I often use dial-in conference call systems with my big clients. Some of them really like to share presentations and desktops using web conferences alongside a phone call or conference call. I also use Skype to video conference with my Dutch teacher.
In my quest to become a very big little company – to use the same tools and technology available to multinationals – I decided to investigate personal video, audio and web conferencing.
For startups and entrepreneurs, desktop conferencing is especially efficient because it reduces the amount of time you spend travelling.
Each of the options I reviewed here has very low or zero start-up costs and they all offer different combinations of voice, web, video and phone conferencing. You could end up using all three and picking the best one for the circumstances. In any case, I think they are very powerful tools for anyone who need to collaborate at a distance.
POWWOWNOW
This is a low-cost voice conference call system. You go to Powwownow’s website, enter your email address and it instantly generates a PIN code. Then you just dial the number (0844 4 73 74 75), enter your PIN and away you go.
Although there is no subscription or setup charges, when you call this number it costs 4.3 pence per minute plus VAT from a landline. More from a mobile. Despite this, it is cheaper to run a call using this service than competitors; in some cases much cheaper.
There is also an free enhanced option which includes web conferencing using Showtime but this requires registration and a download for the presenter.
This is a quick, easy and low-cost (but not truly free) way to do conference calls with screen sharing on an occasional basis. It makes you look like a big company without the big company overheads.
Skype
I use Skype a lot now. Many of my clients have it and it cuts the cost of international calls if they use it. Also, often the quality is much better. I also have a Skype-In number that lets people call me on a London number and reach me anywhere that I have a Skype connection (020 7193 7105).
Setting up a conference call is pretty easy; you can dial a group of people automatically or add people to an existing call. If people dial in via Skype or via my SkypeIn number, I can just add them to an existing conference call. I like it that I can do everything from my PC – no phone required.
The SkypeIn number costs about £35 a year and I prepay for Skype credit to make outgoing calls on a pay-as-you-go basis.
My only quibble with Skype is that it drops calls sometimes and the quality can fluctuate sometimes.
On the other hand, the ability to dial out to people and join them into the conference and the ability to use Skype or landline numbers gives the Skype option a lot of flexibility.
Skype also has a completely free screensharing feature. However, this requires all participants to download and install the Skype software. You can’t just access it via a web browser (as you can with POWWOWNOW).
Once you set it up, Skype gives great flexibility for setting up conference calls from your desktop. The screen sharing is hampered by the fact that other users need Skype installed; it would be great if there were a web portal for that feature.
Dimdim
Dimdim is an open source alternative to desktop conference and webinar services like Webex. For single users (me!) and meetings with 20 people or fewer, it is free. Larger meetings and features come on a subscription model starting at $25 a month.
You can set up a web conference with a webcan and screen sharing. You can also record the conference. Best of all, there is no install to host, join or record a meeting. It’s all web-based.
There is a dial-in option but as far as I can tell, you need to dial a US phone number to access it. This is probably the only drawback as far as I can tell. Otherwise, if participants have a mic and speakers, they can participate using voice over IP. This is pretty cool and cheaper than using a phone-based system. It is also possible to change the default dial-in number in DimDim so you use your own teleconferencing bridge (but people on VOIP can hear them and vice versa, so everyone has to be on dial-in or on VOIP).
If you expect to do more web conferencing (e.g. screen sharing, whiteboarding etc.) or your calls are more often one-to-many (e.g. webinars or briefings) or you live in the US and a US dial-in number isn’t a problem or everyone on your call has a mic and speakers, I think Dimdim could be the winner for you.
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Thanks for this, your timing is perfect. The board of a writers’ association to which I belong has been looking for a reliable and inexpensive service for committee meetings. I shall point them in the direction of this post.
Glad to be of service, Paul
Hi Matthew..
I to have heard good news about dimdim but currently I am using RHUB 4-in-1 web conference. and I should say I am impressed! It does not require downloads of any kind, so attendees can join the meeting within seconds. It‘s hardware, and hence much more secure; further there are no monthly fees as with hosted solutions. And it is multi-functional allowing web conferencing, remote access, remote support, and webinar, in a single appliance. So, you don’t need to have separate accounts for each.