As the cost of business travel soars, companies are continually looking for ways to set up group meetings that don't involve airplane tickets. Conferencing can help to meet this need. Enhanced technology has dramatically lowered the cost of audio, video and web conferencing. Depending on the services that your business requires, it may be possible to find a surprisingly affordable conference call provider. If your business is in the market for conference call services, let's look at how you might go about finding the best conference call provider and what factors you should consider.

One of the first things you'll need to consider when choosing a conference call provider is whether you know ahead of time when your conference calls will be or if most of your calls happen on the spur of the moment. Some conference call providers only work on a reservation basis You'll need to set up in advance with them the specific time and date of your call, the type of call it will be, the number of lines you'll need, and how long you expect the call to last.

The alternative to setting everything up ahead of time is to use a reservation-less conference call provider. They will normally set up an account for you in which you always use the same telephone number and the same passcode. In this sort of arrangement, you have the capability of putting together a conference call at any time during the day. You simply have to invite your participants and they'll use the standard telephone number and passcode. However, you should ensure that you have enough lines to meet your needs. Reservation-less conference call providers often allocate lines on a first-come, first-served basis. That means that in the midst of a busy business day there might not be enough lines available for all your participants to join.

Another consideration that should be part of your decision is how much operator interaction you want or need. There are three basic levels of service. In operator-dialed calls, a human operator actually calls each one of your conference call participants and connects them to the meeting. Another method is to have each participant call a telephone number that is answered by an operator, who then connects them to the appropriate call. Finally, there are fully automated systems in which your participants call a telephone number and key in a passcode that connects them to your meeting.

What sort of optional services might you want from your conference call provider? There are a variety of optional services that can make your conference call more efficient or more effective. Examples of these optional services include a roll call that tells you exactly who is connected. Does the conference call provider record the call? Is this recording available later on CD or as a digital audio file? You should verify whether these additional services are included in the price quoted or if they're only available for an extra charge.

Sometimes the deciding factor for choosing a conference call provider is the billing support that they offer. One of the main reasons for choosing a conferencing solution is to control costs. So it only makes sense that she would want as much detail in your invoices as possible. For example, do they allow you to mark specific conference calls with particular cost center account numbers? One good way to check this is to ask each prospective conference call provider to provide a sample invoice.

Find out if the conference call provider is capable of handling special events. It may be tempting to choose a low-cost provider for your daily needs and a different provider for special events. But if you can find a conference call provider that's capable of handling everything, then you have a better chance of accessing volume discounts. Working with the same provider also helps them learn more about your corporate culture and provide better services over time.

When searching for the optimum conference call provider, you need to consider reliability, customer support, their billing structure and their rates. As is the case when you purchase most services, there is always a delicate balance between customer service and pricing. If you want the best price, you may have to give up some customer service. If customer service and assistance is more important, then you'll have to pay for it. So ultimately, choosing the best conference call provider will depend on your familiarity and comfort level with conference call procedures and technology.