More Productive Conference Calls in 10 Simple Steps

BEAVERTON, Ore., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Studies have shown that employees can spend five hours or more each week in meetings and most of those are unproductive.(1) For small businesses, meetings with clients, prospects, vendors and staff members are a way of life. However, there is hope, Denise O'Berry, small- to medium-sized business (SMB) expert, recommends scheduling conference calls as opposed to in-person meetings. Instead of expensive business trips, workers can simply pick up the telephone as a great way to streamline schedules and maximize time. Obviously, conference calls can help span geography and allow employees to pack more in to a day than if they attended in-person meetings, but are conference calls more effective? Please visit www.telephones.att.com/smb for an article containing in-depth insights from O'Berry regarding this question.

"Small businesses have so much to do within a limited budget. Therefore substituting conference calls for in-person meetings is an easy way to save time and money, ensuring efficient communication with all the key audiences," said O'Berry, SMB blogger and author of Small Business Cash Flow: Strategies for Making Your Business a Financial Success.  "The key to successful conference calls is much the same as any business initiative -- to plan your work and work your plan.  Make sure you have a specific purpose for each conference call and make sure you hit your goal every time."

Conference Call Tips:

No one wants to sit on a conference call that is a waste of time. With proper planning, the right communication tools and staying on task, conference calls can be an important step to help SMBs continue to grow and move their businesses forward.  For instance, one of the most important steps to a successful conference call doesn't even take place on the telephone, but in the follow up after the call.  Distributing a short summary of the call and any outstanding matters is often a lost art in business today, and yet can be crucial to help ensure action items are carried out.  The following is a snapshot of O'Berry's conference call tips:

1. Prepare an agenda
2. Identify required participants
3. Send the agenda to all participants
4. Make sure you have the right equipment
5. Introduce the participants
6. Set some ground rules
7. Follow the agenda
8. Take notes
9. Close out the meeting properly
10. Distribute call summary to participants

O'Berry's article on maximizing the effectiveness of conference calls is the first of many tools that Advanced American Telephones has planned to help small businesses communicate.  As part of this effort, Advanced American Telephones, which manufactures AT&T-branded home and office telephones under a license agreement with AT&T Intellectual Property, is helping build awareness for these tools at www.telephones.att.com/smb through a special Twitter profile (follow us at: SMBTelephony) and YouTube channel (check out the latest videos at: SMBTelephony).  

It Starts with the Right Equipment

AT&T telephony products meet the needs of SMB customers across multiple industries, enabling advanced communication solutions that provide higher value than competing devices.  

• Synapse™ Business Phone System: Providing up to 50 extensions with easy installation and management, this system is scalable from one to 16 outside lines, expanding as the business grows, without adding unnecessary expenses. Plus, it offers the option to add accessory cordless handsets, so employees can enjoy mobility in larger work environments.
• SynJ™ Extended Range Phone System: SMB employees work in a variety of places -- from small offices to large warehouses. The SynJ extendable range phone system provides cordless handset extensions, Push-to-Talk functionality, up to a half mile of extended range (2) (using DECT 6.0 repeaters) and mobile page and conferencing. 
• Cordless Headsets:  It is easier than ever to go hands-free at work with AT&T's light and comfortable cordless headsets. Ultra-convenient with multiple wearing styles, these headsets allow employees the opportunity to multitask and go farther from the base than most headsets. (2)

About Advanced American Telephones

Advanced American Telephones (AAT) designs, manufactures and distributes AT&T-branded telephone products in the United States and Canada under a brand license agreement with AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.  AAT is owned by VTech Holdings Ltd. VTech is a widely recognized leader in corded and cordless telephones.

Synapse and SynJ are trademarks of Advanced American Telephones.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network.  AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service is not available in all areas.  AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

(1) The findings for the survey were collected in 29 languages from participants in the Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge via their local Microsoft Office Experience Web sites from September 2004 through January 2005. Survey results were evaluated by ConStat Inc., an independent research analysis firm. The firm evaluated responses from 38,112 participants worldwide.

(2) *Open range test was performed by Wyle Laboratories, an independent commercial test facility. "Up to 980 feet" repeater range and "up to 500 feet" cordless headset range refers to the maximum open field range. Actual range may vary depending on intervening obstacles. Maximum operable range distances are based on all-indoor use.

SOURCE Advanced American Telephones