Holiday Greetings from the Conference Group!

Happy Holidays!

The Conference Group wishes you and your families Happy Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

We appreciate your business and look forward to your continued success in 2010 and beyond.

Warmest Holiday Wishes,

Greg, Kristin and the Conference Group Support Team

Where have we been?

As much as it pains me to consider the thought that this blog may not be read by the masses of telecommunications professionals that belong to my target audience, I do know that at least a handful of you take the time to read my attempts at providing an arguably-witty perspective. This handful of loyal readers may have noticed that it has been several weeks since my last post, which begs the question…“where have we been?” Get your coffee and pull up a chair…

As we all know, fall represents a great time in our industry… one of increased activity and ultimately (and hopefully) more revenue. It also means tradeshows and travel… the old fashioned kind… on a plane. Who would have ever thought the concept of flying thru the air at 35,000 feet would ever be referred to as “old-fashioned”? (more on this later).

This fall took me to Los Angeles (sorry Angels fans…. I was rooting for you to be the recipient of a Phillies beating in the series) and Miami for conferences. “Wow! That sounds like so much fun!” you might be thinking to yourself. Sure it does. And there are parts of these excursions that truly are memorable and irreplaceable. There really is no better place to drink a $25 Mojito than on the strip along South Beach.

Just for fun, let’s revisit the Miami trip for just a few minutes…my travels to Miami started in the usual way, driving to the airport in Philly, but then, heaven forbid, I had to park! My journey to find a simple 8 ft x 12 ft piece of concrete real estate (nothing fancy, mind you) was nothing short of an adventure… This was not your ordinary airport parking lot experience, though. The folks that oversee airport parking lot maintenance felt it a good idea to block entire levels of Garage B (a personal favorite). After driving around, examining every nook of the open levels (with the assistance of the new electronic signage that tells you how many spots in that row are open… operating on what must be a 12 hour delay) I was left no choice but to exit and bother the exit toll booth person to ask his advice. “The only spots left in the entire parking facility are in Garage E”, he offered. (Garage E? Where is that… Pittsburgh?). To get to Garage E, I had to leave the airport, get back on the Interstate and try again… Apparently the staffers were also operating with the same 12-hour delay as the electronic signs… not one available spot in Garage E. At this point, I am faced with the following options: sit and wait for someone to leave, which never seems to happen in airports even though most flights are round trip, visit with my toll booth friend again for updated 12-hour old information on spot availability, or cruise the garage in hopes of a miracle. I decided to go Rambo and venture into an area that was blocked by saw horses. When I turned the corner, I discovered a completely wide open level with a few other mavericks parked right by the elevator… “thank you, God!”

In the interest of time, I will now cut to the return trip and leave the possibilities for South Beach activities to your imagination…

When attempting to check-in and print my boarding pass at the hotel, the system informed me that it was unable to print my boarding pass. Knowing full well that my driver’s license and a smile alone would not get me onto that plane, I planned to use the self-serve kiosks to print my boarding pass. No big deal, right? Right…? Not so much…

Apparently the 2 kiosks USAir set up for passengers to serve themselves were inoperable. The great news is that we (i.e. those of us waiting in the kiosk line… waiting for the one passenger to hurry up and get his passes and/or the repairman to finish with the other one) were not informed that these machines were down. I did what any of us, that is once we are getting dangerously close to boarding time, would do. I approached a human behind the counter for assistance. I was met with a bark that instructed me to get in line…. THE line. The one comprised of dozens of luggage-checking passengers snaked back and forth, for what may as well have been a mile. The bark was replaced with indifference when I assured her that I, along with any others bound for Philly, would surely miss our flight.

Ten precious minutes later, the counter watchdog realized the error of her ways and announced that she would accept anyone heading to Philly for immediate check-in. After receiving the piece of paper that would allow me to see my wife and kids in person, she added “you better run… they will not hold the plane!” Remember the old O.J. Simpson? He had nothing on me that day…

Would you be surprised if I said the overhead bins required some “elfen-magic” (my thanks to Jack Zoblin, my esteemed colleague, for stepping in and taking charge of the overhead situation) to accommodate my small carry-on, or that we sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes before being allowed to take flight? Don’t be…

At this point, I am going to wind down this novel account and let you get back to your work (if you actually made it this far in this post). As we all know, there is no replacement for live interaction with colleagues and clients. These personal appearances, with all of their niceties, can be complemented by the occasional web or video conference. While you can’t “reach out and touch someone”, you can at least “boot up and see them”.

Now you know where we have been…

For more information on the Conference Group’s video and web conferencing solutions, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

The Conference Group's Greg Plum Named to Industry Advisory Board

The Conference Group, a full-service audio, Web and video conferencing service provider, recently announced that Greg Plum (News - Alert), director of channel development, was recently named to a joint advisory board for a publication focused on the telecommunications industry.

The board includes 17 members of the channel community including independent agents, subagents, master agents, VARs, dealers/interconnects, hardware/software vendors, resellers and carriers. Each member will serve a one-year term.

The Conference Group (News - Alert), a company that focuses on Web-based collaboration solutions, is the only conferencing service provider represented on the board, company officials said.

“We are honored to serve on the board, which is comprised of industry leaders,” Plum, told TMCnet in an interview. “The fact that The Conference Group is included is a testament to our efforts over the past decade to build a reputation on quality service and support.”

The goal behind the advisory board is to offer topics that are paramount in the minds of today's telecommunications agents and resellers, Plum said. As a board member, The Conference Group will work with the publication to ensure its content and programs for its annual conference are meaningful to the communications channel. The company will also serve as a regular contributor to the publication’s blog and an online community at LinkedIn.

The appointment highlights The Conference Group as one of the industry leaders, Plum said.

“We are recognized as an integral provider in the conferencing space,” he said. “This is an honor that we do not take lightly.”

The Conference Group is one of the more widely-known service providers that offer on-demand, “reservationless” audio, Web and videoconferencing services on one platform. The services are also available as standalone solutions.

Companies are increasingly using conferencing services to give employees the chance to hold live, “face-to-face” meetings with partners, customers, prospects and investors, even though they are miles apart. The technology also aids collaboration between employees, teams, departments and division heads who are in geographically-dispersed locations.

To help entice more organizations to adopt conferencing services, The Conference Group is offering certain incentives to boost business. For example, the company introduced a 1,000-seat user license of its ReadyShow Web conferencing with unlimited access for flat rate of $99 per month solution.

The new rate comes at a time when companies are increasingly using online communications to conduct business. The ReadyShow service offers a host of features, including chatting, slide pushing, polling and streaming video for a flat fee. The platform also lets companies conduct Web tours, demonstrate Web services, or tap online content during presentations. Users can also share desktop applications for software demonstrations and training.

Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering unified communications, telepresence, IP communications industry trends and mobile technologies. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Back to School… The most wonderful time of the year?

It is that time of year again… airing the old (but timeless) Staples commercial with the Dad prancing around the aisles of Staples to the Andy Williams’ classic while his kids look on with dejected faces and shoulders hung low. Have you seen it?

This is the first year my kids were old enough (or cared enough) to grasp the concept of the commercial. My 8 year old son turned to me and said, “Is that really how you feel?” No way! I love the quiet mornings around the house planning for my day and conjuring up ideas to get you excited to sell conferencing. These quiet mornings are about to be replaced with lunch packing, breakfast making, teeth brushing, and carcass chauffeuring to school.

With each passing year, I am more and more reluctant to put away my flip-flops and break out the requisite sweaters to face our mid-Atlantic Autumn days… (Just for the record, as you are reading this, sand is between my toes as I milk this Summer for all it is worth)

The good news is that as the days get shorter, conference calls get longer (and more frequent)! September invariably marks a period of increased conferencing activity. As an agent, now is the time to prepare for the impending spike in need. Why not reach out to your client base, tell them how you feel about back to school, and see if you can help them with their conferencing needs?

For conferencing folk like myself, maybe this really is the most wonderful time of the year…

For more information on the Conference Group, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

The virtual puppy dog…

OK, we are all familiar with the tactic known as the “puppy-dog sale”, which gives a prospect the ability to fall hopelessly in love with your offering, be it a puppy dog, or a Porsche. So much so, they never even consider relinquishing control of their newly-acquired trinket.

In this vein, we are offering you the ability to hook your prospects with a little puppy dog of your own - only this pooch will never get fleas… “Man’s best friend” takes the form of a free trial of ReadyShow® Web and ReadyShow® Video. The process is simple… to request a trial account, click here and provide us with your clients’ contact information (you can even include a list of clients in this one request), and the service for which the trial is requested. We will have their trial account set up and in their hands in less than 24 hours.

This is a great way to offer value to your customer and quite possibly increase your revenue from your existing relationships. After all, who does not love puppy dogs?

For more information on ReadyShow® Web, ReadyShow® Video, or to set up a demo of either, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

What can you get for $99?

How about 1000 participants on a conference? How about 1000 participants on a conference every day for a month?

It’s true. The Conference Group has introduced a 1000-seat user license with a suggested retail price of $99 per month. Conference hosts will enjoy all that ReadyShow® Web has to offer, including slide pushing, application sharing, chatting, polling, and even video streaming of the host… all for a flat monthly fee of $99 per month. Audio bridging charges are additional and options range from reservationless access to dedicated full-time operator assisted service, depending on the size of the event and level of support desired.

With this plan, your client would save just over $3,500 each month if they conducted 1 weekly, 60-minute, 100 participant conference and paid on a per minute basis, at a suggested retail price of $0.15 per minute. I did the math twice to make sure since the savings was so drastic…

If you have been looking for something to “go back to the well” with… this is it!

For more information on ReadyShow® Web, or to set up a demo of the service, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Just Released: FREE Web Recording!

Effective immediately, the Conference Group has waived the fee associated with recording a ReadyShow® Web Conference. Your clients can continue to record their events, with the audio and visuals synchronized, download the Flash file immediately following the event, and host the file on their website within minutes. The only difference is that now this functionality is provided free of charge. Of course, the normal per minute fees (or flat rate subscription fees) still apply.

For more information on ReadyShow® Web, or to set up a demo of the service, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Celebrating Independence

My hat is off to you… members of our agent community for what you do every day as an “independent” agent. This independence results in a great deal of freedom, but not without consequence. As you are keenly aware, the price of your freedom is the responsibility to perform your duties consistently and to the best of your ability to ensure your livelihood is protected.

We are honored that, while exercising your independence, you have turned to the Conference Group as a trusted partner to help you achieve your financial goals. Thank you for your continued faith in our services and support.

Have a very happy and restful Independence Day!

By the way… keep an eye out for next week’s installment as we are announcing the elimination of a fee that is sure to result in incremental business for both of us!

For more information on the Conference Group, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Integrity

When sitting down to come up with a topic for this week’s installment of our blog, several product features came to mind, but the one concept that kept overshadowing the latest and greatest conference calling features is a simple, but universal concept… Integrity.

Just moments ago, I finished a telephone meeting with an esteemed colleague on our latest marketing campaign to appeal to current and new agents. He confirmed my hunch that today’s agents need to trust their vendors implicitly, as we are their lifeline to their livelihood… their commission!

Rather than put the concept of Integrity to the side while I wrote this blog entry, I decided to embrace it…

As we all know, competition is fierce, price compression is a reality and ethical conduct can be tested in a challenging economic climate. It is during these very times that relying on the most basic of values proves to be invaluable. “Integrity”, according to Encarta is “the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards”. This is what you want… what you NEED from those with whom you choose to do business.

Everyday, we are faced with business decisions relating to current or prospective business opportunities. How do we make these decisions? Simple… we do what is right. While there are many roads that can be taken in a decision process, more often than not, there is a right way of doing business, and one that, well… not so much.

One thing that you can be sure of when working with the Conference Group is how we do business. We invariably opt for the “high road”. There is simply no substitute for integrity. Those who know us know that I am speaking from experience. For those that just know of us, we welcome the opportunity to work with you to help you build your conferencing business.

For more information on the Conference Group, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Got International Conferencing?

You do if you turn to the Conference Group for your conferencing needs. We provide toll-free access to our service from approximately 60 different countries worldwide.

Your international clients will enjoy the same benefits as their American counterparts… free recordings, UBlast for large scale dial-outs, and attendance reports following each conference call.

The next time one of your clients says “can you provide conferencing access for our office in Luxembourg”, you can ask them how they want it… dial-in or dial-out… We got you covered!

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

Conference Viewer available for Full-Time Operator Calls

Of course you know all about the Cadillac of conferencing services… the full-time operator service. But, here we offer a twist… or actually more of an enhancement…

With Conference Viewer, the conference host is able to view the Q&A queue during a full-time operator call in real time… and even have the ability to manipulate the queue by changing the order of participants in the queue, or removing them from the queue. This added service gives our customers more control while still maintaining a professional operator-facilitated Q&A session.

What does this beautiful hood ornament of features add to the cost of the Cadillac? Nada. This is included in the cost of the full-time operator service. Tell all of your friends (or even better… clients) about the Conference Group’s Conference Viewer and start taking orders.

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

You have a $50.00 demo account!

"Try it…you’ll like it!” Remember that famous tag line? For the life of me I cannot recall the product that went along with this slogan in the 1970’s ad campaign, but it kept ringing in my head as I was thinking about the latest installment of our blog…

The Conference Group gives you, our agent, one of our most valued resources, the ability to use our services at no cost. Each month, we credit up to $50 toward any of our services including audio conferencing, ReadyShow® Web, or ReadyShow® Video.

We encourage you to take us up on our offer and use this credit to demo our services, or even offer a free trial (obviously up to the $50 credit amount) to your prospects to seal the deal. This will give them the ability to experience the quality of our bridging service for themselves. We are sure that once they try us, they will like us!

OK… I couldn’t take it, so I Googled the slogan and what did it reveal? Alka-Seltzer! Having used the stuff myself countless times since the 70’s, I dare say that you will like our service even more!

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

Need to Get 50 people on a bridge… STAT?

Not all reservationless accounts are created equal…

The Conference Group has done it again… this time with a proprietary web interface that will allow a conference leader to create and maintain a list of conference attendees for automatic dial-out. What is this little gem? “UBlast”

Here is how it works: Ask us for a UBlast login… you can do this by clicking here or calling the number below. Go to http://www.conferencegroup.com/ublast and enter your login information. Upon entry, you will see a page that looks like this:

From here, you can add, delete, or modify your dial-out list. You can also set you list to “Auto-Dial” your list immediately upon entering the conference as a leader. If “Manual Dial” is selected, the leader would press *92 on the telephone keypad to initiate the blast dial-out.

When UBlast in invoked, your participants’ phone will ring and they will be prompted to press 1 on their telephone keypad to enter their conference… no passcode needed!

Now you can literally get your audience on the bridge in seconds by merely entering your conference as a leader. A leader dial-out authorization form must be signed by the account contact person.

How much does all of this power cost? Nada! It is included as one of our many features of our reservationless service. We told you not all reservationless accounts were created equal!

For more information on UBlast, or anything else conferencing related, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

“On-Demand” Outlook Plug-in

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 know what you did in Vegas…

This year’s Channel Partners Conference and Expo was again a huge success. Not only did we have fun visiting with our current agents, we met quite a few prospective agents who liked what they saw in the Conference Group.

While our own Greg Plum was a finalist up for the honor of the 2009 Channel Executive of the Year, the award went to Sherman Henderson of Lightyear Network Solutions, an industry veteran who is very deserving of the award. Congratulations Sherm!

We created a bit of a stir (as we like to do) this year. Our booth actually made it from the FedEx office to the Rio… so we were off to a good start!

To keep things interesting, we had a Guitar Hero® contest. The winner took home a Wii™ Game System and Guitar Hero® Aerosmith®. Congratulations to our winner, Chris Whittelsey of NBC Solutions Corporation! It was a close battle against Mark Anderson of Complete Communications, Inc. in the final playoff. Judging by the pictures, it sure seemed that everyone was having a good time rockin’ with Aerosmith®!

Between song sets, we did actually get the chance to discuss some of our latest offerings to the channel, including, of course ReadyShow® Video and our international toll-free platform. Stay tuned for more updates on services just being released.

For more information on the conference, or anything conferencing related, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Vegas…. Here We Come!

The 2009 Spring Channel Partners Conference and Expo starts in just a few days. Of course, the Conference Group will be on hand to shake hands and kiss babies. If you will be at this year’s conference, stop by booth #1306 and try your hand at our top-secret contest. You are guaranteed to walk away with a smile on your face and information on the latest and greatest offered by the Conference Group!

For more information on the conference, or anything conferencing related, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

The Conference Group in USA Today and LAST CALL for your Vote!

The Conference Group is a featured company in Media Planet’s February 2009 advertising supplement, “Web & Video Conferencing…Your guide to the Future of Meetings.” The issue appeared in the USA Today in several major markets across the US.

The polls are closing this week! If you have not yet cast your vote for the Conference Group as your favorite conferencing company, please do it now! It will only take about 2 minutes… promise! Click here to vote now!

For more information on the Conference Group, our services, or our agent program, call us on 877-716-8255 or email agents@conferencegroup.com.

If you Count on Us…Can we Count on You?

As we are sure you are keenly aware, it is that time of year where your faithful vendors hit you up to vote for them in the annual Telecom Association Member’s Choice Awards. As you also know, we are no exception…!

How are we doing? If the answer to that question is something we want to hear, please take just a minute of your time to vote for the Conference Group as your favorite conferencing provider. If it is not something we want to hear, we definitely want to hear from you on how we can improve! Your input will be directed to Greg Plum for immediate review.

Simply click here to vote for the Conference Group as your choice of conferencing vendors. Thank you!

If you have any questions about any of our programs, call us on 877-716-8255 or email agents@conferencegroup.com.

Vegas…. Here We Come!

The 2009 Spring Channel Partners Conference and Expo is almost upon us. Of course, the Conference Group will be on hand to shake hands and kiss babies. If you will be at this year’s conference, please stop by booth #1306 and say “Hello”!

If you need free expo hall passes, let us know… we can certainly hook you up. We look forward to seeing everyone once again!

For more information on the conference, or anything conferencing related, contact us on 877-716-8255 or agents@conferencegroup.com.

Celebrate the Inauguration with one more Vote!

It is that time of year to flex your democratic (or republican or independent or green or…) muscle and vote for your favorite telecom vendors.

As you know, we take great pride in the relationships we have forged over the years with our agents and resellers. Truth of the matter is that without you… I would not have a job!
Our agent and reseller program has grown steadily over the past 10 years through efforts of just about everyone receiving this message.
How are we doing? If you have benefited from our agent program (and are not ashamed to admit it!), please take just a minute of your time to vote for the Conference Group as your favorite conferencing provider.

Simply click here to vote for the Conference Group as your choice of conferencing vendors. Thank you!

If you have any questions about any of our programs or need to reach Greg for a campaign favor (just kidding), call us on 877-716-8255 or email agents@conferencegroup.com.

Self-Registration

Want to empower your clients? Now you can with the Conference Group’s Self-Registration service…

When a client schedules an operator-assisted conference (which, by the way, is one of the services where we outshine most of the pack), we can provide them with a link to distribute to their intended audience. Each participant clicks on the link and completes the form. Upon submission, the registrant is immediately provided with all conference access instructions, including a unique PIN code.

To see a more detailed overview of this service, please click here.

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

Not all Instant Passcode Systems were Created Equal

It has recently come to my attention, thanks to one of our astute agents, that our Instant Passcode Link is quite unique. While many claim to offer instant account sign-up, you may want to take a closer look…

Our link does not merely send us an email alerting us to the fact that a prospective customer is interested in setting up an account - or even set up an account and pend for management approval. When your customer clicks on the Conference Group’s Instant Passcode link, the following happens quicker than you can say “Barack Obama”…

1. Credit card is authorized
2. Conference is scheduled on the bridge
3. Confirmation page appears with the access instructions
4. Email with access instructions is sent to your customer
5. Customer can dial into the bridge and conduct the call

Simple as that! Harness the power of real instant account set-up. You can include the link in an email campaign, newsletter, your website, etc. You get the picture. Of course, all sign-ups are tracked back to your agent ID for commission purposes.

To take a look, click here to see a sample page. Not all “real-time” or “instant” account set-up procedures are the same. For a true instantaneous passcode provisioning, it has to be the Conference Group.

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

Happy New Year!