[social_warfare]
This week’s rave centers on my favorite tool not just for FREE conference calls, but for conference calls, online meetings, recorded meetings, and screen sharing in general. I have used other services in the past, and I am hooked back on this one.
Note: we are not paid for this post, and are not affiliated with freeconferencecall.com in any way. I am simply a delighted, loyal user, and I believe this is a valuable tool for businesses.
Tool Of the Week: FreeConferenceCall.Com
This is exactly what it says it is, and that is the beauty. It is literally a tool to use for free conference calls, and there is no catch. There are no tactics, no baiting and switching, nothing. When you sign up (for free, did I mention this is free?!), you are instantly given a phone number, access code, and a host PIN to use. You can send this invitation to whoever you want on the call. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s very useful.
I’ve used it for around 5 years, off and on. It started out with just a phone number, access code, and host pin. They were emailed to me, and that was it. No special login website page, no special account info, just a phone number to give out to people.
I switched to GoToWebinar about 3 years ago because at the time, FCC did not fill the need I had for online meetings and screen sharing. When I checked back in with them recently just to do a quick call for our staff meeting, I was met with a robust website and so many new features, I was blown away. And it was all STILL FREE. I may or may not have danced around the office when I signed up with an account all over again.
Potential Drawbacks
Disclaimer: none of these bother me. But, they bother some people out there apparently, so I’ll note them here.
- When you, and any of your meeting participants, call in to your provided number, there is a recorded voice that says “This service is provided by freeconferencecall.com”. This is where they do make a little money, for those who care about such a thing. For $2/mo, you can upload a custom greeting. I’ve never used this feature, so I can’t expand on the usefulness of it.
- There is a limit of 1,000 participants. You can utilize their Event services if you need more than that, but again this is a feature that I haven’t had to use. I can’t imagine when I would use it, but maybe one day I’ll need to talk to more than 1,000 people at one time and I can then give a proper review about that.
Those are the only two that stand out to me, but you can check out this huge list of reviews for all the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s mostly a bunch of other raves though, because this site is awesome.
My Favorite Features
How do I love thee, freeconferencecall.com? Let me count the ways….
- You allow screen-sharing…for free.
- We can use you for online meetings (with the screen sharing, of course)….for free.
- You allow full recordings of all meetings (voice and online)…free!
- You send me those recordings immediately, which is helpful for an easily distracted person such as myself.
- I can see who is on the call, and when they speak.
- I can mute people (that mystery person with the barking dog in the background? No longer a mystery, and MUTED).
- I have just as much control as I would like to have on every single meeting. Not exactly a specific feature, but user control is a big deal to me.
Go forth and have free meetings.
That’s all there is to it. I love it, I recommend it.
Do you feel differently, or want to revel in the greatness of this service with me? Leave a comment. Get it off your chest. I know I feel better having written this post. Go forth and be productive!
