Do you often find yourself traveling to foreign destinations on a plane for 4 hours just to have a 3-hour meeting?

Have you ever been in a situation where you really need to talk to a few people in real time but end up phoning them individually over and over again?

Audio conferencing is the solution to your problems. It saves you money, time and valuable energy.

• Q1. What is audio conferencing?
• Q2. Who needs audio conferencing?
• Q3. Who is considered as the chairman of a conference?
• Q4. How is an audio conference arranged and how does it begin and end?
• Q5. What is the maximum number of people that can take part in a single conference at once?
• Q6. Is it possible to involve mobile phones in a conference?
• Q7. What other additional services are provided with Copperbean's audio conferencing?
• Q8. What protection methods are provided to make a conference as secure as possible?
• Q9. How much do I pay?

Q1. What is audio conferencing?

A service that allows 3 or more people to be linked together through a telephone call. All the people involved in the conference can hear each other and can also be speaking interactively. Some people call it phone conferencing or teleconferencing.

Q2. Who needs audio conferencing?

Audio conferencing is perfect for people who regularly attend meetings with others who are scattered around the country or world. It is also perfect for people who just do not have the time to travel to meetings. It is also suitable for firms with tight travel budgets as it is much cheaper than actual travel.

Q3. Who is considered as the chairman of a conference?

This is the person who hosts the conference and organises it. He/she is the one who is billed for the charges of the conference. The chairman can also decide which people can only listen and not talk in a conference.

Q4. How is an audio conference arranged and how does it begin and end?

The chairman of the conference first decides the time for the conference. He/she then reserves the time and a number with Copperbean online. Once the conference is being booked all the attendants will receive an email invitation providing the conference date, conference time, conference subject, phone number to call and a PIN to quote when he/she enters the conference. Hours before the conference is set to begin, all attendants are sent reminders by SMS message (the chairman decides the time these reminders are sent). To enter a conference a person simply calls the number and quotes his/her PIN. The conference begins when two or more people have entered. To leave a conference, you simply have to put down the phone. A conference ends when the last person puts down the phone.

Q5. What is the maximum number of people that can take part in a single conference at once?

Copperbean's standard package allows up to 20 people to be involved interactively in a conference. But as many people as you require can be arranged, at an extra cost.

Q6. Is it possible to involve mobile phones in a conference?

Yes, but the downside is that mobile phone connections are often quite poor and people using mobile phones may drop out of the conference if their connection fails.

Q7. What other additional services are provided with Copperbean’s audio conferencing?

• Once you are registered you'll be assigned a permanent personal conference telephone number (always starts with 0207) that will always be dedicated to you. This means the conference facility will be always available to you (because no one else will be sharing the same number) whenever you want it without reservation. This is particularly useful when you need to host an emergency conference (e.g. in 2 minutes time) because all you need to do is to inform all the attendants to dial your personal conference number at your requested time. This service is perfect for firms that have frequent meetings that cannot be scheduled.
• Online reservation: of course you can utilise our online booking facilities to present a more professional image to your attendants who might be your potential clients or business partners. This includes the FREE email invitation and SMS reminder service we mentioned in Q4.
• Operator assisted conferences: There will be an operator standing by during the conference and will help with any problems if they arise once you press *3. The operator will also introduce every attendant when they first log in.
• Recording of conferences: You can have the options to record a conference if you wish.
• Playback. Anybody in a conference can playback any pre-recorded information that he/she has.

Q8. What protection methods are provided to make a conference as secure as possible?

We have the ability to make your conference as secure as possible. We guarantee that the connection is secure. We can also offer password confirmation when people are to enter a conference. There are also other methods available, so please call us if you would like to know more.

Q9. How much do I pay?

You have the options to become a subscriber which gives you a discounted rate per minute if you are a frequent user, or you can choose to pay per use (non-subscriber).

If you are a subscriber:-

As a subscriber there is a £26/month subscription fee charged to your account, but you can benefit from as low as 8.5p/min for the connection.

E.g. You arrange a conference for 4 attendants (Mr. A, B, C and yourself). Mr. A left 10 minutes after the conference started, and the rest of you stay for another 10 minutes. In this case you (as a chairman) will be charged:

8.5p * 10 (Mr. A's connection fee) + 3 * 8.5p * 20 (Mr. B, C and your connection fee) = £5.95 in total for your whole conference.

If you are a Non-subscriber:

As a non-subscriber you do not need to pay any subscription fee. All you need to pay is 12p/min connection fee.

E.g. You arrange a conference for 4 attendants (Mr. A, B, C and yourself). Mr. A left 10 minutes after the conference started, and the rest of you stay for another 10 minutes. In this case you (as a chairman) will be charged:

12p * 10 (Mr. A’s connection fee) + 3 * 12p * 20 (Mr. B, C and your connection fee) = £8.40 in total for your whole conference.

Note 1: Please note that on top of this fee you still need to pay for the normal call charge rate to your service provider for dialling 0207 numbers either from your landline or mobile.

Note 2: All prices quoted are VAT Exclusive.