Great America Networks Conferencing Blog

No hidden Fees. You pay the rate we quote you. Imagine that?

Like most of you, I have a cell phone. With my cell phone I have a cell phone plan. With my family I have a family cell phone plan. With my cell phone company I have Family Cell Phone Plan Bill. With my Family Cell Phone Plan bill I have a headache.

Perhaps it is me, but in my opinion TeleCommunication bills can be very confusing. Many companies will tell you one rate, provide a bill that requires an advanced degree in calculus, engineering and hieroglyphics to understand and then have you pay the number at the bottom. The trouble is in all that information, there might be hidden fees that you might not be aware of.

Hidden fees are a part of the TeleCommunications industry unfortunately. There are many companies that are available when you are looking for quality telecommunications. Hopefully you do your research and investigate any company you are looking to do business with. While it is easy to advertise a super low rate, the real information is in the fine print.

While my cell phone plan has 5 lines, and insurance, and early calling, and text messaging plans plus 90 other apparent moving parts, it makes it rather complicated to see what any one of my lines actually costs me in the jungle of information on my cell phone bill.

Luckily teleConferencing is easier. Look at your monthly invoice and find the total you owe for your teleconferencing. Divide that by the total minutes you used that month, and you should come up with a number that is right around your per minute rate. There might be a slight difference due to taxes or the government Universal Services Fund fee required of TeleCommunication companies, but it should be in the range of the rate that you were quoted.

If it is double that rate, or more, which is not unlikely with many companies, you are getting hit by hidden fees. What kind of fees? We've written before about some tricks used by other TeleConference providers to give you an idea. They work on the notion that in many companies usually the person that signs up the service isn't the person who pays the bills.

At Great America Networks Conferencing you will never be hit by hidden fees. The quote you receive on signup is the amount you will pay for our TeleConferencing service. We feel it is the right way to do business and will not implement the fees that are being charged by other providers.

Take a look at your invoice. If it doesn't add up, contact us and become free of hidden fees.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Different VideoConferencing resolutions for different uses

GAN Conferencing is leading the industry in accessibility and ease of use for WebConferencing. With webcams becoming more and more common on computers, there is a good chance that the members of your meeting will have the ability to share live video. It's the days of everywhere VideoConferencing and QuickVisuals is leading the way.

The flexibility to QuickVisuals is very apparent when it comes to VideoConferencing. When you are looking for a team of 9 people to be in one conference all on video, you want to make sure speed and wide scalability is the top priority. For an executive meeting, you might want a higher quality stream to be the setting with only 2-3 windows showing.

The beauty of working with GAN Conferencing is we are a personal type of company. As your video conferencing needs change, you can contact us to change your service instantly. Your Dedicated Conferencing Consultant will go over with you what you are looking to accomplish, and recommend the settings that work best for that situation. This isn't something that is required to be changed often, but when it is needed, it usually is very important.

QuickVisuals offers 4 main resolutions of live video in your meetings from a small quick stream good for open environments or many people on the screen, up to an HD resolution window that is optimized for a closed environment with the focus on quality. It's always important to remember the bandwidth requirements of VideoConferencing and your attendees likely connections.

The flexibility of both QuickVisuals and GAN Conferencing is all in place to make sure your important meetings function the way you want them to and with the best possible quality, no matter how varied they might be.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

I don't have time to make the switch to a new service?

There comes a time in an executive decision when you know that the time to act is now! The new service is better, more flexible, and will save money as well. The problem too often becomes making that decision requires too much effort and time to implement. If your office is going to switch a major procedure or process that is utilized every day, that can be a daunting task to implement, even when you know it is for the long term good of the organization.

We hear this from many companies after they sit in on a demonstration of our service. They agree 100% that QuickVisuals is definitely a more flexible tool than their current WebConferencing service. They also see the added savings that our QuickConnect TeleConference rates offer to them, along with the array of Free tools they receive as well. The decision to switch is usually a simple one for them.

Most of them have switched a communications service before, and have trepidation at the thought as they think back to the experience. They had to handle training of the staff on scheduling meetings and operating the service. Then there has to be a way to keep track of everything for the reporting plus so many other issues to attend to. Last time it took weeks before day-to-day business went back to normal!

This isn't the case with Great America Networks Conferencing. When you move your company to our service, the entire staff at GANC will be put into motion to make the transition near seamless and efficient. All the tasks that are usually left up to the Office Manager/IT Specialist/Administrator/etc. are going to be handled by us. We will:

• Provision all audio users (even using the same codes they are used to)
• Work with the website admin to custom brand QuickVisuals to your company 
• Send Free Wallet cards to all users for easy remembrance of information
• Train an administrator on the power of QuickPortal to manage their account
• Work with HR or Accounting to go over the Reporting system for their records
• Train all users in either a group, or individual sessions on usage of QuickVisuals
• Train all users on accessing their reports in QuickPortal and control in Live Conference Viewer
• Insure that each user is aware that live operator help is *0 away on each and every call
• Distribute our support number for any tech questions or concerns from anyone in company
• Do whatever it takes to make sure everyone in your organization is at ease with the new system

At Great America Networks Conferencing support and service is never ending, and never a charge to call a technical specialist and get help on the spot. Relieving your IT staff from questions and concerns related to conferencing allows more time to work on your own company's projects. We take care of all your users technical needs and make sure business continues as usual with minimal adjustments.

Yes, you do have the time to switch. We'll give it to you. Call us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Keeping track of everything. How automated reporting helps you stay organized.

There is a reason what we do all day is called business. It keeps us very busy! Sometimes too busy to keep track of all the things that you know you should. Corporate is calling for more and more tracking of time and activity, and it is just good practice to stay productive and efficient, but who has the time to make reports all day?

Great America Networks Conferencing is here to relieve you of the menial but all-important task. We will keep track of all the conferencing you do and email you a copy of everything that you want to know about your conferences. This is of course configurable by you to be active or not, but in this day and age, a log of activity is very beneficial. Here is a rundown of some of the ways GAN Conferencing can help you stay organized:

You have a morning conference call and need to make sure you are aware of who was on the call and how long they were there. Also Accounting wants to know the cost of each call as it happens, and your supervisor is interested in knowing how you have been spending your day as well.

With the settings you can customize in your QuickPortal, you are able to have a log of all the teleconference information emailed to you and 2 other email addresses within minutes of completing a conference. This way you have a record of all attendees, dial-in numbers, durations, and costs for every call in near real-time.

After lunch you run a marketing webinar for lead generation to your companies new product. This is something that you will do routinely to generate more interest as your products adoption grows so you are constantly fine-tuning your presentation to make sure it is as efficient and current as possible.

In QuickVisuals you are able to configure a report to be sent to you automatically that includes a link to every slide that was shared, all media that was played in the meeting and any chat conversations that took place. Also available is the names of all attendees with their phone numbers, durations, and the time that any Webcams were activated during the conference. By comparing multiple reports you can fine-tune your presentation in an easy and efficient manner.

The training session on the new product was of course scheduled while you were performing your marketing webinar so you could not attend live. Fortunately, the moderator of the session has forwarded you the QuickVisuals Meeting Report along with the link to the recording. As the day dies down, you plan to review the session from home after dinner. A simple click and you're in the meeting on your home desktop. The usual introduction is standard fare for your sessions so you click the bookmark to 'Slide 5' and on, then view the training video that was shared and download the Whitepaper that was distributed as well. there were some good questions asked both in the chat transcript and verbally over the TeleConference that really provides additional insight for you.

The ability to have a log of your activity in conferencing is beneficial on many levels to both you, and to your company. Great America Networks Conferencing offers reporting services free of charge with QuickConnect, QuickVisuals and QuickPortal that all allow you to concentrate on your business and move on quickly to your next task.

Making your day easier is what we are here for. Let us help you.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

When you need the best! - GAN Conferencing's QuickAssist

QuickConnect Reservationless audio conferencing is GAN Conferencing's most used service by far. The ability to have a conference call at anytime 24/7 and know that it will always work and be crystal clear is what most companies are looking for. Nobody provides that service more reliably than Great America Networks Conferencing, but sometimes you need more than just ordinary.

While Reservationless conferencing is an important service, it isn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world. You call the toll-free number, enter a code, and everyone is on a call. It couldn't be simpler. Although sometimes there are situations where you need some extra features.

What if you need an attendee list of the name of all callers? Or perhaps the ability to have the Operator dial-out to your attendees for you? At times there can be important information that has to have added security measures which we can provide. All of this is available through our QuickAssist Operator Assisted service.

The most common usage of QuickAssist though comes in to play when you know you are going to want to give your audience an opportunity to ask the speakers questions? Having a live Operator conduct a moderated Q & A session shows the upmost professionalism and importance to your call. Our highly trained operators provide an efficient and professional experience to all members of the call and avoid that ever present "my turn next" syndrome that can happen on un-moderated calls.

If you are going to be in a high-profile conference call, don't leave anything to chance. Utilize Great America Networks Conferencing QuickAsssit service and make sure you and your company look your best. Contact us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

The Swine Flu outbreak and the Conferencing Industry

News about the Swine Flu is spreading all over the Internet at an incredible pace. The social networking site Twitter at one point even seemed overrun with it. It is important news of course, but with the easy spread of information on the Internet, it is easy for false rumors and unwarranted fears to spread as well.

It doesn't take a deep knowledge of the WebConferencing industry to realize that anything that reduces travel actually benefits our industry. This fact did not go unnoticed as I have seen a half-dozen posts from conferencing companies pointing out the benefits of using their service to help prevent the spread of swine flu or something to that effect.

I refused to do the same. I as an alternative want to commend and join Ken Molay from The Webinar Wire in telling people not to panic or sensationalize such a potentially dangerous event in an effort to drive more business to your own website and service.

The benefits of WebConferencing are easily apparent and don't need to be spelled out in this particular post. Reducing travel is always good for many reasons, but as of now the complete removal of travel is not required to prevent the spread of disease. Let's all hope the usage of conferencing services remains a choice for business, and not a necessity.

I hope when you choose, you choose Great America Networks Conferencing of course, but hopefully it will always remain a choice for all and this terrible event will fall to the wayside so business can continue as usual.

 Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Happy Earth Day 2009! Are you doing your part?

April 22nd is Earth Day every year. A day to show your interest in caring for the environment and reducing your effect on climate change. This is obviously an area that Great America Networks Conferencing can help you greatly by reducing your business travel.

Use today as the chance to make that consideration each time you schedule a meeting that would require travel.

Is this trip really necessary? Can I do this over a WebConference?

The big worry on this is usually in the area of "Will it work?" and "Will my attendee have a simple time of joining the meeting?" Don't worry. This is the area that Great America Networks Conferencing specializes in.

With QuickVisuals, there is no trepidation to joining a WebConference or VideoConference. Nobody has to call the IT department or download any program to their computer just to meet with you. It is all simple and seamless.

So make the move to make a difference. Save the trip. Save the money. Save the time. but most of all, help save the earth!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

President Obama uses VideoConferencing to cut nation's budget. You should too!

A country's government is run very similar to a business. There are different goals and agendas, but there are many facets that run in line with each other. The United States is feeling a tremendous crunch in it's available budget, and like any business, it's CEO needs to do something.

President Barack Obama challenges Cabinet to cut $100 million in expenses to relieve some of the pressure on the country. This is all well and good,  but what is important to us is the overall theme of where the savings is going to come from:   

Business Travel!

• The Department of Veterans Affairs will cancel or delay 26 conferences, saving nearly $17.8 million. The department also will use video-conferencing to cut costs.
• The Department of Agriculture's effort to consolidate 1,500 employees from seven locations into a single facility in 2011. Such a move has been estimated to save $62 million over a 15-year lease.

That is a lot of money saved just by reducing travel of your staff. This is no surprise to us at Great America Networks Conferencing and to readers of this blog. We've been saving companies money and increasing productivity by working with them to implement our Audio, Web, and Video Conferencing services into their daily work flow.

All businesses large and small will have expenses. There is no denying that. But when times get tough, one of the biggest places to save money is to reduce travel. You still have to conduct business and meet with those all around the area or the world. Conferencing services from Great America Networks Conferencing allow this.

President Obama knows conferencing services are one of the best ways to reduce expenses for his 'company'. You should use it for yours. Contact us today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

QuickRegister - Our Pre-Registration package for your Webinars.

Great America Networks Conferencing is committed to your webinars being the best possible experience for all involved. This includes your attendees, presenters, and even your administrative staff. You know, the people who work to setup and organize everything for you.

It takes a lot of preparation to pull off a webinar beyond the marketing of it. Once you start marketing, there are a lot of parts to come together. You need to know how many will show up, capture information into a database about your audience, send invitations with all the correct info, send out a few reminders to make sure they show up, make sure they get in smoothly with all the correct info, and then have a way to monitor all this in real-time. Whew!

Luckily Great America Networks Conferencing offers QuickRegister.

This Pre-Registration package that we can create for you is highly recommended for larger meetings where you want to know how many people will attend. People will pre-register and you can capture valuable data from them as they are attending. This package enables a fully automated system that includes:

• Data capture in highly customizable webform
• Automated confirmation page and email sent
• Invitation information included in the confirmation
• 48-hour and 24-hour E-mail reminders
• Database creation of all captured information
• Process payments as neccesary
• Provide real-time status of registrants with a simple link
  

We handle the entire process of getting your interested attendees into your meeting. This has a one-time creation fee of for the creation of the webform, confirmation, invitation, and database, and it will be yours for life to use over and over again.

QuickRegister is an add-on for your QuickVisuals Webinar service. Ask your account representative about it.

You concentrate on your content. Let us worry about the logistics.

Contact us today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

The 'Real' goal of a true conferencing company.

I have many companies come to me for conferencing services. They all have similar needs and requests, and that is to be able to get their communication across in the most professional, simplest, and cost-effective way that they can. We provide that.

None of them ask me to create an extravagant type of flashy interface for them. None ask to make it look like they spent a million bucks to provide this medium of communication. The true communicator knows that it isn't the medium that is to be remembered, but the message. We provide that.

At Great America Networks Conferencing we want to provide the best experience possible for all involved. What that usually means is one thing:

Simple access to information. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When your audience has to jump through hoops of installing conferencing software, dialing a toll based number, dealing with low-quality audio, or just any number of inconveniences, these become the things that are remembered about your meeting. Your information that you present gets pushed further and further from the forefront of their minds because they are too caught up in the technology to pay attention to it.

By utilizing the Great America Networks Conferencing suite of conferencing services, you are insuring that your audience has the easiest time to receive your information. This insures that your information is what they remember, and not the technology used to receive it.

The real goal of a true conferencing company is to be taken for granted at the end of a meeting by the audience, and when that happens, we know we have done our job well.

Peace of mind? We provide that.

Contact us today for your own communication needs.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Present from Anywhere with QuickVisuals!

In the perfect world we are able to run our WebConferences on our main desktop computer in our office or home always. All of our presentations,  media, and information is right there and ready to go. We have the computer perfectly setup how we need it for the WebConference and things always go exactly according to plan.

It also never rains on important outdoor events. Traffic lights always turn green as we approach, and every situation works flawlessly according to plan in every aspect of our business and life.

Well now welcome to the real world.

It may rain when you need it not too. The lights can take forever and, believe it or not, there are twists and turns in most every decision to make for our business and life.

You need to be flexible.
You need to be able to adapt.
You need your conferencing service to as well.

QuickVisuals from Great America Networks Conferencing is the most flexible service there is for WebConferencing or VideoConferencing. You can be at any modern computer using just about any browser they might have on it.

It's completely cross-platform so just about any computer will do. You have no installation to worry about so you're up and running instantly. You don't even need your presentation information as it's stored in your Online Library!

It just works whether you are traveling and stuck in an airport using their kiosk, a local retail office store, a library, or anywhere. You have the ability to adapt. You have the ability to not have to cancel your meeting. You have the ability to come through. You have QuickVisuals and Great America Networks Conferencing behind you.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

QuickPortal - The power of real-time control over your conferencing account.

It's good in theory to have a company that does everything for you. Great America Networks Conferencing will bend over backwards to make sure you are 100% satisfied with every aspect of your service, and quickly attend to any requests you might have. But there are times in business when you just need something right now, or are more comfortable if you could do it yourself. This is where the power of QuickPortal really shines.

Business is dynamic. Employees and projects come and go. Resources need to be moved and modified. Reports are needed in a moments notice to make crucial decisions. With QuickPortal you have the power to attend to all of these matters instantly and in real time. Here is just a sample of what you can accomplish with this Free tool:

• Provision new TeleConferencing Accounts for new employees.
• Delete or Modify users as business changes.
• Download Recordings instantly after the conference ends.
• Access your Live Conference Viewer to control your call on the web.
• Billing reports completely customizable
• Usage reports completely customizable

All of this is available instantly in an easy to use interface. We of course will provide complete training and support for you to make sure you get the most from this powerful tool. In addition this can even be fully customized for our Partners.

We of course will always do these tasks for you if you choose. All you have to do is contact your Dedicated Conferencing Consultant or 1-877-GET-GAN1 anytime, but sometimes it is good to just be able to handle it instantly yourself. We give you the choice!

Powerful. Flexible. Simple. The Great America Networks Conferencing way.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Custom Branding - Promote your brand, not your WebConference providers.

You get a lot of benefits when working with QuickVisuals for your WebConferencing. A simple to use platform that is accessible by virtually anyone. Full featured WebConferencing with integrated 100% quality audio. The ability to show PowerPoint, your desktop or rich media seamlessly to hundreds of people, and the world class level of customer support offered by us here at Great America Networks Conferencing.

But these are only some of the many reasons to choose QuickVisuals as your WebConference platform. A major benefit that is not offered by just about anyone else out there in the industry is the ability to fully custom brand the service for your company.

When you invite people into  conference with another provider, are they going to the providers domain? Are they looking at the providers logo the whole time? Why should you promote the WebConference company, when you want an additional avenue to promote your own brand?

At Great America Networks Conferencing, we allow you to completely customize the QuickVisuals interface. From the backdrop of the conference, to the login page colors and logo, even down up to a custom subdomain. Have your attendees see your name everywhere on the way into the conference, rather than ours, or any other webconference provider. Only at Great America Networks Conferencing can you have that level of full customization.

Allow us to help you put your best foot forward with your presentations, in a service that promotes your company 100%, and not someone elses. Contact us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

The many uses of a hammer

I am not a handy guy. That's why I work with technology instead.

Don't get me wrong. I can fix a few things. Put together some stuff following the directions, and occasionally do something with tools that will impress my wife at least. I'm no Bob Villa, but I can handle your basic tools without winding up in the emergency room.

One of the many useful things my grandfather taught me growing up that I always remember is that almost every job needs a hammer. A hammer is the most basic of tools. It's easy to use, and takes little to no training to be proficient with it. It is also one of the most versatile. A hammer allows you to:

• Drive a nail
• Yank a nail (or anything)
• Break stuff (one of my favorites)
• Extend your reach (good when on your knees working and don't want to get up to reach something)
• Pick-Up things
• Push a button
• Tap minor adjustments
• Break more stuff

It is the tool that has been around for the longest time and will be around forever in any toolshop. No matter how far nailguns advance, you would be hard pressed to find a real handy guy without a hammer.

A good WebConferencing platform has many of the same qualities. Easy to use and can be done with little or no training, (although we are always happy to train you). It also needs to be versatile. Your WebConferencing service should allow you to:

• Present information
• Receive information
• Make an Impact
• Allow you to reach your audience anywhere without limitation or restriction
• Provide the ability to pick-up looks on peoples faces (with video)
• Train, Collaborate, Research, Present, Sell!
• Internally adjust policies and procedures
• Choose to do any one, or all of these things at a moments notice with anyone!

QuickVisuals is the most versatile tool you can have in your business toolbelt. With little training you can invite, present, and collaborate with just about anyone regardless of their computer specs or connection requirements.

Imagine if you had a hammer that could only drive nails, and nothing else?

If you are looking for WebConferencing services for a specific reason, make sure you don't wind up with a service that limits your growth and capabilities down the line. You never know what you might find yourself using your tool for in the future.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Additional revenue stream for your business

The economy is tough right now. Every day there seems to be another few thousand people being laid off. More businesses are having to file Bankruptcy. What do you do in a bad economy to have your business survive? It's a 2 part answer. Cut expenses and increase revenue!

We at Great America Networks Conferencing are looked to for help. People know that conferencing is a great way to reduce expenses. The hard economic times that are befalling on most industries is actually enabling our industry to boom. Now is the time for you to take advantage of that.

While you are already using conferencing to reduce expenses, Great America Networks Conferencing lets you use it to add an additional revenue stream to your business with our Partner Program. By partnering with Great America Networks Conferencing you will be able to promote and sell our products.

This is a huge opportunity for you to not only help your business weather the tough economic time, but to get into the industry that is only going up!

But I don't know how to sell conferencing?

We will provide all the basic training you might need. It's not rocket science at all here. Preventing travel expense is a really easy sell today. We will take care of everything as far as demonstrating the product and customer training and support. We will even brand the entire package with your company name and domain.

It couldn't be easier. Look over our program and contact us for more information on how to get started and bringing an entirely new revenue stream to your business.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

How do you measure the intangiables?

Here at the blog you have read my mentioning of the concierge level of service and support that you get with Great America Networks Conferencing. With the growing options of Audio & WebConference providers available, why should this be such an important factor? As long as the service works, there shouldn't need to be any support or help!

Well in a perfect world, that would be a valid point to make, but of course as we all live in the real world, things don't always go according to plan. We are talking about technology here, and technology is never going to be perfect. Anyone that sells me technology that says it will always be 100% perfect instantly raises a red flag to me. Lets face it, my cell phone still drops calls, my TV sometimes loses satellite signal, and a host of other things can, and will happen sometimes.

Good Great WebConferencing is the joining of many technologies in the correct way. We have done that for you and have a system that is more reliable and better than just about any that is available today. What we cannot control always though is the end user, and their computer or connection, as well as possible user error.

These are the times when our service and support really shine. when a user is trying to access a conference, but his Internet connection fails, or his cell phone loses signal, or someone told him the wrong information to join. It is imperative that they are able to get instant help by our Live Operator monitoring our conferencing bridge at all times.

This alone can save a conference. If this conference is with a prospective client, or some other mission critical meeting, think of what that can save? It can mean the closing of a sale, or the reputation of your company. Some things can be immeasurable, but so very important.

Let us hold your hand, and the hand of all your attendees. When we claim to have the best customer support in the industry, we mean it! And you can count on it!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Question & Answer tips during a Webinar

Great America Networks Conferencing offers hold-your-hand kind of service and support for our clients as you have heard me mention a few times before. It is important because the chance to learn, prepare, and practice before a webinar is important for insuring a good event. We take your events seriously and do all that we can to make sure they run the way you envision them.

One of the ways we try to do that is to assist in the first time or two that you might be having a webinar with our service. This means I have sat in on a lot of webinars, and have seen some that run better than others in the "presenter skills" department.

One section that can be a challenge to some is the inclusion of a live Question and Answer session in the their webinar. At Great America Networks Conferencing we make it easy to have a professional, and efficient Q & A with our QuickAssist Live Operator service. What we cannot do though is predict the questions your audience might have and ask, or worse...not ask.

In reading a post from Ken Molay over at The Webinar Blog, he addresses some very good tips that can help you make sure that the your Webinar Q & A session runs as smoothly as possible. Give the post a read as it offers some good insight, but I'll list the tips here as well:

1) Get people used to typing in their console early and often. Ask a question or two that is easy and fun. Ask people to type their first name, or identify a picture taken from a TV show or movie. You want them to learn that interaction is expected, natural, and non-threatening.

 

2) Refer to questions and comments throughout your presentation if you can. Just a quick offhanded remark can let people know that their contributions are being noticed. "Karen says she agrees with that. Thanks, Karen!"

 

3) When possible, refer to questioners by first name only. This builds a personal connection, but doesn't identify them to the public. It's the perfect match between recognition and privacy.

 

4) Avoid the phrase "That's a good question." If you overuse it you sound insincere. If you use it on some and not others, you imply that some questions aren't as "good."  Try alternate phrases such as "I'm glad you asked this question, because it gives me a chance to…" "Interesting… Let's take a look at that."

 

5) ALWAYS have seed questions ready to cover slow spots. Read them as if they came from the audience (announce a fake first name). People tend to start asking questions when they hear other people asking questions.

 

6) Keep your energy up, up, up! If you give a big sigh at the end of your presentation and read off questions in a bored tone of voice because you've heard them all before, nobody is going to want to play with you. Be enthusiastic about the opportunity to interact with your audience. Make them believe you LOVE doing Q&A!

If you give webinars on a regular basis, I definitely recommend subscribing to Ken's blog as he gives informative posts that can help you in a multitude of ways, and from a platform independent perspective as well.

In the end, good presentation skills in webinars come from the same place people earn them in live in-person events. Practice, practice, practice. Having a company that will work with you on that practice can make all the difference between a webinar... and a memorable webinar.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

How to know it's time to add Web to your TeleConferencing

Many companies see the immediate need for TeleConferencing today. People are always on the go and rarely in the same place for very long. When you have to talk to a group, there is no better way than a TeleConference to get everyone together quickly for a discussion.

There are some signs though that it might be time to organize a WebConference in addition to that TeleConference. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if it's time for your company to implement WebConferencing:

• Are there documents or items being discussed that are visual?
• Does someone often say "Do you see that part...?" during the conversation?
• Is the phrase "I'll e-mail it to you after the call" said a lot?
• Is there usually a member who is not prepared with all the information available?
• Do you spend a good portion of the call re-hashing previous calls and points made?
• Would it just be more efficient if people could see what you are talking about instead of explaining?

A WebConference can alleviate these issues that are common to conference calls, and QuickVisuals from Great America Networks Conferencing is the industry leading simplest WebConference to implement. The visual element of a WebConference encourages 70% more retention than just hearing something. Your calls will be more efficient and more productive with less questioning what everyone is looking at, and confidence that the goals of the call have been addressed.

Allow a Dedicated Conferencing Consultant show you today what benefits WebConferencing will have to your business and productivity. Contact us today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Bringing the right ingredients together

My grandmother was a great cook. My sister is a great cook. My mother on the other hand...you know how they say things can skip a generation? That's my mom's cooking. She has always been a wonderful mother and provider, and she can follow a laid out recipe just fine, but there was that something that my grandmother and sister can do, that just eluded her in the kitchen.

Some call it instinct, talent, or skill. What I think it comes down to is just bringing the right ingredients together in the right way, and doing the little extras that make the difference. It goes for more than just cooking. It applies in business as well.

There are many companies that provide similar services, as in the Conferencing industry. All are following pretty much the same basic recipe also. Take a conferencing bridge, software, infrastructure, plus a few more things. Mix it all together with good customer service, and sprinkle some smart business management in the mix and you have a company providing a conferencing service. Some just stand out more than others.

What could be the difference? Better ingredients make for a better result. Using only top quality hardware and cutting edge software ensures the right experience when a presenter is moving through a conferencing presentation. Proper training and support gives that person confidence in the outcome they will have. A smooth experience bringing all of your guests to the table ensures they will be the most receptive to your offering as well.

Great America Networks Conferencing strives to put everything in place from the hardware, software, training, support, and pricing to make sure that you get the best possible product and your event, whether its the daily meal or holiday special, is going to be a memorable one for all that were involved.

Contact us today and we will take the care to make sure that your company is going to have it's audience leaving the meeting stuffed full of information, and impressed with your presentation of it. We'll take care of the kitchen.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Happy New Year to all!

A very happy and prosperous New Year to all from Great America Networks Conferencing. 2008 has been a banner year for us here at GAN Conferencing and we are looking for that growth to continue strongly through 2009 and beyond. Be on the lookout for new developments in our products and services in 2009 along with some added treats and features.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Control your TeleConference from within QuickVisuals

Have you had a webinar where everything was going good until you open the floor for questions? You see the attendees list raise their hands to ask a question. You cross your fingers hoping this goes well as you hit the keypad of your phone to un-mute the entire TeleConference to hear the questions.

Immediately you have background noise, office chatter, open car windows, and who knows what else filling the TeleConference line. There must be a better way to just talk with one person at a time?

How about asking people to un-mute their own line if they want to ask a question. As much as you would like to think it will be simple to announce the name of the person to do so, there is inevitably a few who jump the gun, or can't get their line un-muted. "Was that #6 or *6?" Then they forget to mute it again, and there is the background noise issue again as too many lines are open.

What you need is full control of your TeleConference. What you need is your TeleConference integrated into your WebConference, so YOU are the one who is in control of which lines are open and muted. QuickVisuals gives you this power with GAN Conferencing's Full Audio Integration.

Utilizing QuickConnect TeleConferencing in your WebConference is already a great boost in quality over the so called "free" services that are out there. The added benefit that QuickConnect is 100% integrated into QuickVisuals is just icing on the cake. Mute or Un-mute the entire call with ease. Individually right-click on a person's name in the QuickVisuals attendee list and you have options to Mute/Un-Mute or even hang up that one line. What could be simpler?

For a full demonstration in just how easy and smoothly you can control your accompanying TeleConference during a QuickVisuals Webinar, Contact us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays - Track Santa

We at Great America Networks Conferencing want to wish all our clients and all who visit us a happy and healthy holiday season.

There is one person that despite all the technology available will never cut down on his travel this night. For those of you celebrating Christmas and with young children in the house like myself, you are aware Santa is making his rounds tonight. Thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) can track Santa with your little ones at the link below.

Track Santa Here

My granddaughter is loving to check every hour or two as he gets closer to our area of the world.

Happy Holidays to all.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Do your part to reduce travel and carbon emmissions

I was directed this video just a snippet of the real air traffic that is flying over the world at any given time.

Wow!

It made me think of a few things. For one, whatever air traffic controllers get paid, it isn't enough. Great job to you all out there just keeping control over that.

Another point is that there has to be a better way. 10 years ago, this was the best way to communicate in a rich environment with people on the other side of the world. Take a flight. But back then the economy and business wasn't as global as it is today.

Today there is a better way to reduce travel, and reduce all that carbon we are expelling into the air. Great America Networks Conferencing is committed to achieving the goal of reducing the travel usage of business. Our QuickVisuals Web and Video Conferencing, along with out QuickConnect TeleConferencing makes it easy for anyone to contribute to the cause.

With the confidence of inviting just about anyone to your conferences and knowing they will be able to get in without any issue, you can drastically reduce your business travel with our services.

Let us show you how. Contact us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

The great VideoConferencing decision for business

The good folks at ZDNet have a great article on the main choice a company has to make when considering to implement VideoConferencing into their communications. Go forward with a built in solution for an exorbitant amount of money that will require maintenance and upkeep, or look into a hosted service that is cheaper and easier, plus more accessable.

I am the first to say that there is no hosted service that can pull off the "feel like you are there" appearence of some of the $250,000+ installed videoconferencing systems. It really is a phenomenal marriage of microphones, cameras, bandwidth, and architecture.

This is a great solution for 2 companies that regularly meet by flying around the world and meet regularly. Also it is good for one multi-location company that just has to have that "like you're there" feeling. Outside of those situations, though it might be a bit much to get the job done.

QuickVisuals from Great America Networks Conferencing offers VideoConferencing that is available anywhere to anyone with a computer, camera, and internet connection. No worries about protocols, configurations, or accessability. It just works for just about anyone you want to videoconference with.

You will not think you are in the same room with the other parties. You will not mistakenly reach at the screen to shake the other persons hand. What you will do though is have a videoconference easily and with just about anyone you choose to, right from your desk, or anywhere.

Saving a quarter million dollars wont hurt either. Contact us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

Is your company's business travel budget suddenly restricted?

It is no surprise there are so many companies that are tightening their belts on business travel. With the economic times we are in, and the high cost of travel, it just doesn't make smart business sense to fly somewhere to have a meeting for an hour or two. Not to mention the lost time in traveling back and forth.

The advances of WebConferencing and VideoConferencing have made it so much simpler to share information and connect with colleagues, and clients that it is really becoming the norm. The key to making it work for your company is in finding the right provider of the service.

Before you commit to any conferencing vendor, make sure you check a few things:

• How easy is it to get in the meeting? Can it be done with no downloads?
• Is the service cross platform compatible? PC/Mac/Linux?
• Will the service give enough confidence in its reliability to use it with important clients?
• How good is the support? Can you get a hold of someone in a pinch?
• Can archives be made easily, or is recording a nightmare of hardware and proprietary formats?
• Will the provider provide all training and support to anyone in your company?
• Is there a requirement to commit to a year long or more contract?

If any of those answers don't give you the confidence you want to have with your conferencing provider, then it is time to keep looking. I can assure you at Great America Networks Conferencing we will be glad to answer all of these questions and more. Plus you get our famous support that is beyond comparison.

Contact us today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

Why are children so creative?

I was spending time with my 4 year old granddaughter building a creature in a digital clay type of environment. As we have the main body together with, what was to me, the obvious front and back, she put a mouth and eyes on the tail end facing them towards the front.

I was about to correct her mistake until I took another look at it. It was pretty cool! Here was a creature that was reclining. I never would have thought of it. She put legs and arms in place and we walked him around.

We've made a bunch of these little creatures together before, and she never ceases to amaze me with her creativity. Why are kids so creative? It's because they are not bound by the rules we have learned growing up.

Are you in a work environment bound by the rules of engagement with your clients, or other co-workers? What would it take to initiate something new? We can all try something new, but to get it to be accepted by superiors, it has to be a better way, or even more likely, a cheaper way to do something.

WebConferencing meets all those requirements. It is the best, and most efficient way to conduct most meetings. The fact that it's an incredible cost saver is just a bonus on top of it. If this is new territory, then you want a company that works with you to make sure it is implemented correctly. GAN Conferencing is your answer. Let us expand upon what you have been doing, and make it better.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

Where is the Boss? At another meeting?

You are going to sign one of your biggest clients of the year. All you need now is the boss to OK the deal you are going to cut the client to make him sign today! There is a strict policy on getting your boss's approval before any kind of special offer is accepted. You get to the door and the boss's admin tells you...

"The Boss had to fly to a meeting. He will be back after the weekend."

How much of an impact can that have on your chances of closing the deal? If you are the boss, how many times has this happened while you were traveling for a meeting and you aren't even aware of it?

So many companies only look at the cost saved from business travel when evaluating the benefits of WebConferencing. There is a more important benefit though. Why be gone for a day or more just to have a 2-hour meeting. A 2-hour meeting should take up 2 hours of your day, and not an entire weekend! It can be that efficient with QuickVisuals WebConferencing. Be available for your staff. They need you and they need you there! Let us help make it happen for you and let you have the time to take care of business, instead of taking care of the airline industry.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

Happy ThanksGiving from GAN Conferencing

Just a quick message to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday to all of our American readers and friends. Remember there is more to the day than just easting. Be Thankful for what you have and enjoy the company of others. If I can still move after dinner tomorrow, I'll see you then. :)

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

Increase your revenue. Partner with GAN Conferencing.

You've probably read countless articles and blog posts about how conferencing can increase your company's bottom line by allowing you to reduce expenses, and be more productive. There is a reason the conferencing industry is booming to over a $6 Billion industry right now. It works!

Now it's time to not only let conferencing increase your bottom line, you can let it increase your overall revenue as well. GAN Conferencing has a Partner Program that makes it easy to get in on the conferencing surge and start bringing extra dollars into your company.

Whether you use it as an add-on to your existing product line, and just add the revenue, or utilize it as a "foot-in-the-door" to help you get in front of that client who can use it, and then present also your company's main product. At GAN Conferencing, we make it easy because we really take care of everything for you.

All you have to do is find someone who is interested in saving their business some money, and who isn't with the economy these days? We take it from there. We'll demo the product, and work with them on implementation ideas. We also provide all training and our concierge level of support to all of your end users. They wont be contacting you for assistance. They contact us directly and we take care of their every need. You just generate residual income for you.

It really is as easy as it sounds with Great America Networks Conferencing. If you think you know companies that can use conferencing, we will do the rest to make you some extra money. Fill out our partnership form for more information today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo

QuickPortal - Monitor, Modify & Control your account

I've mentioned it before on this blog. business is dynamic. Changes happen constantly. This goes for your communications even more so. When a new employee comes into your business, how soon you are able to get them all the tools they need to perform is vital to their success, and their production for your company.

GAN Conferencing is proud to offer QuickPortal to all of our clients. With QuickPortal, you no longer have to call into the conference company to provision a new account for a new employee. Nor would you have to cancel accounts in a stream of phone calls and paperwork. Not having an account canceled effectively can even be a security concern for your company.

QuickPortal allows you to provision new TeleConferencing accounts, or delete old ones instantly. An administrator in your company can create and delete accounts whenever there is a staff change or the need arises.

Have a special project in the works? Create a specific TeleConference account just for the project. This will allow you to track the expense that the project generates in conferencing. You can even print reports by a unique assignable alpha-numeric code. When the project is over, you can delete the account anytime you choose.

This kind of instant access is only one of the advanced features that is available to you with QuickPortal. I will be blogging about new features all this week. See all the power of QuickPortal by contacting us today.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
Skype: anth.russo