Communication is the crux of any business and the key to its success. Whether internal or external, a lack of good communication can seriously hinder the growth of an organization. Audio conferencing is crucial to complete many daily activity task, to communicate with team members, group discussions, training etc. In an exclusive interview with Mr. Prasanth Yerrapragada, VP – Technology of Telebu Communications to discuss impact and need of audio conferencing solutions for business.
CXO VOICE: Importance of Audio conferencing solutions for Business
Prasanth Yerrapragada: Businesses today are not restricted to one particular geographic location. More often than not, teams based out of different locations have to collaborate and work on combined projects. Many executives today rely on audio conferencing services to expedite business decisions without needing to travel everywhere.
And with offices in different regions, it’s equally important for the employees & management to stay connected with each other.
Audio conferencing is one of the simplest and most cost effective forms of communication that large companies can employ to remain connected. Video conferencing is the future of conference calling, there are many reasons organizations still prefer to use audio conferencing as the primary tool for communicating with a core group or en masse.
CXO VOICE: Tell us about the latest advancement in audio conferencing solutions?
Prasanth Yerrapragada: Audio conferencing has come a long way from dialing into a bridge, and pressing your 4-8 digit unique PIN, only to be greeted by a mechanized voice connecting you to your call. Dial-out calls are the latest advancement, in terms of user-friendliness. Dial-out conference participants don’t have to go through the process of calling a number or PIN to connect to a call.
Screen sharing is also a new innovation, which has historically been one of the most long-awaited features in an audio conferencing tool.
Real-time video has only served to ameliorate the conferencing experience, although a 2017 study by enterprise conferencing giant LoopUp concluded that audio is still the primary conferencing tool.
CXO VOICE: Is the Conference call data fully secure? What are the risk factors?
Prasanth Yerrapragada: Each of grptalk user’s conversations are accessible to specific users which mean no other grptalk users can access data of other users. Any internal person or teams cannot access the call recordings until they have permission request from a customer in writing. They are available for access only during emergency cases or some other urgent requirements. It is the host who can access call recordings and share it with the other participants in case they want. Both web and mobile applications (Android and iOS) go through two phases penetration testing to determine any unauthorised access or other malicious activity.
Coming to risk factors, with grptalk features such as dial-in, dial-out, there is no chance of third-party involvement in the call. The host also has full control over the call and can add, mute, unmute the participants on the call, as per the requirements. So, there are no unwanted risks that the customer may face.
CXO VOICE: How efficient is an audio conferencing tool? What are the solutions it brings to the organization?
Prasanth Yerrapragada: Making an audio conference call was never easy. But, thanks to technological advancements, we have reached a stage where one can just make a call or join a call in a click. In recent times, many audio conferencing apps have surfaced in the market, with each having its advantages and disadvantages. But what makes the difference to the organizations is identifying the right conferencing tool to be ahead in the competition. Here are some of the solutions that audio conferencing offers:
Real-Time Training
Employee training is important for any organization. They don’t think twice before investing time and money in it. But, now companies can use audio conferencing services to conduct real-time training.
Event Planning
Audio conferencing comes to great use during event planning. It makes it easier to connect them on a single line to communicate crucial updates.
Live Surveys
Organizations can take critical decision such as making appointments, passing resolutions and voting on budget through audio conferencing. It is a cost-effective solution to avoid any delays.
Q&A Sessions
Through Q&A sessions, participants can voice out their concerns. One of the effective ways to do it is through audio conferencing.
We listed some of the benefits of grptalk, an audio conferencing app.
Dial-Out Saves Time:
Forget bridge line numbers and personalized PINs for conference participants because, with grptalk, you can just reverse the process and dial out to participants. The conference call will start on time and the host will have total control over the call.
No internet needed:
grptalk participants don’t need to connect to the Internet or download the app to receive or join the call. It is the host who needs to select contacts, creates groups, and schedules or initiate calls. The participants just need to have a phone and they are good to go.
Easy Call Management:
Managing participants on a conference call can be quite a task. With grptalk’s user interface, the host is fully aware of the participants joining. The grptalk’s web interface, the host can easily connect with 3,500+ members on one call and can easily manage every aspect of the call.
It’s An App:
Organizations can now stop investing in expensive hardware. Now you can just download grptalk app on your mobile device and initiate conferencing instantly. Just forget about equipment delivery or budgetary restrictions. Just visit the Play Store or App store, download grptalk and start conferencing.
CXO VOICE: Before embracing audio conference solutions, what are the must follow checklist for CTOs?
Prasanth Yerrapragada: Before initiating an audio conference, here are a few things that you need to follow up with:
How to record the call
During an audio conference call, recording a call is quite common. It is always better to understand how it works. It is advisable to do a trial run before the call begins.
Ensure sound quality
Usually, with audio conferencing, sound quality is one issue that should be considered. Before the call, it is better to have a look into these issues to avoid any confusion.
How to reach technical support
The host should be able to reach the technical support in case something comes up during the call. Have all the information needed to get in touch with them.
