| As we all know, phone conferencing is nothing new. It | | | | combination of the perceived value of the cost of the |
| has been around for years, and there are many | | | | call to the caller together with how the event is |
| companies pushing even more brands in the hope of | | | | marketed. |
| capturing a slice of this particularly lucrative pie. | | | | If such conferencing is to be used in a 'one-to-many' |
| Applications might include a company that deploys it in | | | | format, having a hundred or so callers simultaneously |
| order to hold a sales briefing with their remote | | | | call in means that the 'open' conference is out of the |
| workforce. | | | | question - just one participant with a screaming child in |
| In the UK, such services are typically offered 'for free', | | | | the background would end up ruining the entire event |
| in return retention of a proportion of the accrued | | | | for everyone. |
| revenues generated by participants calling in to | | | | To this end, upon calling, participants are asked if they |
| conference. | | | | would like to join the queue for a chance to speak to |
| Premium conferencing, as the name suggests, simply | | | | the host, who can monitor all activity on their |
| takes that concept one stage further. Participants do | | | | conference in real time via their internet-enabled PC. |
| not call a 0845 'sharecall' number to take part - rather, | | | | He or she then talks 1:1 with the first caller, with all |
| they call in on a premium rate number instead. | | | | others listening in, including those that elected not to be |
| The conference is hosted by anyone that adds value | | | | placed in the queue - so audience participation is an |
| to the call in order to justify the premium rate element: | | | | option, not a prerequisite. |
| this could be a celebrity, a sports personality, | | | | Alternatively, such technology can be deployed to |
| astrologer, lawyer, or expert in any given field. That | | | | facilitate ad-hoc 'one-to-one' revenue generating |
| person then receives the majority of the accrued | | | | value-added phone calls, such as legal advice: the |
| revenue - not least since they initiated the calls in the | | | | lawyer need not invoice the caller: rather, the caller |
| first place. | | | | pays for their counsel on a per-minute basis instead. |
| Such technology can also be used to hold fundraisers: | | | | Furthermore, since premium rate billing already features |
| celebrities, for example, could agree to donate a | | | | in most developed countries, money can be made on |
| proportion of the funds generated to their favorite | | | | a global scale, and not just a national one. Such |
| charity. Good PR for both the celeb and, for a change, | | | | numbers can be promoted in conjunction with the |
| premium rate - and useful money for a worthy cause | | | | world's first truly global medium, the internet, allowing |
| in the process. | | | | conference hosts to make money from Afghanistan |
| The success of such phone 'events' depends on the | | | | to Zimbabwe. |
