Best Conference Calling Solutions for VoIP

Conference calls with VoIP

By now, you should already know that you can make conference calls with VoIP. Conferencing through VoIP is both traditional and innovative. 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.

Unlike traditional conferencing, everyone can easily join a conference call from anywhere. Instead of being tied to a phone, participants usually get a message or email, which they just need to click to join without having to download any software. This is true for both audio and video conferencing.

Moreover, VoIP brings more control to conference calls. Hosts can use several features to mediate conferences, regardless of whether they’re audio or video. Plus, participants can engage without disrupting the call flow by using built-in instant messaging. Finally, sending the call recording and automatic transcription is the perfect follow-up after a conference.

Keeping your conference phones

If you want to keep using your conference phone even after subscribing to a VoIP solution, there’s no need to worry. Most business VoIP services support conference phones with some even providing their own IP conference phones.

However, if you have a traditional landline conference phone, it’s important to remember that you’ll need to get an adapter in order to connect the phone to the internet. Fortunately, these adapters are quite affordable and easy to install. So, you won’t need to break the bank to keep using your existing hardware.

Conference phones are just one of the options to make conference calls with VoIP, though. Due to the nature of the software, it’s possible to initiate and moderate conference calls via your desktop or mobile phone. VoIP solutions come with apps for both types of devices, so you’re able to communicate without requiring traditional hardware. In general, VoIP apps are better for conferencing as they have intuitive interfaces to mediate calls, such as connecting or disconnecting participants.

What about free conference calling?

So far, we’ve only spoken about solutions that you need to pay for. However, there are a few options for making conference calls for free, such as Zoom and FreeConferenceCall.com. On the surface, these free conference call solutions look perfect, but it’s important to get into the details to understand their limitations.

First of all, there isn’t usually unlimited conference calling for free. Companies either limit the time of the meeting (up to 40 minutes, for example) or the number of participants. They normally also make participants install their software so they can join the conference, and, depending on the provider, you might end up with limited features to mediate your conference.

Even so, Zoom is perfect for smaller businesses that want to host short video sconferences occasionally. Meanwhile, FreeConferenceCall.com offers various features that make some paid software pale in comparison. Still, this free solution still requires you to either use a desktop or mobile app to host the conferences or already have a phone system of your own.

Considering several VoIP systems come with unlimited calling within the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, it will always be more beneficial to sign up for a virtual phone system. So, we recommend getting one with conferencing capabilities.