7 Platforms for Free Conference Calls

The word conference used to be something that only business magnates used to use, people with high rankings in the business scene. Nowadays, anyone can create a quick conference call with anyone they like; their business partner, their associates, or just a newcomer who needs to be told what to do. It's all possible, at no cost.
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The word conference used to be something that only business magnates used to use, people with high rankings in the business scene. Nowadays, anyone can create a quick conference call with anyone they like; their business partner, their associates, or just a newcomer who needs to be told what to do. It's all possible, at no cost.

It's better known as the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) way of communicating. You're technically accessing these apps, tools and platforms for free, but you still require an internet connection to connect with the other person. You might say: Hey, that's not free? But, you can literally boot up your free conference calls from anywhere you like, be it the gym or a cafe.

Right, there are quite a few ways to understand conference calls, but as far as learning how they work goes - I recommend you read this post about the rates of conference calls, and why are they labeled free, and I recommend you read this podcast article to learn more about regulations and stipulations of VoIP conferencing. Make sure to dive into the comment section for the second article.

Apps, Tools & Platforms for Free Conference Calls

I'll be putting the emphasis on a few video calling services, because I believe as the technology trends evolve, we're going to see more and more one-on-one type of conference software come out. It's - a lot - cheaper to use a program like Skype to host a conference call, whereas an premium service - without video - might prove to be quite costly.

Google+ Hangouts is probably one of the quickest ways of getting up and running with your free conference call. You can use it literally on any device that has either video or audio support, and the quality of calls is remarkable. You can organize your contacts so that you may always make quick calls necessary, you can also live-stream your conferences if you like, transparency is looked upon a lot!

Who doesn't know Skype? It might not be the most secure program in terms of government policies, but it certainly has its appeal when it comes to free video calls, free voice calls, and free instant messaging. You can easily create a video call that consists of up to 25 people, see the official group calls page for more details.

FreeBridge is a free conferencing platform that can host conference calls of up to 100+ people, a number that you most likely won't achieve in the very near future, as I believe that major corporations have this part of their business already taken care of. (I'm talking about premium conference call tools!)

FreeBridge is commonly used to conduct board meetings, legal depositions, sales or training seminars, or even phone conferencing with family and friends. Host a free conference call, and see your business processes streamlined, increase productivity, communicate vital information quickly, and save time and money with FreeBridge!

Rehuddle is the winner in terms of simplicity and straightforwardness, it's such an easy tool to use - all you have to do is create a group name, you can then dial the given number and enter the extension that was given to you. Same applies for everyone else who wants to join the call, simple and flexible!

I've to give it to these guys, snagging the 'Free Conference Calling' company name was a pretty smart idea, but luckily these guys are also providing the necessary value. (If we choose to take the name for granted.) You can create calls that consist of up to a 1,000 people, but the most interesting feature is that you can get detailed reports of your conference calls in the account dashboard. Statistics are always great, especially if you have to monitor attendance.

OpenVoice will allow you to build open call groups for up to 500 people, not only is it easy to use, OpenVoice also provides statistic reports, and features that allow to create specific call groups. If you're always travelling or on the go, you'll be happy to learn that OpenVoice has a mobile app that makes conferencing a true breeze!

SendHub brings simplicity, affordability, and multi-channel customer service to business telephony. Finally a phone solution that is flexible and adaptable to the dynamic needs of small and midsize companies, without adding costs and complexity to their operations.

Their customers include companies such as Asana, AT&T, and Pigeonly. Out of all the great futures, things like automatic voice transcribe to text and ability to send people messages with a link to join the conversation have really stood out for me. What about you?

Platforms and Tools for Free Conference Calls

My own conference calls so far have been quite small in their size, but it doesn't mean that they won't grow as the time goes by. I'm sure that I myself will need to return to this list of platforms and tools myself, but while you're still here - which one of these have you tried out for yourself, and would you recommend it to others?

This post originally appeared first on CodeCondo.

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