Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Conference Group! We wish you a Joyous Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

We truly value our partners and realize that you all are a key ingredient of our success. We hope to be that for you in 2009 and beyond!

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Conference Group!

Welcome Calls

Did you know we call your customers?

That’s right… within days of their first use of our service, we call them to see how their experience was, and answer any questions they may have. We may even walk away from that call with a few more conference card orders! This is just one more way we differentiate ourselves in an increasingly commoditized space.
For more information on any of our services, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Blast Dial & U-Blast (New)

What can *92 do for you? New and Improved!

You may remember from a previous post that *92 activates our Blast Dial feature within a reservationless conference. Once this feature is enabled, one way to take advantage of this service requires the conference leader to provide us with a list of names and phone numbers to include in the Blast Dial list. Conference leader may press *92 to initiate the dial outs to the participants.

Our latest enhancement to this service is called “U-Blast”. Our new U-Blast portal enables conference leaders to manage their dial out list via a secure web page. With a valid login and passcode, the list of participants may be modified as needed, 24 hours a day.
For more information on *92 or U-Blast, or to activate these features for any of your existing customers, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

International Conferencing

The Conference Group offers one of the most comprehensive International conferencing platforms in the industry. With over 50 International Toll Free access numbers, your clients can enjoy global, reservationless, toll-free access.

If we do not offer a toll free number from a particular country, we offer the conference leaders two options: leader dial-out at new reduced rates, or operator dial-out at an additional charge. Either option ensures conference access from anywhere in the world.

For more information on our services or agent program, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Ordering cards-How to do it for existing clients

Want to increase conferencing use for your existing clients? Offer them additional conference cards for other people in their office.

To request additional conference cards from the Conference Group, simply email us at csr@conferencegroup.com with client’s account number and the names and email addresses of the people to receive a new conference card. Your clients will receive an email within 24 business hours and their new card within 3-5 business days. Do this and watch your commissions grow!

For more information on any of our services, please contact us at 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

"Submit Client" Process

OK… I have a client who wants a conferencing account. Now what do I do?

You can submit a client for set-up 24/7 by clicking on http://www.conferencegroup.com/forms/client.html, or visiting www.conferencegroup.com and selecting “Agent Resource Center”, then “Submit Client”.

For more information on submitting a client, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Listen to Greg Plum's interview about Video Conferencing

TMCnet interviewed Greg Plum, our Channel Manager, to learn about our new video-over-IP service. To listen, click here.

For more information on ReadyShow® Video, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

The Conference Group Needs Your Vote!

It is that time of year again... to shamelessly petition for your vote as one of the best channel programs in the industry. We owe a great deal of our success to our agents and sales partners just like you. If you agree with us that the Conference Group takes great care of you and your clients, please take just a moment to cast your vote. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

To vote for the Conference Group's (and up to 9 other of your favorite channel programs), please click on the following link (Hint: the Conference Group can be found under "C"!)...

http://www.phoneplusmag.com/channelprogramvote/voting_form.asp

The Conference Group is headed for Boston!

See you in Boston! The Conference Group will be on hand at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo in Boston from August 18 – 20. Stop by booth #2027 to see ReadyShow® Video for yourself.

Our channel manager, Greg Plum, will also participate in a panel discussion on Tuesday, August 19. The discussion, titled “Conferencing 2.0” will cover some of the newest conferencing technologies to hit the channel. Hope to see you there!

ReadyShow® Video is here!

ReadyShow® Video is here! Your clients can conduct multi-point video-over-IP conferences with up to 16 streaming videos with nothing more than a web cam and a browser.

Earn up to 100% recurring monthly commissions. For more information or a demo of ReadyShow® Video, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Interested in Private-Label Service?

Interested in making the leap to a private-label service? The Conference Group offers the ability to brand all of our services. Branding can encompass dial-in numbers, web portals, attendance reports, operator greeting and even a web conferencing platform.

For more information on our private-label program, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Receive an attendance report after your conference!

The Conference Group provides an attendance report via email to the leader following each conference. Leaders are able to identify conference attendees, entry/exit times and even receive a link to an mp3 file of their conference, if they recorded the call (using the *2 feature).

This service is offered as part of the reservationless service with no additional cost to the customer. If you have any customers who do not yet receive our attendance reports, simply email csr@conferencegroup.com with the account number, leader name, and the leader’s email address.
For more information on attendance reports or any other features of our reservationless service, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

How do I set up a new client?

OK… I have a client who wants a conferencing account. Now what do I do?

You can submit a client for set-up 24/7 by clicking on http://www.conferencegroup.com/forms/client.html, or visiting www.conferencegroup.com and selecting “Agent Resource Center”, then “Submit Client”.
For more information on submitting a client, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Did you know…?

The Conference Group emails every new customer you set up. About a week after mailing conference cards to new clients, we send them an email to verify they have received their conference cards via mail.

The Conference Group monitors for first time use. When your customer uses for the first time, we call each person to ensure their first experience was positive and answer any questions they may have. We may even end up sending them an additional card or 2 for other people in their office.

For more information on how the Conference Group supports your sales efforts, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

How do I order cards for existing clients?

Want to increase conferencing use for your existing clients? Offer them additional conference cards for other people in their office.

To request additional conference cards from the Conference Group, simply email us at csr@conferencegroup.com with client’s account number and the names and email addresses of the people to receive a new conference card. Your clients will receive an email with their new passcodes within 24 business hours and their new card within 3-5 business days. Do this and watch your commissions grow!

UK Local Access is Here!

You already know that the Conference Group offers one of the most comprehensive International platforms in the industry. Effective immediately, we now can provide our UK clients local access directly into a conference.

This enhancement allows a potentially more cost effective alternative for many of our UK participants, while conveying a more local perception.

If any of your clients can benefit from this newest enhancement, please contact us for more information on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

The Conference Group got a Facelift!

Have you taken a look at us lately? We have gotten a facelift… well, our website has anyway. Now, when you visit us at www.conferencegroup.com, you can access the Agent Resource Center (see previous blog entry for details), view our International toll free availability by country, and access on-line product demos. Please use our website as a tool to assist you in growing your conferencing business.

For more information on our agent program, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Use Sub-Agents to sell conferencing for you!

Do you have agents selling for you? If so, we can help you grow your agent sales with a variety of tools.

You don’t have to be a conferencing expert to effectively sell conferencing solutions. That is where we come in… Allow us to work with your agents or your clients to determine the most effective solution(s) for their specific needs. We can conduct webinars, participate in sales calls, and provide you with proposal templates to make the sales process very smooth.

To ensure effective tracking of accounts for your channel, consider setting up a unique agent code for each sub-agent. This will enable you to track commissions easily and even provide each sub-agent with a unique instant passcode link so their clients can obtain personal conference passcodes 24 hours a day.

For more information on setting up your sub-agents with all of the Conference Group’s sales tools, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

FREE “On-Demand” scheduling plug-in for Outlook

Of course most conferences are “reservationless”, but how does your client communicate meeting dates and times to her audience? Most likely via email.

The Conference Group is pleased to offer our FREE “On-Demand” scheduling plug-in for Outlook. Once this feature is downloaded, a Reservationless Conference Request button will appear on the conference leader’s Outlook toolbar. By simply clicking on the button and selecting the conference participants from the contacts list, the leader can send an Outlook event to the participants, which will auto-populate all conference access instructions. This can be used for audio conferences, web conferences, or combined web with audio events.

To learn more or to download the free “On-Demand” plug-in, click here or visit http://www.conferencegroup.com/ondemand/.

For more information on the “On-Demand” plug-in, or our agent program in general, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

We offer International Toll Free Conferencing!

The Conference Group offers one of the most comprehensive International conferencing platforms in the industry. With over 50 International Toll Free access numbers, your clients can enjoy global, reservationless, toll-free access.

If we do not offer a toll free number from a particular country, we offer the conference leaders two options: leader dial-out at new reduced rates, or operator dial-out at an additional charge. Either option ensures conference access from anywhere in the world.

For more information on our services or agent program, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Did you know about our Agent Resource Center (ARC)?

Did you know about our Agent Resource Center (ARC)? Visit www.conferencegroup.com/arc.html to see all of the resources available to our agents to assist with the sales process. Here, you will be able to submit a client to the Conference Group for new account set-up, print marketing materials and proposals, and even obtain your instant passcode links for inclusion in your website, newsletters, or emails to allow your prospects to receive conference passcodes 24/7.

For more information on our ARC, or agent program in general, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

"What are you doing for conferencing?"

The most common question I get from agents is, “How do I get my clients to use us for conferencing?” The answer is almost embarrassingly simple… ask every client, prospect, friend and foe, the following… “What are you doing for conferencing?” This simple question invariably opens a discussion around a topic, which may divulge current pains they may have with their current provider. Thus opening the door… What you are NOT likely to hear is “we really don’t do much conferencing.” Your clients are educated by now on the benefits. If you have not already done so, now is the time to get this piece of their business and further solidify your on-going relationship with them. Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact us for any assistance!

The Conference Group Pays Bi-Weekly Commissions!

Just in case you have not heard, the Conference Group pays our agents just as we pay our employees… bi-weekly. This gives you access to your hard-earned commissions faster.

For more information on our services or agent program, please contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

What can *92 do for you?

*92 activates our Blast Dial feature within a reservationless conference. To take advantage of this service, the conference leader must notify the Conference Group to enable this service and provide us with a list of names and phone numbers to include in the Blast Dial list. Once enabled, the conference leader may press *92 to initiate the dial outs to the participants.

For even faster access to the conference participants, this feature may be set to auto dial upon the leader accessing the conference (with the leader passcode).
For more information on this service, or to activate this feature for any of your existing customers, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Be Our Guest…attend our Coffee Break Training Seminar

Grab your coffee cup and join us for a training seminar to fully experience our services through an interactive demo with our Channel Manager. You will be automatically registered to win a $100 American Express Gift Card!

March 19th from 2-3 PM EST

Topics to be discussed include:
Our Portfolio of Services
The tools we provide to help grow your business
Your potential revenue

To register, click Here.

Only 5 days until the "unveiling" of our new service!

Visit us in Vegas and see the "unveiling" of our new service!

The countdown has begun... only 5 days until our newest service is unveiled. If you will be in Las Vegas for the Channel Partners Conference and Expo from 3/10 to 3/12, stop by Booth 1636 to see it for yourself. If you still need hall passes, contact us right away!
As always, you can call us at 877-716-8255 with any questions!

Visit us in Vegas and see the "unveiling" of our new service!

Remember, The Conference Group will be at Booth #1636 at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo at the Rio in Las Vegas from 3/10 to 3/12. If you need hall passes for this show, click here and provide your contact information.

This year will be our biggest year yet, as we will be unveiling a brand new service that is sure to get your attention (and make you additional revenue). Make sure you make it a point to stop by to see the “unveiling” for yourself. You will be glad you did.
If you can’t make it out to Vegas, click here and include your contact information. We will be sure to contact you following the conference with all of the details! Unfortunately details will not be released until after the conference. As always, you can call us at 877-716-8255 to be added to the list as well. Until then…!

Come visit us in Nashville or Vegas!

If you are planning on attending the Comptel conference in Nashville from 2/24 - 2/27, please plan on stopping by Booth #720 to hear the latest developments available from The Conference Group. If you would like to go, but need FREE expo hall passes, click here and provide your contact information.

If Nashville isn’t your thing, not to worry… We will also be in Booth #1636 at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo at the Rio in Las Vegas from 3/10 to 3/12. If you need hall passes for this show, click here and provide your contact information.
We hope to see you at one of these conferences. If you cannot make them, feel free to contact us anytime to discuss your conferencing needs at 877-716-8255. Kristin, Brenda, or Greg would be happy to help!

Are you taking advantage of the Conference Group’s Instant Passcode System?

You can literally put your conference call set-up process on auto-pilot. Our instant passcode link enables your customers to set up their own account, enter a credit card for payment, and obtain passcodes in real time. They can be on a conference in minutes. No more waiting for someone else to set up the account and send passcodes.

A perfect example of the power of this system occurred just last night. We received a call after normal business hours from a prospective client. She needed her account set up immediately for a conference call this morning. After identifying which agent referred her to the Conference Group, we emailed her that agent’s link (with the agent ID embedded). She was able to receive her passcodes last night and have her call this morning. When I checked my email this morning, she had sent a note over indicating how pleased she was with the efficiency of our set-up process.

How can you maximize your benefit from this e-commerce tool?

Simple. Include the Instant Passcode Link in all of your customer communications, including your website, email signature line, blogs, and newsletters.

To get your link, simply click here and provide your agent ID. We will have the link to you within a few hours. If you do not have an Agent ID yet or are unsure of your ID, please click here and provide your contact information.

As always, do not hesitate to contact Kristin, Brenda, or me (Greg) with any questions at 877-716-8255.

How do the Reservationless Features work?

The Conference Group’s reservationless conferences can be customized to meet the varied needs of your customers. The options desired may be selected on our Client Submission form. The settings that may be modified for each conference include the following:

Number of Lines [Default is 20] - The number of people that can be on a call at one time. This field can be set for up to 99 lines.

Music/Security [Default is ON] - When turned ON, participants dialing in will hear music playing and will not be able to communicate until the leader dials in. When turned OFF, participants will be able to communicate without a leader being in the call.

Name Record [Default is OFF] - After participants enter their passcode they are prompted to say their name followed by the #. The recorded name is then played into the conference and stored for playback during the conference.

Entrance/Exit Tones [Default is ON] - Participants in the conference will hear a single ding when someone enters the conference and a double ding when someone leaves.

Leader Hang-up [Default is ON] - When the leader hangs up the phone, everyone gets disconnected.

Leader Billing Code [Default is OFF] - A leader generated number that appears on the invoice for client tracking purposes.

Attendance Report with FREE recording link [Default is ON] - After a call has been completed, an email report will be sent to the address on file with information about the call. If the leader starts a recording then there will be a link in the email to that recording. Click on the link and the recording will stream. The recording will be available to stream for 30 days from the date of recording. To download the file, save it on your computer through Windows Media Player®.

Use your demo account for prospective clients!

The Conference Group provides our agents with a monthly credit up to $50 on a demo account to offset any costs associated with demonstrating our services with your prospects. This credit can be applied to reservationless service, operator assisted service, and even ReadyShow® web conferencing. For more information on your agent demo account with monthly $50 credit, please contact us at agents@conferencegroup.com.

Setting up an account is easy!

Setting up an account couldn’t be easier… We provide you with a few different tools to set up your customers for conferencing:

1. Agent Submission: Click on the following link, http://www.conferencegroup.com/forms/client.html. Here you complete your client’s contact and pricing information.

2. Customer Sign-up (Instant Passcodes): You can place the following link on your website or in your email signature to allow your customers to complete their own request and receive their passcodes instantly! (Note: a credit card is required for this link) https://www.conferencegroup.com/InstantPasscode/NewAcct.aspx?XXXX-XXXX (The XXXX-XXXX must be replaced with your Agent ID to ensure you receive credit for the account).

3. Customer Sign-up (Invoiced Monthly): The following link will allow your customers to sign up for an account and still enjoy the benefit of a monthly invoice, rather than credit card billing. https://www.conferencegroup.com/forms/customer.html?XXXX-XXXX (The XXXX-XXXX must be replaced with your Agent ID to ensure you receive credit for the account).

You can also click on the “Submit a Client” link at the bottom of this page to submit a client immediately.

FREE Account Set-Up

Did you ever wonder how you can add incremental income from your current customer base? Consider offering a complementary, as in FREE, conference account for your new customers to use. There is no charge to set up a reservationless conferencing account with the Conference Group. Your customer will only be billed for their usage at the rate you determine. To submit a client to us for set up, visit http://www.conferencegroup.com/forms/client.html, or click on the “Submit a Client” link at the bottom of this page.

Announcing the Conference Group's New Blog!

Welcome to the Conference Group’s new blog. Here you can expect to learn about our latest product developments, marketing tips and online tools available to help you build your conferencing business.

Our blog will be updated mid-week in the mid to late morning hour (depending on your time zone) – right about the time you would be reaching for your coffee cup.

The title “Conference Group Coffee Break” signifies the relaxed, yet productive atmosphere we are hoping to cultivate for our readers. We welcome feedback on our entries and will respond in a timely fashion. Also, you will be able to access the Agent Resource Center (ARC), our online agent portal, as well as the link to submit a client to the Conference Group.

Here’s to a successful and happy 2008 with all of our sales partners… Cheers!