Conference calls have been a central part of business communications for many years – and that’s not going to change any time soon. It’s simply one of the most effective and efficient ways for three or more people to communicate with each other.

Now, what’s been surprising to some people is that audio conferencing via telephone has kept up as business communication technology has continued to expand, specifically with the rise of video conferencing. But that just speaks to how easy audio conference calls are to manage and how effective they are in fostering discussion for teams and businesses both large and small.

See, no matter your business industry or communication needs, free audio conference calls can be a game changer in how you speak with colleagues, employees and clients.

Audio conference calls have significant benefits

Audio-only conference calls have many perks that make them one of the favored choices for team communications. They are efficient in how little time they normally take to learn how to use, set up and coordinate. There are also quality, free conference calling solutions available that stack up to some of the paid-for services that bill themselves as premium but truly offer little in the way of additional service.

Above all, though, conference calls allow people to communicate no matter where they are located. Sometimes it could be a client that is overseas or across the country. It could also be multiple satellite offices or remote workers needing to speak with the other fellow employees located at a main office or elsewhere.

No matter the scenario you find yourself in, conference calls truly are an asset that offers a path toward anything from quick decision making to deeper strategy sessions.

Good conference calls take leadership and practice

But there’s a trick to making conference calls work for everyone. It takes a good leader and some patient practice to become a real rock star at hosting a good conference call.

One reason for this: A lot of people tend to not pay attention when they are on the phone during a call. People on the line are more than likely doing some other task, like working on a project, checking email or taking their lunch break.

Not all of this multi-tasking is related to work, though. Plenty of people use conference calls as a reason to sneak in a workout, text with others not on the call, surf the web, catch up on social media and much more.

Your job, as the call host, is to make sure you know how to lead a better conference call experience for your team. Luckily, you can do just that with audio conferencing and make sure your team stays on track and on the path toward success.

Audio can be less distracting

We have already touched on the benefits of audio conferencing as opposed to video conferencing. One of the ways audio excels in efficiency over video is level of distraction. We all know that being able to see coworkers and their environment has its place, but it also can be distracting.

With fewer distractions, conversations are less likely to get sidetracked and stay on topic. The result is a much faster conference call that lets everyone get back to the rest of their day.

Be sure to instruct participants on the call to find a quiet place to call from. You should also consider muting participants who aren’t going to be speaking when the conversation is not meant to be open.

Conference calls encourage everyone to chime in

On the other hand, one of the great benefits of conference calls is the ability to gather opinions from a variety of individuals throughout your company or organization. It’s a way to bring to the table a team or group that may not actually get a whole lot of face-to-face time in an office setting or are having trouble finding time in their busy daily schedules to do just that.

If you are going to get everyone to speak up, then you will want to keep a couple best practices in mind. Those practices are to keep your statements short and remember to frequently ask for feedback during the call. This creates opportunities for others to speak up and also keeps the conversation moving.

A quick call works just fine

Once your team is communicating efficiently and you are not having issues keeping conversation moving full steam ahead, you may notice that calls sometimes wrap up rather quickly. This is perfectly fine – and yet another reason why conference calls that rely on audio shine over video options. There aren’t as many steps needed to set up an audio conference call, so you won’t have to put in a ton of effort for what may amount to 20 minutes or less of conversation.

Plus, some of the best free conference call services allow for lightning fast instant conference calls that make quick conversations even easier to strike up. These are convenient for those moments when the team needs to get together quickly to discuss time-sensitive material, such as a project with a looming deadline.

Conference calls can be run like meetings

Conference calls work great when they are structured and led just like an in-person meeting. As with a meeting, nobody should be left wondering why they were asked to join a call, nor should they be unsure as to what their next steps are.

This means creating an agenda, setting a start and end time, inviting the participants, following that agenda during the meeting, promoting good discussion that doesn’t stray off topic and creating action items for people to accomplish and putting in place a way for those folks to follow up later.

Don’t just settle for a free conference call service

When you are looking for a reliable, quality conferencing solution, don’t just settle for free – expect the best.

That’s what Conference Town offers – a free, quality service that boasts many features. Sign up today and experience a better conference call.