...It Just Got Real!

H.R 2643- it’s getting real ya’ll!  :) 

Not often do you find me discussing politics since it’s a very touchy subject, but in the news this week, there was an interesting article on Govermentvideo.com, discussing the importance of video conferencing and spending.  http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/house-bill-seeks-to-increase-us-agencies%E2%80%99-use-of-video-conferencing/114593

The  house bill “Stay in Place, cut the waste” has been introduced (H.R 2643) that is requesting the director of the OMB to review how much the federal agency has reduced travel expenses by the use of Video Conferencing as directed by the existing President and OMB orders and as required by the Federal Law.   Furthermore, a bill already in place requires by fiscal year 2017, for Video Conferencing to achieve a 50% reduction in travel from year 2013.

What does this mean for you, our agents and of course your customers?  Long distance communication is a critical factor for many modern organizations, which must efficiently connect with virtual teams and remote workers on a timely basis. Face-to-face meetings just don't make much sense, when employees or clients are located hundreds or thousands of miles away. When businesses need a cost-effective way to bring everyone together, video conferencing offers the perfect solution. By removing the need for travel, this modern way of doing business lowers overhead, while also increasing efficiency by offering quicker results. In short: video conferencing helps organizations save money.  With our Mega Meeting and Vidyo products, you have two choices of video conferencing that can fit the need of your client.   Need to video blast out to 200 people?  Mega Meeting can accomplish this!  Need to have HD video for medical demonstrations?  Vidyo accomplishes that!   

Call me today to discuss your opportunity and let’s get a demo out to your client!

- Caroline 
the Conference Group
crogers@conferencegroup.com 
877-716-8255 x 78253

NEW Conference Group Online Billing Center!

You've heard it before, but we will say it again "We're Easy"!

Effective this month, clients are now able to pay their bill online with our new Billing Center.  If they received an invoice this month, they saw the below notice on their invoice.  If not, they will be receiving an email letting them know it is available.

Features include:

Pay bill immediately online via major credit card or checking account (eCheck)

Manage payment options securely

Schedule one-time or reoccurring payments Search and review previous bill history

All clients wanting to use the Conference Group Billing Center must register at https://www.conferenceinvoice.com/login/Register.aspx. 

Along with our new bill pay option TCG will also be sending out monthly past due emails.  This friendly email will go out to your client the 15th of each month for those that are over 30 days past due.  The email will include convenient  links for paying online.  The first of these emails was sent out June 18th. 

Any questions you can contact me or billing@conferencegroup.com.

Caroline Rogers

Channel Manager

302-530-1666

How Are You Doing With SEO?

Occasionally I get calls from our agents who want to know how we are doing with SEO (search engine optimization) and how we drive business to our site...  Well, here's what I think!

First, if it wasn’t for our brilliant Marketing team, we’d be lost!   Luckily, this is a part of the business that I don’t run, and for good reason!  However, we can help you keep your content fresh and new for your clients with the Conference Group social media channels!  That's right, I'm talking about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube!  If you are not currently following us on these networks, you may want to.  Agents can keep on top of everything going on at the Conference Group from new product releases to free giveaways!  As well as upgrades to services, sneak peeks of what's to come, TCG blog posts, how-to videos, charity events, new promotions, where we going (ex: trade shows, exhibits, conferences etc.) and just about anything you ever wanted to know about us and our team.  (Besides my blog of course!) Much of this content should be things that your clients are also interested in, so please share, like, retweet, +1, comment, post, email or any other type of action that would allow you to share our information with your clients. If nothing else, this will help you have more to talk about with your clients.

With that said, we’ve also added a new section to our website - Testimonials.  Our clients are always talking about how great we are, so why not let others hear it too!   http://www.conferencegroup.com/about-us/testimonials.aspx!

Summer is upon us and many of you will be taking a small break to join the family in vacation and holidays- don’t forget your video conferencing!  You can always stay in touch with your clients and potential clients, even if you're at the beach or the mountains!  :)

- Caroline

877-716-8255 x78253

or Twitter @tcgchannel

Are You Tired of Hearing About Video Conferencing Yet?

Are you tired of me talking about video conferencing yet?  As much as I would like to be discussing the NBA play-offs (I’m a Bull’s fan) it’s not making me nor you any  $$… but what is?  Video!

If you got the latest addition of Conferencing News, you would see that it’s heavily covering video conferencing.  Looking out about 6-12 months is when the video world is going to explode.   What is causing this shift?

           1.  BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)- there’s that word again.  I’ve mentioned it many times. IT departments are digging BYOD.  People are now accustomed to having technical solutions at home, they are use to desktop solutions and apps.  IT departments are positively responding to features such as forward facing cameras.  This makes video conferencing an attractive prospect for enhancing BYOD.

           2.  Collaboration- it’s here.  It’s no longer a buzz word.  People are now sharing as well as collaborating.  In the past, people would speak on the phone and then follow up on email.  Today- this is happening together.  This shift is due to the fact that people are naturally collaborating in their personal lives.  We now use desktop and mobile video conferencing to chat, share internet links, photos, collaborate on documents, etc.  Video Conferencing allows a platform for these team collaboration spaces to take place and businesses are realizing they are effective, productive, efficient and convenient.  

       3.  Interop, Interop, Interop- there’s this word again too….. The video conferencing industry has always been particularly closed forcing businesses to commit to one vendor for long periods of time… that is gone!  Barriers are being broken by the convergence of telecom.  Businesses seek non-proprietary open solutions.  What this means is today, video is a thing you do vs. being a place you’d go to.  (like a conference room).

Agents, do you realize you can give your prospect free demo for a 7 days?  Let’s put these products in their hands, let them test drive.   Give me a call.  877-716-8255 x78253

-          Caroline

Video Conferencing, The New Audio?

This week in Conference News there was an article that was published about how video conferencing is becoming the new audio conferencing. http://www.conferencingnews.com/news/47742.   As you are aware, we sell a couple of video conferencing solutions.   One question you may have is “how do you sell it”?

Self-engage:  The first step in the selling process is to position your company as an early adapter.  Possession is 9/10 of ownership!  You and your team need to fully understand the benefits and challenges of video conferencing.  More importantly it positions you as a credible authority.  The Conference Group, as discussed last week offers our agents a $50.00 credit for the use of our products.

Seeing is believing: Increase your customers comfort level by communications with a video conferencing package.  In other words, get your customer on a system as a demo!  TCG offers demo to potential clients for a week.  USE this!   Studies show that putting the product in the hands of a customer increased sales 30%!

Your company should position video conferencing as a market differentiator; adding video conferencing will differentiate you from your competitor.   Telepresence highlights make it a nice alternative to a traditional conference call:

• Less business travel
• Increased communications
• Ability to communication across many dispersed areas
• Greater executive availability allowing more time to concentrate on business growth.

Contact me for your $50.00 credit and ask me how we can set up demo’s for your clients!

- Caroline Rogers

crogers@conferencegroup.com

877-716-8255 x 78253

Fifty Dolla Make You Holla!!

In today’s economy $50.00 doesn’t get you far.  You can buy a pair of headphones, maybe a charger for your Iphone or Ipad, possibly a tank of gas.  But did you know that 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, Lotus Live Web, MegaMeeting or Vidyo Conferencing. 

We encourage you to take us up on our offer and use this credit to demo our audio conferencing, web conferencing, and video conferencing services or even offer a free trial of MegaMeeting or Lotus Live 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!  Contact Caroline Rogers at 302-530-1666 or caroline.rogers@conferencegroup.com for more information on this credit.

The Anatomy of a Virtual Meeting

The Anatomy of a Virtual Meeting

Like the human body, a conference call will only function at top capacity when all organs, limbs, and brain power are in sync. Whether you use client controlled features or have our support professionals administer software operations, for smooth running, every element of your webinar, audio, or video conference serves a vital role.

The speaker or person facilitating the virtual experience is essentially the “brain” power, transferring information to the limbs and giving corporal commands. The “head” is responsible for maintaining timing, creating decent content, and interacting with the participants.

When you lead a webinar, think beginning, middle, and end.

First and foremost, know which of our features are applicable to your goal. Emphasize from the beginning if you want feedback, encourage them to use certain technology “lifelines” for communication throughout the meeting, and decide if your ending will be open to Q&A time or maybe an invitation to email inquiries.

Attendees may take advantage of our interactivity options; this is especially beneficial when the group is large. Live voices, back and forth, can be impractical. When this is the case, invite members to use technology solutions: email, live chat, or IM. As for the one spearheading, use these aids to your benefit.

•           Participant Greeting & Screening

•           Dedicated Operator

•           Toll-free Access

Prior to the conference, figure out how many will be attending. This is important because groups with more than 125 participants may require additional lines. When setting up, dial in 5-10 minutes earlier using the Leader Code provided on the back of your card and decide if your meeting should be recorded.

We guarantee 24/7 assistance to ensure your virtual experience is optimum, but maintaining transparency with your attendees by communicating our feature availabilities to them will make for smooth anatomical function.