Free Conference Calling Blog

Rondee has just gone live with our new toll-free conference calling service. Check out the FAQ section for details on how it works and check back here for periodic updates.

A user asked: “How do you schedule a Rondee for 4:45 pm? It looks like I can only schedule for 4:30 or 5:00 pm”

You are correct, Rondee does not support 15 minute intervals.  But you could input 4:30 pm and then just tell people in the description section to call in at 4:30 pm.

Someone asked: “One of our employees originally declined a Rondee conference call invite and now wants to accept. How do I re-send the invite or update their status?”

To update their status for that conference, all that person needs to do to is click on the link in the email originally sent to him or her.  That will take them to the page for the Rondee which gives the option to change status.

A user just asked: “Are there any hidden charges for your service? Will the participants have to pay long distance charges?”

In short, the answer to the first question is no - there are no hidden charges.  In fact, Rondee does not charge you anything when you dial 619-276-6333 to access our conference calling number.

Your carrier, of course, would charge you their normal charge to make a phone call.  Calls to Rondee cost no more than any other regular long distance call you make from your home or office phone.  So if you have a flat rate plan (e.g. $x per month for all the calls you can make), Rondee calls cost you nothing from your carrier.   If your carrier charges you 3 cents per minute to call California, Rondee calls cost you that amount, etc.

A user asked asked:  “I want to set up a conference call today at 3:00 PM EST, which time should I enter in the scheduled options? Are you in PSC?”

The answer is this: just enter the time for your conference call in your local timzone and the Rondee free conference system will enter it in your own time zone once you register (which you’ll be required to do upon registration).

A user just wrote:  “Hi, I have an “always available” number through rondee conference calling, and I love it, but a friend wants to sign up and I cant find the feature. Is it no longer available?”

Rondee On Demand’s free conference calling service is available and you can access it http://www.rondee.com/rondeenow/

1.      Ensure a non-threatening environment.  The facilitator will need to work with the others in advance to ensure that the floor for speaking is open and no retaliation will occur.  If the discussion gets heated and/or threatening to any of the participants, it is the role of the facilitator to redirect the conversations into a more positive light.  One way is to ask meeting guests to suspend judgment during the conference.

2.      Paraphrase the discussion.  This is an important step for the facilitator.  Paraphrasing the discussion ensures everyone understands the conversation and has the same meaning in mind.

3.      Summarize key points.  The facilitator will want to summarize the key points of the conference call to ensure all participants agree on these points.

4.     remain neutral throughout the entire meeting.  If any of the meeting participants feel the facilitator is taking side or giving preferential treatment, the facilitator will lose all effectiveness during the meeting. 

5.      Practice, practice, practice. Facilitators becomes more effective the more they experience different groups and dynamics.  Practice your skills often.

Using these tips and tricks will maximize the effectiveness of the facilitator and the conference call will be more positive and productive.

A user asked “Is there anything we need to do differently if we’re acting as the host for the call? I know with the last conference call service we had to press * rather than #.”

The answer is no! Rondee makes it simple to do free conference calling….

A user asked: “Does Rondee send out reminders before the scheduled conference?”

The answer is yes.  However, Rondee does send out reminders 30-60 minutes prior to the start of the conference call.

From time to time we do posting on practical suggestions involving conference calling — both free conferencing and traditional conference calling.  Here is the latest one: First Five Tips for the Facilitator of a Conference Call

Conference calls can make business much more effective by allowing participants of a meeting to participate from all over the world.   This kind of meeting is great for information sharing and to get the word out to many people all at the same time.

In order to make your conference call effective, the use of a facilitator is highly encouraged.  The facilitator should follow these tips to making the most out of the call:

Keep the conference call on time.  The facilitator should ensure that the meeting starts on time, breaks are taken regularly, participants return from breaks promptly, and that the meeting ends on time.  One technique for getting your meeting guests to return to the meeting on time is to have a short game that begins promptly when the break is over.  It’s amazing how well that brings people back to the discussion.  Another approach is to appoint a timekeeper for the meeting.  This person will keep track of the time and let members know when an agenda item time limit is about to expire.

Provides a structured approach.  Have an agenda and use the agenda to keep people on track.  A trick for keeping off-topic discussions to a minimum is to have a parking lot.  This parking lot is simply a list of topics that were not on the agenda that participant brought up and wanted to discuss.  You stop the off-topic discussion and let the meeting guests know that you’ve add that topic to the parking lot for discussion at the end of the meeting if time is available; otherwise it will be added to the next conference call agenda.

Eliminate domination of the conference call by one person, allowing for equal participation by all.  The role of a facilitator is to ensure discussion occurs from all participants.  If one person is dominating the conference , the facilitator will want to place them on hold while they draw out the other meeting guests.

Allow the leader to participate in the meeting.  When a conference call has a facilitator, the leader can sit back and allow the conference to run the meeting.  This will allow the leader to actively participate in the meeting and offer his/her thoughts on discussion topics as well.

Encourage creativity.  Sometimes people have a hard time being creative and they get stuck in the moment of the conference and solutions are not coming about readily.  The role of a facilitator is to be resourceful in encouraging creativity in the participants.  Brainstorm exercises are always a good tool to get people to think outside of the box.