{"id":638,"date":"2013-04-05T13:21:46","date_gmt":"2013-04-05T13:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=638"},"modified":"2013-04-05T13:21:46","modified_gmt":"2013-04-05T13:21:46","slug":"avoid-hang-ups-on-your-small-business-mobile-conference-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/avoid-hang-ups-on-your-small-business-mobile-conference-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid hang ups on your small business mobile conference calls"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smb-tech-trends\"<\/a>Without any sign of a midlife crisis, the mobile phone turned 40 this week. On April 3, 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper<\/a>, head of a Motorola team working on mobile communications, placed the first mobile call on Sixth Avenue in New York City. Still it wasn\u2019t until 10 years later that Motorola made the cell phone available to the mass market.<\/p>\n

Cooper might not have known then (or did he?) just how ubiquitous the mobile phone would become. A lot has happened over these 40 years to make the mobile phone one of our most popular modern conveniences. \u00a0For starters, the original DynaTac phone was 2.2 pounds \u2013 hardly pocket size. Today\u2019s smart phones are of course far smaller and like the proverbial Swiss knife \u2013 a true multipurpose device for applications that weren\u2019t even a glimmer on the radar screen in the 70s. In addition to placing and receiving calls, today’s smartphones support emailing, texting, storing and sharing digital images, downloading music, social networking and more.<\/p>\n

Increasingly among small business owners, the smartphone is a convenient platform to conduct a phone conference even on the fly when you’re on the road.\u00a0 If visuals are needed to accompany the conference, a smartphone could do<\/i> but a tablet or laptop are far more practical solutions considering the difficulty in trying to scroll around on the tiny smartphone screen.<\/p>\n

\"conference<\/a>Small Business Trends<\/i> asked for my advice to ensure that your small business mobile conference calls are clear, continuous and safe regardless of what mobile device you use. \u00a0Here are some of my tips from \u201cMobile Conference Calls: Taking It on The Road.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Hands free advantage: You certainly can hold your phone \u2013 or even tablet \u2013 up against your ear or use their built in microphone\/speaker capabilities, but it\u2019s not always convenient or clear.\u00a0 Using a hands-free headset<\/a>, you can be far more productive. While you are talking, you can take notes, move the mouse around the screen or get up and access a file if you need additional background information. A quality headset also optimizes sound quality \u2013 cancels background noise \u2013 to make your call more effective. And of course there\u2019s a safety issue if you are in the car where you want to be hands free, even if it\u2019s not always the law (10 states have outlawed hand held phones while driving).<\/p>\n

App \u2013 propriate: There are special apps to enable conference calls and many are free. Plantronics has one we call InstantMeeting<\/a> for iOS, Android and Blackberry. When it\u2019s time for the conference call, you receive an alert on your app. With the touch of a button, the app dials in and enters your passcode, automatically putting you into the call. No more scrambling to find your password or incorrectly entering it and having to start all over again.<\/p>\n

Web conference device compatibility: \u00a0There are a number of web conferencing capabilities from large companies like Cisco\u2019s Webex and smaller companies such as AnyMeeting. Whatever you choose; be sure it\u2019s compatible with your device before<\/b> you schedule your first conference.<\/p>\n

Happy Birthday mobile phone! Mr. Cooper and his team made the right call with this technology. Don\u2019t you agree?<\/p>\n

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