catering, and other expenses, consider using conference call services in place of these live events.

Conference calling can also reduce hiring expenses, especially if many of your job candidates are from out of the area. It's not unusual for job candidate to go through a series of screenings before the final face-to-face interview. Cheap conference calls can be used during the later stages to introduce a potential candidate to the entire hiring team including human resources managers, department managers, and other people with a vested interest in the candidate. Using conference calling at this stage can lead to better decisions before investing in the final interview.

Conference call services take many forms. If you haven't reviewed your conference calling plan recently, a thorough review is in order. By understanding your current and future usage, you may find that your current conference calling plan is not the best one for you. Calling patterns do change with time; however, some companies are slow in changing their plans to reflect the way they are using these services. Not only that, competition within the telecommunications industry has led to lower priced service plans. Switching from a high cost plan to a plan that offers cheap conference calls and the features that you use the most could positively affect your budget.

Conference calling is a convenient, though often underused, communications tool that can save your company money. Plan a brainstorming session and figure out how you can use conference call services to put money back into your budget.

Conference Calls - Putting Money Back in your Budget with Cheap Conference Calls

By: michael framer

POST COMMENT

Chasing The Long Tail In A Recession How Minnesota Drug Rehab Treatment Centers Can Help Drug Addicts Back to the Future: The Wooden Sash Window and Modern Housing Design MRN Bot Review – Should You Buy MRN Bot? Cordless Power Drills - Why Every Man Needs One Buying Safe Diet Pills That Work? Here Are The Crucial Things To Know What's The Truth About Global Warming Designing A Brand-new Icon Featuring The Famous "aqua" Effect Is Easier Than You Think - If You Have 8 Guidelines to Discover English easily or "apprendre l anglais rapidement" for French Inflammation and Diet - An Easy Explanation What Is A No-fax Payday Loan? Company Registrations Online The Way Forward What Will The Effects Of The National Insurance Rise Mean For You?