Improving conference calls

While conference calls are a great way of bringing together a group of geographically dispersed people, they’re often frustrating experiences, particularly if you’re using a standard desktop phone. One of the problems of using a standard desktop phone on hands-free is the sound quality - they’re usually half-duplex meaning that you can speak, or listen, but not both; and most of the time you’ll sound as if you’re calling from the bottom of a well. All of which makes it very much more difficult to participate.

If you’re a regular user of conference calls, you’ll probably have used Polycom’s ubiquitous ’starfish’ conference phone at some point - and it’s a device that solves most of the problems I mentioned above. It’s great for meeting rooms, but not so practical on a desk - so check out a desk-top handset that includes conferencing facilities.

Although they’re more expensive than regular desktop phones, consider this - how much does your time cost, and how much time do you waste by asking everyone “Can you repeat that please?” Chances are, a decent-quality conference system will have paid for itself inside a month.

Filed under Clutter Management |