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Choosing a conference call service is not easy. Just type the phrase "conference call" into Google and you'll see dozens of providers. Fortunately, most of them differentiate their services on a small-group of factors. Understanding these factors, and thinking through their relative importance to the needs of your company, is the best way to make a good decision. Research in the field indicates that there are five elements which typically enable a user to make a good decision. To help you make that decision, this article reviews these 5 areas.

1. The cost

All-conference calling services cost at least something to use. This is true even of the services that brand themselves as "free." Why is that? With the exception of an entirely VOIP based system (e.g. Skype), all-conference calling services require participants to dial a bridge number. In the case of services that provide toll-free access numbers, a per minute charge is assessed. The lowest rate you can typically arrange is several cents on a per minute basis typically you'll be paying five to ten cents per minute. This charge is levied cumulatively. In other words, if there are 5 people on a 60 minute call, a 300 minute charge will be levied. Some services still charge legacy rates and of 20 or 25 cents a minute and these plans are to be avoided! As discussed earlier, some services are free in the sense that there is no charge imposed by the provider. However, these offerings do not provide a toll-free number with their free services and as such users will incur normal long-distance charges to participate.

2. Scheduling ability

Services typically fall into one of two buckets. Paid and high end corporate services often provide a scheduling interface which enables the organizer to arrange the call. For those services that feature an Outlook integration or similar sort of functionality, a pin code and dial-in bridge can be automatically allocated to the user for situations where the user wants to do her own call scheduling. The free offerings typically provide only a pin code and dial-in bridge; the initiator of the teleconference call is responsible for sending individual e-mails and maintaining track of individual follow-ups. As of now, the only free conference calling service available in the industry featuring both capabilities (scheduling and on-the-fly conferencing) as well as response tracking is Rondee.com.

3. Recording and Archiving

For a lot of users, the ability to retain information connected to the call or even the call itself can be quite valuable. Some services allow recording of the teleconference call in WAV format, GSM or both formats. Some companies offer this capability for free but typically it is found as a bundled feature of paid teleconferencing services. The audio file is typically retrieved after the conference call is over via a link from the service provider's web site or a link e-mailed to the participants. It is generally not feasible to email the audio itself because of capacity issues. Some services provide the agenda for the call to be archived. This capability is obviously not feasible with services that only offer a pin code and dial-in bridge but can be offered by services that offer scheduling capability because the scheduling template records the call specific information.

4. Desktop Sharing

Sometimes a conference call is not limited to the audio format. If your business requires sharing of information (e.g. PowerPoint presentations), desktop sharing will be a critical aspect of a successful conference call. Some users choose a best-of-breed approach and use different services for their desktop sharing and conferencing. Increasingly, however, conference calling providers are moving quickly to bundle desktop sharing capabilities into their underlying product. In the case of well-known companies such as GoToMeeting, this is part of a goal to capture both markets. In the case of conferencing, desktop sharing is being offered as a paid functionality to generate added revenue.

5. Personalization

A typical complaint from users of conference calling systems is the need to remember random dial--in bridge numbers and pin-codes. In the last year, confluence of telecom and internet technologies is enabling this problem to be solved. A few conference call companies allow for users to customize their PIN codes to something more memorable. There are some systems which also offer pinless access when users call from a registered phone number. These systems, however, do require user registration to enable a matching of the number.

For most users, the final choice of conference calling service will require weighting these (and perhaps other) factors according to your organization's requirements. The good news is that the explosion of competition in this market is expanding the services available to you.