Group conversation is the pinnacle of cooperation in the world of business. Meetings are a central focus for employers in nearly every field, as gathering employees together to share information and ideas gives everyone a chance to contribute to the success of the company and its projects. Diverse contributions lead to more solid outcomes, and the best way to gather these contributions is to bring workers and management together to discuss them.
Unfortunately, meeting face to face isn’t always possible. In a world of highly globalized industry, there are many corporate entities that have work sites and management all over the globe, or at the very least scattered across their home countries. This presents challenges that are more than just geographical; time zone differences create difficulties for any face time, be it physical or virtual via video streaming services. To save money, time and other valuable resources – and still benefit from collaborative interactions between participants – the use of video and voice calling has increased, and the group call has risen to the forefront of this movement.
What is a Group Call?
According to Techopedia, a group – or conference – call is any telephone or voice communication channel that allows for multiple participants, rather than just two conversing over a single line. The number of participants can vary, ranging from three to several hundred, depending on the needs and intentions of the users. Some of these are interactive sessions, while others are strictly informative, with a single member or small group presenting and others listening in. Both types are especially popular in the professional world.
Voice Advantages
There are many reasons why an employer, director or supervisor might choose to utilize voice-based, multi-person calling as a means for professional communication. The advantages of these exchanges includes:
- Collaboration between remote parties, allowing companies to operate without having to centralize their operations. In this way, no funds need to be provided for relocation; cooperation can often be accomplished over voice chat lines as easily as in physical meetings.
- Communication that is superior to email, fax and written memos. With the use of voice, points can be made quicker and more clearly, cutting down on the time required to discuss plans and projects.
- Time, money and other resources saved by eliminating the need for travel. Facilitating meetings via remote means keeps costs low for employers while also bringing more contributors to the table. Tangible materials are less necessary when topic examples can be given via discussion and description.
- Scheduling flexibility. Because of the fact that participants do not need to meet face-to-face, the timing of teleconferences is much more flexible. Members of the conversation might sit in front of an office desk or might sit in a local café, enjoying lunch while listening. Others might even contribute from the comfort of their couch – with conference calls, it doesn’t matter where or when, as long as you can listen in.
Because of these benefits, many corporations and businesses turn to audiovisual communications companies like BlueJeans to set up programs that allow for group calls.
Mobile Meet-Ups
With the many advantages of audio communication, it makes sense that the medium has been modernized. As with many means of keeping in touch, audio conferencing is now available as part of a great many mobile applications, and can therefore be used from even more remote locations and even more convenient times.
The same applications that many people currently use to keep in touch with one another for social reasons can also be used for business. One of the most widely used – and most compatible with a variety of devices, both mobile and stationary – is Google’s Hangouts application. Using this application, individuals can have conversations both professional and private, with simple, intuitive software.
Initiating a multi-person audio chat is easy. Unlike traditional, scheduled meetings, these virtual meet-ups can be staged on short notice, and joined or exited as needed by participants. Using freely available applications or a Google account, users are able to log in, select persons to contact, and begin a conversation. Text chats welcome over a hundred participants, and while audiovisual exchanges offer support for fewer members, connection is free via any internet or mobile data line. The chat interface can even be moved out of the way of the main area of the screen to allow for multitasking, the essence of today’s workday.
Making collaborative discussions accessible to companies both large and small – as well as private citizens and public entities – allows for the greatest possible diversity of contributions and the best results on potential projects. The increased mobility of smart phone and tablet applications only enhances this. Group audio chats are now simpler than ever to initiate, and easier for professionals to incorporate into their practices, yielding better communication, better teamwork and better goods and services as a result.
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