Today's global market requires world-class solutions to organizational problems. One of the most common problems is the need to communicate when people are separated by time and distance. In the Information Age, the ability to communicate in an effective and timely manner is the key to success. Call conferences are powerful tools to achieve organizational goals. That is why choosing the correct equipment for your needs is very important.

What Are They Good For?

There is a wide variety of conference phones available on the market at this moment. These run the entire gamut of price and features. Through the use of a conference phone, you can set up meetings and discussions as if all the parties were present in the room with you. This is a cost-efficient method of negotiating and dealing between parties in separate locations. That is why their use is rapidly becoming a fixture in most corporate offices. They are very useful tools in operational communications activities.

Conference phones will increase overall productivity and more than justify their purchase cost. They help to bridge gaps within the organization by making it possible to interact without the need for physical proximity. Effort is unified and multiplied to better achieve goals that have been laid out.

The Different Types

When you purchase a phone system, consider your company's size and objectives. Plain vanilla audio conference phones use speakers and are essentially speakerphones with more advanced features. They also incorporate push-to-talk microphones in their design. Videophones can send and receive compressed or full motion video to all parties. They need high bandwidth transmission lines to do so. Some conference phones can even utilize Internet access to integrate graphics and e-mail. You will not need a computer in the conference room any more.

The Contenders

Room or office size is the main consideration in the purchase of conference phones. The parameters of a typical company meeting will also influence your decision. An example is the need for hands-free conferencing with multiple lines. Headset access is also another option that is commonly present in conference phones.

Polycom is a leader in manufacturing conferencing equipment. They make the Polycom Voicestation for smaller offices. For medium-sized conference rooms, there is the Polycom Sound Station 2. The Polycom Sound Station 2 Wireless offers 24 hours of talk time and cell phone dialing features.

Another top seller is Clearone's line of conference phones. They offer noise and echo cancellation. On the other hand, Spracht Conference Phones allow for 360 degrees of coverage.

The main thing to remember when choosing between conference phones is that the product should fit the needs of the company. Extra fancy features that will not be used just add up to useless costs. If you do not need these features, then consider something other than the manufacturer's flagship model. Your accounting department will thank you for it. Remember that conference phones are just the means to an end. At the end of the day, it is how you utilize all this technology that matters.