Business Conferencing Solutions Blog

Make Your Job Easier – 4 Things a Conferencing Provider MUST Provide

Laptop ConferenceEver get the feeling that you work for your technology? In an ideal world, your technology should work for you.  Few things are more frustrating than working via tech platforms that don’t work, are way overpriced, or are, frankly, a pain in the rear to operate. That’s especially true of communication, where the focus needs to be on the message and not on a poorly connected conference call or unreliable webinar service. Busy business pros need a go-to conferencing provider with tools that are reliable and secure. Here are the features a dependable business conferencing provider will deliver:

Analytical Awesomeness: “How’d it go?” After a webinar or live streaming event, this is the question inevitably asked by bosses everywhere. You can tell the big guy or gal that you think it went okay, or you can have real numbers that help you deliver an informed assessment. An enterprise level conferencing provider will offer reporting capabilities that take the guesswork out of evaluating success.

Go Anywhere-ness: Business pros often find themselves coordinating between time zones and/or technology frameworks—both of which can create real organizational headaches. One way to efficiently organize communication is to choose a conferencing provider with platforms that perform on a variety of operating systems and devices, from desktop dinosaurs to the latest smartphone.

Fabulous Flexibility: Have a team member who can’t attend a meeting? There’s no need to leave that person in the dark or subject them to a hastily written email summary. A good conference call provider will offer recording features so non-attendees can review the material. Webinars and web conferencing events can be recorded as well, making it simple for team members to view content on-demand.

Bottom-Line Bodaciousness: Want to impress the boss? I admit that using the word bodaciuosness at your next meeting probably won’t do it; but keeping an eye on that bottom line will. Conference calls are an affordable way to connect, making them ideal for start-ups and pros with a budget. Webinars and web conferencing are also bottom line friendly, helping to slash the cost and down-time associated with travel.

RollCall Business Conferencing offers communication solutions to suit any budget. From Meet Me reservation-free teleconferences to branded channels on RollCall TV, our technology gives you the power to connect reliably, affordably, and professionally with customers, buyers, employees, potential investors, and other audiences. Learn how we can make your job much easier.

B2Bs – It’s Time to Love Live Streaming Video [Best Practices]

Your B2B needs a competitive edge and while there are lots of ways to gain that advantage, there may be one way of engaging buyers that you’re overlooking: live video streaming. Today’s buyers are increasingly accustomed to media-rich forms of communication. Live streaming video gives B2Bs a way to provide that quality engagement in a cost-effective way.

How can B2Bs use live video streaming?

Business Team Live Video ConferenceBroadcast:

  • Demonstrations
  • Product launches
  • Round table discussions
  • FAQ sessions
  • Interviews
  • Conferences or summits
  • Educational sessions
  • Seminars

And while streaming live video isn’t challenging, there are some best practices that will make your event run super smoothly:

  • Brand your stream. This is more than just a cosmetic factor. As a B2B you need to establish credibility and staying power—and there’s no easier way to do that than by portraying a consistent brand look and feel.
  • Choose the host with the most. A monotone-speaking host is a sure way to encourage viewers to click off your live streaming B2B event. Pick a camera-comfortable host who will speak in an engaging style that keeps viewers’ attention. P.S. This person may not be one of the company execs.
  • Field questions. One of the advantages of a live streaming event is the ability of viewers to ask questions real time. By taking audience questions, you increase the value of the event significantly. Make sure you decide ahead of time how you’re going to take questions (i.e. during the event, at the end, etc.).
  • Tap the powers of social media for promotion. If you have profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn or other social platforms, use them to promote the live streaming B2B event. Check out RollCall’s How to Use Social Media to Extend Webinar Reach to learn more.
  • Consider a regularly scheduled live streaming B2B broadcast. Remember NBC’s Must-See TV? Every Thursday, millions of viewers (including myself) made a date to watch shows like Friends and ER. Make your broadcast a must-see for the B2B set by sharing and discussing industry news and views. For example, marketing company HubSpot hosts its Friday afternoon marketing update on HubSpot.TV.

When you need a live streaming video broadcast solution, contact the RollCall TV team. From mobile compatibility to branded streams, we have the enterprise-level tools you need to engage B2B buyers.

3 Tools Start-ups Need to Engage Investors

Video Conference with InvestorYou’ve got the product. You’ve got the fire in your belly. Now you need investors. If you’ve ever tried to obtain funding before, you know that it’s a challenge. In fact, EquityNet explains that Angels invest in only 10% of the investments they’re presented. What’s more, they spend an average of nearly 4 months conducting due diligence on the projects.

When potential investors do their homework, you need to be ready with answers. Here are 3 professional-level tools start-ups should consider to engage angels:

  • Anytime video. From product demonstrations to a tour of the current production facility, video is a savvy way to provide some of the detailed information angels need to make a decision. Archive video online so the audience can view it on demand, or you might broadcast a live streaming event.
  • All-the-time content. Whether you’ve scored a face-to-face meeting or connect via web conference, angel investors will want to review all the presented materials. From PowerPoint presentations to business plans, consider how you’ll share these materials in a professional and polished manner. For example, a white paper can easily be posted on your website.
  • Real-time communication. When angel investors are going through due diligence they want answers ASAP. Communication tools like conference calls provide cash-conscious entrepreneurs with a super-affordable, easy-to-use, on-the-fly way to get investors the info they want.

Your idea isn’t ho-hum, so don’t communicate it in a ho-hum way. Media-rich content, from video to presentations, are a smart way to provide potential investors with the data and info they need to make an informed decision. As a bonus, enterprise-level tools, like RollCall’s Meet Me Conference Call and RollCall TV, convey the professional polish that says “I’m ready to grow—are you ready to grow with me?” Contact us to learn more!

Tips to Master the Fine Art of Moderating a Web Conference

Man Moderating Conference CallA moderator is: the Master of ceremonies, a traffic cop, the time keeper, and overseer of all things in universes known and unknown. (Okay, the last one was made up, but you get the point.)  A great web conference moderator sets the tone for the entire event, whether it’s a compliance training session or a shareholder meeting. Here are tips for taking on the role of moderator—and nailing it:

  1. Get to know your web conferencing software. This sounds it comes straight from web conferencing 101—and that’s because it does. Knowing how to work all the features you’ll use, from chats to whiteboards, will make the web event run more smoothly. If you’re not familiar with the web conferencing platform at all, go through at least two test runs to be sure you know the what’s and where’s.
  2. Consider a helper. Having an extra set of hands can be valuable because it gives you a chance to focus on the presentation. A helper might be on-call to walk participants through technical difficulties as well as monitor chat areas or Twitter.
  3. Use a different computer than the presenter. The big advantage to this tactic is that if a presenter’s computer hits a technical snag, the moderator can continue to operate the presentation with little down time.
  4. Put your best voice forward. You might be surprised at how much impact the greeting will make on the session. You can make the greeting sound like you’ve just gotten called to Federal jury duty, or you can speak clearly, confidently, and enthusiastically to set a positive tone.
  5. Manage the Q&A. The question-and-answer session is sometimes the most information-packed and insightful portion of any web conference. Increase the event’s value to presenters and attendees by keeping questions and answers moving at a good pace. To save time, consider collecting at least some questions before or during the presentation.
  6. End the web conference with a clear message and, if relevant, a call to action. What do you want attendees to remember? Perhaps they have follow-up activities they need to complete? Now is the time to set those expectations. The closing is also the time to deliver the call to action. And remember, the call to action doesn’t necessarily need to be a hard sales pitch. It can be as simple as “Follow my Twitter account for more tips on X, Y, and Z.”

From mobile-ready streaming to payment integration, RollCall TV from RollCall Business Conferencing gives companies the enterprise-level tools they need to share archived or live streaming content through one seamless platform.

ILD Celebrates 15 Years of Back Office Innovation

ILD Turns 15

Anniversary Showcases Business Evolution Reinforced By Groundbreaking Digital and Social Media Solutions.

ILD Corp., a global leader in digital back office solutions is proud to announce that today is the company’s 15 year anniversary.  Originally a call center for telephony services, ILD has grown into one of the largest digital back-office support providers in the United States. Best known by the company’s brands, RollCall Business Conferencing Solutions (conferencing and webcasting services), ILD Teleservices (bill to phone payments), ILD Call Center and Social Strategy1 (social web services),  ILD Corp. continues to serve over a thousand national and global enterprises. 

“Reaching this milestone is a true testament to our employees and our partners. Over the years, hundreds of individuals have worked together to make ILD what we are today, and we’ve very proud of the achievements that have taken place since we founded the Company,” said Mike Lewis, Chairman and CEO. “It’s an important time to pause and acknowledge the accomplishments of the past, but even more importantly it is a time to focus on continually improving our operations and developing new and innovative services to ensure a long and bright future for each of our business units.  In this technology savvy world, we continue to evolve our businesses and service offerings with the needs of the digital age.”

President and Chief Operating Officer Dennis Stoutenburgh added, “We’ve introduced new innovative services to our product portfolio, which are all on a strong growth path. We’ve made a commitment to provide the latest technology, the most experienced people, and with this, our customer service levels are higher than ever! Investing in technology has streamlined our processes and made us quicker, more efficient and more competent in offering the technical expertise and insights that our customers have come to expect from us.”

ILD is part of the INC 5000 list and has also been named one of the Best Companies to Work for by Florida Trend Magazine.