Audio Conferencing Bridge
To conduct an audio conference an audio conferencing bridge should be used, when more than three locations need to be connected. An audio conferencing bridge allows you to connect multiple telephone lines. When it is used with a PBX system in a company, the calls are routed through PBX systems to the audio conferencing bridge. The users then need to enter their PIN and all the users with matching PIN codes are connected to the conference.
Usually 10 to 25 people are connected at a time using the audio conferencing bridge but some audio conference bridges can connect hundreds of users. An audio conferencing bridge can be hired from a company or you can go for an in-house solution by purchasing an audio conferencing bridge.
There can be two arrangements in an audio conferencing bridge, call in and call out. In the call in arrangement, all the participants need to call the bridge telephone number given to them prior to the conference at the given time to join the conference. In call out arrangement, an operator or the organizer of the conference needs to dial the telephone numbers of all the participants and invite them to join the conference.
Features of an Audio Conferencing Bridge
The audio conferencing bridge provides many features. Some of the features that you should be careful about when you purchase an audio conferencing bridge from a vendor are:
Muting: This feature allows you to mute the sounds of other participants. This feature is especially useful when some disturbing sounds or background sounds are coming from participants and disturbing the conference. In such a scenario, you can mute the sound of the participant from whom disturbing sounds are coming. Some good conferencing bridges allow users to mute themselves when they want to perform some offline tasks such as browsing sites or viewing documents.
Number of Participants: This feature allows you to ensure the minimum numbers of participants supported by audio conferencing bridge. You should always look for a solution that allows you to add minimum participants according to your requirements and allows you to add more participants, when there is a need.
Sign in Codes: This feature allows you to prevent the unauthorized access. Users need to first dial the telephone numbers to connect and then need to dial the sign in codes to authenticate themselves. Good audio conferencing bridge providers allow you to change the sign in codes frequently to ensure that they are not passed on to wrong hands.
Operator Assistance: This service provided by the vendors ensures a good conferencing experience. An operator can check the list of authorized participants by asking their names and other identities and disconnect unauthorized users from attending the conference. The operators can also mute the sounds of participants in case echo sounds or some disturbing sounds are coming from them.
Record a Session: This feature allows you to record the conferencing session and play it when required. This feature is especially useful when you are not able to attend the conference due to some reason.
The audio conferencing bridge is cost effective as compared to operator assisted conference calls. If your conference requirements are high then you should go for an in-house solution and purchase an audio conferencing bridge to conduct frequent conferences.