Over the past week, I’ve had trouble connecting to any bridge number that starts with the area codes 712 or 218. When I call conference bridge line services in these 2 area codes, one of the following happens:
- It tells me that the access code is no good (even though it was triple checked with the virtual event host)
- Or, I get one ring and then the line goes dead
- Or, if I do connect, the line is crackling so much that I have to hang up to try and get a “clear line”
- Or, I get “all circuits are presently busy”
And I got these 4 different problems within a 7-minute span as I was dialing the numbers over and over. I then switched to Skype as I have unlimited long distance, but I ran into the very same problems as well. How frustrating.
Up until this point, I had alot of confidence in free conference bridge line services. I started using them again because many have become so reliable and it was getting hard to distinguish between them and conference bridge line services that I’ve paid for.
Until recently.
And sadly, it doesn’t have much to do with the conference bridge line service, but with the companies that provide our phone service. Many have started to block calls to phone numbers with a 712 or 218 area code. And it looks like my phone company has caught up.
I’ve tried to find an explanation as to why my phone company would do this and I’ve haven’t found anything official. However, through the various blog posts and forums that I’ve combed through, it appears that telcos have to pay to connect their customers to phone numbers in the 712 and 218 area code. Why that is, I still have to research this and once I find the answer, I’ll post it here.
But here’s the real question (or questions):
- How many sales are you losing by using a bridge line that some people can’t call into?
- How many prospects just give up after trying to call the conference bridge number for the 3rd, 4th or 5th time?
- And, how many emails, tweets and tickets are you dealing with from angry people who are now slamming your reputation just because they couldn’t dial into your virtual event?
Just because you, as the virtual event host, isn’t having problems dialing into the number provided by the free conference calling service doesn’t mean your customers aren’t.
Naw, I wouldn’t risk it.
I’ll gladly pay for a conference bridge line service knowing that my callers won’t be blocked from accessing the number. I’ll pay for one knowing that I won’t lose a ton of sales or my reputation just because people can’t connect to me. Please rethink your virtual event strategy and choose a conference bridge line service where access is not a problem.
In my post tomorrow, I’ll share with you the one problem that exists with paid conference bridge line services. Just because you pay a monthly fee doesn’t mean that paid bridge line services aren’t without its problems.
The reason that phone companies are starting to block these free conference call area codes is due to the exorbitant connection fees. The way it works is that these small telcos (generally in the mid-west), that would otherwise have minimal call traffic, give free conference companies numbers to use. Then the small telco charges carriers that are connecting calls to them ridiculous fees and share the profits with the free conference companies. So technically companies who use these free conference services are actually footing the bill to the carrier of the people calling into them….which in turn will either make their rates increase or get blocked all together.
Excellent summary, thanks for sharing.
Good blog overing the 712 & 218 area code issue. http://www.calliflower.com/2006/10/11/whats-with-the-712-area-code/
Excellent summary. Thanks for pointing out Alec’s blog post to me.
I have tried http://www.usemybridge.com It appears to be a new free service. The website is basic, and the calls are clear. I googled the area code and the dial in numbers are in Austin Texas. They also make you click on a charity, to donate a portion of the proceeds to a charity.. great concept.. Also I don’t have to give away any personal information to set up a bridge…Major Plus!!
Kat
Great comments. Here is the background on how and why free conferencing is even available: http://tinyurl.com/24zoywp After next year, free conferencing may not even exist. Meantime, we pay for our flat rate unlimited conferencing services through this company: http://www.24conference.com
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I had the same problem with gotowebinar. Our attendees had problems joining the audio conference call portion of the meeting. This caused major problems and we lost a lot of business. You get what you pay for.
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I use SpeakSpace. We pay 4.9 cents per min, which I'm happy to pay. The service and support are top of the line. There is never a problem getting my callers into a conference from anywhere on the planet. Relative to other means of meeting with customers or prospects, a gold plated service like SpeakSpace's is a no brainer.
Thanks,
Tom
Hi Leesa,
I use AT Conference and its Toll-Free Service at only 3.9 cents per minute. NO contract. It works great as I too had issues like you had. Best of luck. My contact at AT Conference is a Gerry Glynn at 888.851.5361 or gglynn@atconference.com. Let him know who sent you so I get the $50 Referal Credit:)
Keep up the great blogs.
E
DId you get the email from them, I ll see if I can find it. It talks about this issue
No, I didn't get an email from them. If you find it, shoot it over so I can take a look and try to make sense of this once and for all.
I'm looking into which paid service to use. Looking foward to your next post on this subject!
Hi Leesa, followed you from twitter! Great article. What goes around comes around. If we want people to pay for our services, we ought to be willing to pay for theirs.
thx. Giulietta, Inspirational Rebel