Participating in a conference call is “easy peasy lemon squeezy”. All you have to do is call up a number, and sometimes enter in a pin code, and bingo, your connected. However, setting up a conference call requires a bit more thinking and planning, as well as some money from your wallet, in most cases. There are different services that companies offer, and you have to consider those when planning out your conference call. The three basic types of conference calls are reservationless conference calls, operator assisted conference calls, and web conferencing.

However, conference calls today still are not very user-friendly. Often there is a long dial-in number that needs to be distributed beforehand either through email or another phone call. Then after dialing that number, the teleconference participant must enter a code or password in order to join the conference. This process can be tedious and annoying in everyday situations; in the event of an emergency, this type of delay could actually be dangerous.

The reservationless conference call is the answer to quickly setting up and participating in a teleconference with either a handful or dozens of other people. Not all mass notification companies offer the option of setting up an instant conference call, so it is important to make sure that the company you select offers this service. The notification company will contain the contact information of the organization’s members in its database, and when an administrator or other user sends out a message, they can select the option to connect that person to an on-demand conference call.

Web conferencing is probably the most popular way to hold a conference. These days, everyone has a personal computer with internet access, so don’t be too worried about leaving people out. The only problem with this method is that you may need some software in order to host the call. In some cases the software may be expensive, yet in others, the cost may be minimal. It basically depends on the company/software. Problems may arise with the software during the conference, so you may need to have technical support on hand as well, which will usually cost more. Although there can be issues with web conferencing, its still a great way to communicate with others.

The solution is an emergency notification service that has the ability to set up a reservationless conference call. Simply send out a message to your users, telling them that a critical situation has occurred. This message will be send over multiple modalities, including email, SMS text message to cell phones, and voice messages to cell phones, home phones, work phones, and BlackBerry PINs. The message will give the user the option to connect instantly to an on-demand conference call. In a matter of seconds, your whole team can be connected to a reservationless conference call, without all the hassle and waste of first setting up the conference, then notifying all of the participants of the dial-in number and the password, and then waiting for all the the participants to dial in and enter their passwords.